Elevating Student Affairs and Services in Canada: Bridging Gaps and Building Futures

Student affairs and services influence student success, and hence it is crucial to integrate research and theoretical frameworks into this field to evaluate current practices and informing future developments (Henning & Bentrim, 2022).Scholarship focused on student affairs and services is gradually expanding, providing academics and scholar-practitioners with valuable opportunities to elevate the visibility and importance of their collective work, yet important gaps remain.This special issue is a space to draw together critical Canadian scholarship to bridge these gaps.Student affairs and services refer to the divisions or units within post-secondary institutions that support students' development and promote their health and well-being.Functional areas include academic advising, accessibility services, career services, counselling and mental health services, health services, housing and residence life, Indigenous services, and learning skills services, among others.The programs, services, and initiatives that are offered by student affairs and services professionals promote student success and contribute to campus communities.There has been a call to action within student affairs and services in North America for the integration of assessment, evaluation, and research into practice (Henning & Roberts, 2023; Wise & Davenport, 2019).Student affairs and services professionals are committed to advancing the Canadian Association of College and University Student Services (CACUSS)'s Strategic Planning, Research, and Assessment and American College Personnel Association (ACPA) and National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA)'s Assessment, Evaluation, and Research (AER) competencies within their daily work with students.Student affairs and services encompass integral