Power, Credibility, and Legitimacy

Leadership courses are emerging across higher education institutions taking various shapes and forms. Some are coordinated and run by faculty sometimes leading to a minor, major, or certificate. Others are coordinated by student affairs professionals. This book showcases the experiences that student affairs professionals have and the strategies they use in implementing and coordinating leadership courses in academic units. Plagued by the complexity of the inter-profession relationship between student affairs and faculty, implementing and coordinating courses in academic units is not a simple undertaking for student affairs professionals. Drawing from literature on the professions as well as leadership development helps shed light on the complex dynamics underlying the course implementation and coordination process. Implications for both research and practice are included. Although the context of this book is leadership courses, this book is designed to assist all student affairs professionals as they navigate through implementing, coordinating, and/or teaching any undergraduate courses for credit in a college setting.