Departments
Below is a list of Division of Student Affairs Departments.
Be sure to visit departmental sites for more detailed information regarding the programs and services they offer.
OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT
The Division of Student Affairs maximizes the student experience. We foster transformative co-curricular learning and support students as they navigate challenges and transitions. We teach students the skills they need to be creative citizens who embody CCA values.
Guiding Principles:
- We partner with faculty, staff, and the community to support and maximize the student learning experience.
- We engage students in co-curricular experiences that focus on educating the whole person.
- We encourage, enhance, and maintain a sense of interconnectedness and community, and we promote opportunities for collaboration.
- We use assessment data from institutional and national research projects to provide evidence-based student support and services.
Resource & Programs include:
OFFICE OF THE DEAN OF STUDENTS
The Office of the Dean of Students provides assistance, intervention, prevention, and referral services to the college community. The office also serves as an advocate for students while challenging students to develop personal responsibility, practice ethical decision-making, and seek social justice as they grow into creative citizens.
Guiding Principles:
- We address general student concerns and grievances by providing advocacy, support, and mediation.
- We engage students with the care and support needed during difficult and challenging personal and academic circumstances.
- We ensure students’ rights, safety, and well-being through education and adjudication.
Resource & Programs include:
CAMPUS LIFE
The Office of Student Life fosters a culture in which students are the makers of their own learning experiences. We engage students to develop personally, socially, and intellectually to become creative citizens. In collaboration with students, the professional staff supports the students’ academic journey through the following co-curricular programming: new student orientation, student activities, student organizations, leadership development, and commencement. We value civic responsibility, community engagement, and creative collaborations.
Resource & Programs include:
- Events and opportunities focused on community building, mentorship, diversity, and sustainability
- Funding and support for student-initiated events
- Opportunities to sell artwork at the annual art and craft fair
- Events and activities that amplify the Creative Accord and promote self-care and wellness
- Resources to start student organizations and clubs
- Leadership opportunities through student organizations and clubs, Sophomore Advisory Group, Student Council (undergraduate), and Graduate Student Alliance
- Support and guidance from Student Life’s professional staff
The mission of Residential Education at CCA is to support the college’s and the Division of Student Affairs’ missions by creating a vibrant living environment that encourages mutual respect, celebrates global diversity, fosters student connections within and outside of the department, and enhances the educational experience of our students by promoting personal growth and development of the creative citizen in our residential communities.
Resource & Programs include:
- Support and guidance from professional staff and trained student team members
- Two CCA-sponsored residential communities: Blattner Hall and Founders Hall
- Opportunities to build global community, celebrate diversity, and develop life skills
- Residential curriculum
- Connection and community building
- Support for navigating successful relationships
- Activities and workshops sponsored by Residential Education staff
- Leadership opportunities
- Referrals to other college resources
CAREER DEVELOPMENT
Career Development prepares students to navigate the requirements for success in a rapidly shifting world of work by assisting them in defining their personal career success, acquiring the skills to remain competitive in an ever-evolving job market, building strong professional connections, and developing entrepreneurial strategies for developing their own business/practice. Our team provides online career coaching for students and alumni by appointment or pre-selected drop-in hours.
Resource & Programs include:
- One-on-one career coaching appointments
- Handshake student job board
- Employer conversations and online workshops
- Career Expos and job fairs
- Building an Artist’s Life career symposium
- Résumé and portfolio reviews
- Online mock interviews
- Career goal-setting guidance
- Professional network and association connections
COUNSELING SERVICES
CCA Counseling Services is committed to the personal development and professional advancement of students engaged in an arts-based educational environment fostering creativity, curiosity, and diversity. Counseling Services encourages student success and well-being by providing a broad spectrum of mental health services, including individual therapy, crisis intervention, consultation, referral, workshops on mental health topics, and outreach.
Resource & Programs include:
- Individual, confidential, professional counseling appointments for students (up to 10 sessions per academic year, as well as summer sessions for continuing students, are free of charge)
- Crisis intervention
- Referrals to community resources (including psychiatric resources)
- Presentations and workshops about mental health and wellness as well as support with developing and offering student-initiated mental health workshops
- Consultations for faculty and staff regarding student support
- Referrals to other college resources
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT AFFAIRS & PROGRAMS
International Student Affairs and Programs (ISAP) provides services to help international students understand federal immigration regulations, manage cultural transitions, and develop the international community at the college.
Resource & Programs include:
- One-on-one appointments with our professional staff
- Immigration advising
- Assistance with applications for benefits (e.g., employment authorization, Social Security numbers, etc.) for international students
- Support for cultural programming in collaboration with student clubs
- Online forms and resources
- International Education Week events
- Referrals to other college resources
STUDENT BELONGING & INCLUSION
The Office of Student Belonging and Inclusion works to create a community of care at CCA that cultivates an inclusive and vibrant campus experience that facilitates student engagement, social inclusion, intellectual curiosity, and personal exploration by working within our globally and culturally diverse college community. Through our initiatives and programs, we strive to advocate for and uplift voices of BIPOC students, women, LGBTQQIP2SAA students, first generation students, and other historically marginalized and/or underrepresented populations. We are here to support these students to develop and sustain a strong sense of belonging and connection within the CCA community.
We value civic responsibility, community engagement, creative collaborations, affirming multiple and intersecting identities, cultural competence, and modeling honesty, integrity, and social justice.
Resource & Programs include:
- New Student Orientation and Chimera Welcome Week
- Multicultural Resource Center
- Campus-wide DEIB-focused initiatives and events
- Opportunities to build community and celebrate diversity
- Support for affinity/identity-based student clubs/groups
- Support and guidance from professional staff
- Referrals to college and external community resources
