Student Affairs Graduate Association

Meet the SAGA Team!

Hi y'all! We are the SAGA executive board! Thank you to all who have supported our program so far! Our program is unique in the fact that we are for graduate students and their success, and we are a tiny but mighty program. Each of us works on campus for an assistantship, but many do not provide enough professional development funds for conferences. Our organization wants to raise funds for those fees as well as raise funds for activities within our program. We would not be who we are without our support systems and our wonderful alumni network. Thank you for supporting us, whether it's through money, shares online, or general moral support! We appreciate all of you! 

Who We Are

The Student Affairs Graduate Association is an organization run by graduate students in the Student Affairs Master's Program. The purpose of this organization is to bring the two years, or cohorts, together to talk about current topics or issues happening in the Student Affairs world, share our experiences within the program, and support each other throughout our time at Iowa State.

Why We Are Fundraising

We are hoping to raise funds to provide more and better professional development opportunities, such as conferences, guest speakers, and panels. Support would also help fund the I-Days programming, social events, the SAGA graduation ceremony, and cross-cohort events. This is important to us as we are always seeking opportunities for our master's students to further their knowledge and become better Student Affairs professionals, and our cross-cohort days give us an opportunity to visit other colleges and universities and get exposure to other student affairs programs and experience how structures work on different campuses.

Meet the Faculty

In order to better understand the work we do, we'd like to introduce our faculty members and their areas of study. 

Dr. Ann Gansemer-Topf	Ann M. Gansemer-Topf, Ph.D. (she/her), is the Director of the School of Education and Frances S. and Arthur L. Wallace Professor. Her research focuses on the micro (student) and macro (institutional, state, and federal) factors contributing to student success. She is also interested in using assessment methods to understand best practices for effective teaching and learning and program implementation.
Dr. Robert Reason	Robert D. Reason, Ph.D. (he/him) is Professor of Higher Education and Student Affairs; he also serves as Associate Dean for Undergraduate Academic Affairs for the College of Human Sciences. Before assuming his current position at ISU, he was a faculty member at Penn State University from 2003-2011 and a research scientist at Penn State’s Center for the Study of Higher Education. Dr. Reason brings expertise in multi-institutional studies of student success, particularly the success of first-year students
Dr. Rachel Smith	Rachel A. Smith, Ph.D. (she/her), is Associate Professor of Higher Education and Student Affairs and is currently serving as the Director of Graduate Education in the School of Education. She is interested in student transitions and practices that engage students in learning with their peers, faculty, and staff. Her research focuses on how colleges and universities can design environments where students form networks of academic and social relationships that facilitate involvement, learning, and success in college and afterward.
Dr. TJ Stewart	Terah (TJ) Stewart, Ph.D. (he/him), is Associate Professor of Higher Education and Student Affairs and the Student Affairs Program Coordinator. His research broadly focuses on equity and justice in Higher Education. Specifically, he explores the realities of college students with stigmatized identities, including how identity informs their outcomes and structural barriers to their success and well-being. He also studies identity-based student activism and power-conscious approaches to research.