9 In this fnal chapter, the authors synthesize and draw from chapters across this volume to provide concluding remarks and recommendations. The authors suggest that core to the discussion of excellence of student affairs in community colleges are the concepts of integration and collaboration. As professionals tasked with supporting the student learning experience at institutions with diverse, commuter populations, the formal and informal relationships and collaborations between student and academic affairs are critical. Excellence Within Student Affairs: Understanding the Practice of Integrating Academic and Student Affairs C. Casey Ozaki, Anne M. Hornak The work of student affairs is critical across all institutional types, but es- sential at a community college, an open access institution. Open access con- tributes to student demographics that require more attention and support. Presently, students at community colleges make up approximately one-third of the undergraduate population in the United States (Knapp, Kelly-Reid, & Ginder, 2012). While the enrollments at community colleges are hold- ing steady across the country, the students within this population require more assistance, both in and out of the classroom. The demographics of stu- dents entering community colleges shows that higher percentages of these students come from schools that are less likely to academically prepare students for higher education, have lower socioeconomic backgrounds, have parents with lower education levels, and require more developmen- tal coursework. These characteristics have a strong relationship to persis- tence and success in higher education (Renn & Reason, 2012); however, these attributes are not insurmountable for success and, more importantly, have implications for the work and structure of student affairs. In order for student affairs practitioners and units to be responsive to the needs of a wide range of students, the work must involve an academic orientation and NEW DIRECTIONS FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGES, no. 166, Summer 2014  2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) • DOI: 10.1002/cc.20104 79