CAS 11th Version Professional Standards for Higher Education

The 11th Version of the CAS Professional Standards for Higher Education is now available.

The Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) is pleased to announce the release of the 2023 CAS Professional Standards for Higher Education (11th version).

CAS, a consortium composed of over 40 collaborating professional associations representing over 115,000 professionals in higher education, has developed standards for 50 functional areas and 3 cross-functional frameworks, and rooted them in the scholarship and work conducted within their respective fields.

The 11th version provides an update to the General Standards that are revised every 3 to 4 years, as a result all 50 sets of standards and their respective assessment guide has been significantly revised. This new version includes revised standards that delineate expectations for practitioners and educators in related functional areas.

After more than 40 years of standard development, this eleventh version of the CAS Book includes many revisions to content and design. Notably, this volume is the first delivered exclusively in eBook format, in response to input from CAS users, and interactive and aesthetic enhancements. The General Standards were significantly revised with an enhanced focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion and an emphasis to include international and indigenous voices. The leadership section was revised to reflect current literature in the field. After publication of the 10th edition, CAS moved toward the practice of including contributors and experts who participated in standards revision. As a newer practice, only some of the standards currently include contributor and expert information. It is expected that as additional standards are revised, all standards will list contributors and experts.

New and comprehensively revised standards since the 2019 publication:

New Standards:
Campus Credential Programs and Services, Esports Programs, Indigenous Student Affairs, Sustainability Programs

Comprehensive Revision:
Academic Advising Programs; Campus Information and Visitor Services; Campus Police and Public Safety; College Unions: Programs, Services, and Community Center; Conference and Event Programs; Counseling Services; Disability Resources and Services; Fraternity and Sorority Advising Programs; Housing and Residential Life Programs; Leadership Education and Development; Masters-Level Student Higher Education and Student Affairs Preparation Programs; New Student Orientation Programs; Registrar Services; and Student Conduct Programs.

The CAS General standards committee was chaired by Gavin Henning, New England College and Past President of CAS.

Henning commented: “The revised CAS General Standards reflect the changing higher education landscape, acknowledging key issues that should be addressed by all functional units that support students and their success.”

Henning was joined by additional professionals who provided invaluable feedback on both the standards and contextual statement.

Standards Members
Dan Bureau, Louisiana State University, AFA
James E. Colbert, Lander University, NSEE
Martha Glass, Virginia Technological University, ACPA
Robert L. A. Hancock, University of Victoria, ACPA ISAN
Gavin Henning, New England College
Mónica Miranda, University of South Florida, AFA
Jane Neuburger, Syracuse University, retired, CRLA
Jennifer Wells, Kennesaw State University, CAS

A special thank you to the over 40 experts that the Review Committee engaged with throughout the process. The expert feedback was invaluable.

A special thank you to the CAS editorial team – Jen Wells, Noah Henry-Darwish (former) and Léna Crain and Kellie Dixon (current) for their efforts in getting all the materials ready for publication.

CAS is proud to release this new edition of the CAS Standards as an electronic resource. It is now available in the CAS store and free to CAS annual subscribers. Please direct all questions and inquiries about the revised standards to the CAS Executive Director ([email protected]).