History
The Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration (HESAA) master’s program, initially called the Student Personnel Administration (SPA) program, was initiated when administrators at Buffalo State found a lack of fully qualified professionals in the hiring pool. Applicants for vacant student affairs positions lacked graduate-level training and experience in this line of work.
Dr. Thomas J. Quatroche Sr. wrote the original draft for a 30-credit hour master’s degree program in Student Personnel Administration in 1970. After approval from co-founder Dr. Charles LaMorte and the Student Services Committee of the Faculty Senate, the program was presented to the Faculty Senate and the Curriculum Committee.
Prior to submitting the program to SUNY and the State Education Department, six hours of field internship were added to the curriculum. The program, now 36 credit hours, was approved by the State Education Department and SUNY in the spring of 1971 and the first class was admitted in the fall of the same year.
Since the first class enrolled in 1971, the mission of the Student Personnel Administration (SPA)/Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration (HESAA) program at Buffalo State has included a commitment to the professional preparation of women and underrepresented minorities.
While similar programs are striving to incorporate multiculturalism and diversity in the classroom today, the HESAA program at Buffalo State has placed a strong focus on these concepts since its inception, making the program truly unique.
Faculty members foster an inclusive learning environment that promotes diversity and social justice. Students enter the program from a variety of undergraduate and graduate disciplines, many with a vast array of professional experiences, adding to diversity in the classroom. Through the years, the program has sought to shape scholar-practitioners who excel in the field. Faculty members are able to teach from personal experience and provide valuable guidance as professors in the department have held professional positions in the field of higher education and student affairs.
In 2005, the SPA program transitioned from being a program in the Educational Foundations Department within the Faculty of Applied Science and Education to its own department in the School of the Professions.
The department became Higher Education Administration which currently houses the Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration (HESAA) program.
The name change was intended to represent the fact that graduates of the program are prepared to serve in many diverse areas of higher education. Dr. Carol L. Patitu, then program coordinator, took the role of department chair.
Since the first graduating class in 1972, the program has grown to serve over 2,000 graduates with the majority working in student or academic affairs at institutions around the globe. Many graduates hold positions at Buffalo State or any of the surrounding 21 institutions in WNY. However, we have graduates working in higher education across the country. In addition, many HESAA graduates are employed by various community organizations nationwide.