APIASF: Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund. Today's Minds, Tomorrow's Future®

Guiding Principles of APIASF Programs

The portfolio of APIASF's programs is informed by a set of guiding principles, developed to guide us in our work with our scholarship recipients. These principles are based on the unique demographic profile of our students, and the current and emerging trends within higher education and college student affairs. As scholarship providers and educators, we believe it imperative that we consider these guiding principles in the development, implementation, and evaluation of any programs and initiatives that we offer to our Scholars.

Historical, Social, Political, and Cultural Experiences
The "Asian American" and "Pacific Islander" experience is grounded in historical, social, political, and cultural factors; to understand our scholarship recipients means understanding the landscape in which they reside.¹
Contextual Influences
College students are situated within multiple contexts, in regards to both physical environment (e.g., campus, home, work) and personal affiliation (e.g., friends/peers, family, religion/spirituality, APIASF Scholar); these contexts also shift over time.²
Multiple Dimensions of Identity
Racial identity is only one of myriad social identities that our scholarship recipients possess; social class identity may be equally or more salient, as may be gender identity, sexual orientation, religious/spiritual identity, or ability, to name a few.³
21st Century Skills
In order to succeed in the world of today and tomorrow, college students need to develop leadership and life skills pertinent for success in the 21st century, including: creativity and innovation, critical thinking and problem solving; communication and collaboration; initiative and self-direction; and, social and cross-cultural skills.⁴
Social Media
In an increasingly technologically oriented world, the utilization of social media for student engagement and learning is critical, as is the need for students to develop information and media literacy.⁵

References

Accapadi, M. M. (2009). Honoring multiple Asian Americans: A point of entry model for Asian American identity exploration. Presentation at the annual meeting of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) Conference, Seattle, WA.
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1995). Developmental ecology through space and time: A future perspective. In P. Moen & G. H. Elder, Jr. (Eds.), Examining lives in context: Perspectives on the ecology of human development (pp. 619-647).
Abes, E. S., Jones, S. R., & McEwen, M. K. (2007). Reconceptualizing the model of multiple dimensions of identity: The role of meaning-making capacity in the construction of multiple identities. Journal of College Student Development, 48, 1-22.
Trilling, B. & Fadel, C. (2009) 21st century skills: Learning for life in our times. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Junco, R. & Timm, D. M. (Eds.) (2008) Using emerging technologies to enhance student engagement (New Directions for Student Services, no. 124). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.