The School of Education’s Student Affairs in Higher Education program at Colorado State University is celebrating its 50th year as a graduate program. Celebrations are set for July 7-9, 2017, and will take place on campus at CSU.

The SAHE program offers both an online and an on-campus option to its students, leading reunion planners to anticipate a high number of current students and alumni to attend from all over the world. The schedule is not yet finalized, but may include a program overview and updates, a panel of SAHE graduates, a campus tour, and a visit to the CSU Mountain Campus.

“We are very proud of the fact that our graduate program will celebrate our 50th year; that’s a pretty big milestone,” says Jody Donovan, assistant vice president for student affairs and the SAHE program co-chair. “We have graduates all over the country – and the world – who are doing student affairs work.”

Since its beginning in 1967, SAHE has had many changes, and has developed significantly as a program. The program started as the College Student Personal Administration, and was a master of arts degree. Since then, it has shifted to SAHE, and has become a master of science degree, a change that increased students’ research requirements and increased the credit requirement to 45.

Despite these changes, the mission of fostering and guiding students during their time at CSU and beyond, in order to become better learners, students, and citizens, has remained the same throughout all 50 years.

“We were one of the first competency-based programs, though there are many now,” says Donovan. “We identified the skills and personal qualities that we felt every graduate needed to have, and so the education and the professional experience is all pointed toward those various competencies.”

The evolution of the SAHE program is not yet complete. The hiring of a full-time faculty member, a review of the SAHE curriculum, progress toward offering a community college certificate, and helping to integrate student affairs classes at the undergraduate level are just a few of the new enhancements to the SAHE program already set in motion and expected to continue over the next several years.

More information about SAHE’s 50th reunion celebration will be shared on the School of Education’s Facebook page.

The SAHE program is in the School of Education, part of CSU’s College of Health and Human Sciences.