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Supervision Skills and Strategies: Developing Essential Skills for Successful Leaders in Student Affairs Today and in the Future

Supervision Skills and Strategies: Developing Essential Skills for Successful Leaders in Student Affairs Today and in the Future

Supervision is an essential skill, requiring ongoing learning and development, for all members of the student affairs (and higher education) organizations.  The importance of inclusive, effective supervision can be seen in satisfaction, engagement, and retention rates of employees, who are directly impacted by the quality of supervision they receive. Supervision must be viewed as an investment in the employee experience in supporting today's workplace and sustaining the future of an organization. Student affairs practitioners typically lack academic or formal training in the competency of supervision. It is not often included in graduate preparatory programs and instead supervisory skills are learned on the job anecdotally through trial and error.  

The division of University Life (student affairs) at George Mason University has a strong commitment to the staff experience.  This commitment comes from the division's strategic commitment to organizational excellence, as evidenced by its strategic outcome of Organizational Excellence and the goal of “cultivating positive staff experiences and develop professional and technological competencies to better support evolving student growth, development, and success need.” (University Life Strategic Plan, 2020-2024, http://ulife.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/GMU_Strategic_Plan_v2.pdf ) The first strategic action under this goal is to increase employee supervision satisfaction.  The overall strategy goal addresses improving the staff experience of student service practitioners through strategic actions focusing on professional development, competency development, performance evaluation, awards and recognition, as well as HR processes.  With this commitment, the organization is primed to develop programs and initiatives to advance supervision competency of all staff. At a time when student affairs and higher education professionals are experiencing high levels of reported dissatisfaction, creating opportunities to improve supervision satisfaction provides a valuable return on the employee experience.   

In this program, presenters will engage participants in dialogue focusing on the existing challenges of supervision in student affairs today and engage in activities to consider strategies in which to advance competency development of leaders today.  Presenters will share work emerging at their home institution and share some of what was learned from a recent strategic planning exercise.  With the participants, presenters will discuss the existing gaps in supervision practices including lack of assessment of supervisee developmental needs, lack of supervisor training, need for ongoing development for supervision competency development, lack of in-house professional development for both supervisor and supervisee, etc.  Participants, with the presenters, will explore strategies, resources, programs, and initiatives that can be employed short- and long-term at institutions to invest in the supervisory and employee experience. 

Learning Outcomes:

  • Implement at least one new strategy to enhance supervision practices within their department or institution.
  • Develop a plan to integrate at least one professional development initiative focused on supervision into their institution’s learning and development program.
  • Evaluate available resources on supervision and team management to determine their applicability in strengthening supervisory competencies within student affairs.


    • Amy Snyder

    Director of Staff Experience, University Life

    George Mason University

    Amy Snyder is a 25+ year Student Affairs professional and currently serves as Director of Staff Experience in University Life at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.  Amy’s portfolio includes  UL HR Services, UL Professional Development, UL Central Administration, and divisional initiatives focused on the staff experience, learning and development, and workplace well-being. Amy has also served as Associate Dean of University Life, Director of Special Projects for the VPSA, Assistant Dean/Director of Student Activities,  Director of Orientation and Family Programs and Services, and Interim Director of Diversity, Inclusion and Multicultural Education.  Amy’s leadership work has focused on collaboratively developing more effective student transition and initiation experiences, increasing student engagement and academic success, and creating parent and family engagement and services at George Mason University 20 years ago.

    Amy is a first generation college student whose mother was an immigrant educated outside of the U.S system.  Amy understands the challenges students and families face in the transition to college and has made her life’s work to have a positive impact on the student experience in higher education.  Amy Snyder now dedicates her work at Mason to the staff experience and professional development and preparation of graduate students to the field of student affairs and higher education.  She has presented widely on topics including supervision skills and strategies, the multigenerational workforce, creating a professional development cohort program, and the Mason graduate assistant academy.  Through learning and development, personal and professional enrichment and well-being and organizational health, Amy continues to contribute to the success of students and staff after 25 years in the field of student affairs.

    Meeghan Milette

    Associate Director, University Life Professional Development

    George Mason University

    Meeghan Milette serves as the Associate Director of Professional Development in University Life at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. She provides leadership to divisional professional development initiatives and signature professional development programs coordinated by the Professional Development team. Ms. Milette has a background in professional staff training, building and facilitation of professional learning experiences, collaborative programming, along with supervision and staff management. Milette is committed to enhancing professional staff experiences through her work. Professionally, Milette worked in Housing & Residence Life for over 15 years in various professional roles gaining skills and professional competency in staff management, crisis response, leadership, and training development.

    Milette currently serves on the NASPA Mid-Level Administrator Steering Committee and is on the Mid-Level Administrator Conference (MLAC) planning team.

    Milette earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science with a focus in International Relations from the University of Rhode Island. She earned a Master of Arts in Student Affairs Administration from Michigan State University. She has presented multiple times nationally and regionally on topics that include Supervision Skills and Strategies, Professional Development Design, the Multigenerational Workforce, Graduate Assistant Experience, Second-Year Experience, Inclusive Housing Practices, Leveraging Technology in Collaborative Work Environments, amongst others.

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