Journal of College & University Student Housing Volume 50, No. 1 - 50

The Oshkosh Placement Exchange Experience
THE OSHKOSH PLACEMENT EXCHANGE (OPE) has been a staple in the
recruitment and hiring of graduate assistants in student affairs for more
than 40 years. While the graduate assistant position is invaluable in the
development of future student affairs professionals, graduate programs in
higher education and student affairs (HESA) play an equally important role
in this professional preparation. Historically, only student affairs professionals
have attended the OPE conference to hire new staff for their departments, but
we believe there is also a benefit in involving HESA faculty in the recruitment
process. To explore this assertion, HESA faculty and student affairs developed
an innovative partnership for recruitment at OPE. This article provides a model
for this collaboration and shares the perspectives of those who participated
in this event.
E
ach spring, aspiring student affairs professionals make the trek to Oshkosh,
Wisconsin. Despite the frigid temperatures, they go in hopes of advancing their
career in the field, participating in multiple interviews over several days at the
Oshkosh Placement Exchange (OPE). Their ultimate goal: to secure an entry-level job
or a graduate assistantship at one of the nearly 120 institutions that regularly attend
the hiring conference (OPE, n.d.). According to the chair of the Oshkosh Placement
Exchange, M. Nylen (personal communication, August 30, 2021), OPE has been a staple
in the student affairs hiring circuit since 1979 and was originally geared toward
hiring entry-level residence life professionals at institutions primarily in the Midwest.
Sharing its historical context, Nylen indicated that over the years the OPE conference
has expanded to include participants and institutions from all over the United States. It
encompasses all functional areas within student affairs, not just those in housing and
residence life. Additionally, OPE now serves as a conduit for professional placement
and provides a place for those looking for degree programs in student affairs and the
graduate assistantship that often comes with it.
As OPE continues to expand and grow beyond job placement and into the realm of
professional preparation, it makes sense that faculty within higher education/student
affairs (HESA) graduate programs become more involved in the process. An undertaking
of this size and scope requires careful planning and ongoing communication by
the OPE conference staff and both the institutions and candidates participating in the
interview process. Those candidates looking at graduate assistantships have to consider
not only the job, but also the graduate program. Though the Oshkosh Placement
Exchange does not track faculty attendance, anecdotal observation at the conference
Volume 50, No. 1 * 2023 47
Journal of College & University Student Housing Volume 50, No. 1

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Journal of College & University Student Housing Volume 50, No. 1
