CAS Cross-Functional Frameworks (CFFs) are structured resources from the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS), designed to guide higher education teams in tackling complex, campus-wide issues like health, wellbeing, or first-year success by bridging departmental silos. These frameworks promote collaboration across diverse functions (e.g., counseling, student life, academics) by providing standards, guidelines, and assessment tools (like Self-Assessment Guides) to create integrated strategies, improve student outcomes, and ensure quality practices in areas that require multi-disciplinary efforts.
Cross-Functional Framework for First-Year Experiences
The Cross-Functional Framework for First-Year Experiences, produced by the Council for Advancement of Standards for Higher Education (CAS) in partnership with the National Resource Center for First-Year Experiences and Students in Transition (NRC), is essential to the work of people involved with first-year students, programs and services. The CFF for FYE lays out a flexible, high-quality framework for coordinating integrated and intentional campus-wide efforts to support first-year student success. Institutions looking for guidelines to structure partnerships with departments, arrange horizontal leadership, and develop buy-in and sustainability of first-year efforts can look to the CAS CFF for FYE as a trusted resource for best practice developed by experts and promoted by a reliable organization that, itself, is based on principles of cross-functional collaboration.
Cross-Functional Framework for Advancing Health and Well-Being
The Cross-Functional Framework for Advancing Health and Well-Being addresses the complex issues of health, wellbeing, flourishing, and thriving of college students in the context of a healthy community. The CFF for AHWB guides the design of cross-functional teams that work across organizational boundaries and details the processes needed to move the campus toward greater well-being. The Framework’s focus on excellence in collaborative practice and optimal design makes it an essential tool for presidents, vice presidents, and those responsible for leading cross-functional processes.
Cross-Functional Framework for Identifying and Responding to Behavioral Concerns
The Cross-Functional Framework for Identifying and Responding to Behavioral Concerns is essential to the work of people involved with behavioral intervention and threat assessment teams at institutions of higher education. The Framework is designed to guide development, review, and quality improvement of behavioral intervention and threat assessment teams. Teams are defined as multidisciplinary or cross-functional with responsibility for supporting campus populations experiencing distress and/or those who may be at risk for targeted violence. The Framework focuses on evidence-based practices and protocols to aid in consistent and objective assessments and interventions to support the safety, health, and success of individuals and the broader campus community.
About the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education
NIRSA: Leaders in Collegiate Recreation is a proud member of the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS).
CAS promotes standards in student affairs, student services, and student development programs in order to maximize the quality and effectiveness of higher education services. As a CAS Member Association, NIRSA provides a representative to CAS meetings and participates in collaborative projects that achieve our shared goal of fostering healthy, productive learning environments.
NIRSA members have free access to the most current version of:
