Student affairs department in institutions of higher learning are still locked in the peripheral role of "parents in loco" and has not taken centre stage as is the case in developed countries, where its role is taken seriously. Indeed, institutions of higher learning have deans of students, but it appears that its role is relegated to the provision of food and accommodation. When it comes to issues of academic matters, admissions, student records and issues of student retention, the student's affairs department is rarely recognized, and yet these are key roles of the students' affairs department. The absence of a clear cut professional qualification for student affairs practitioners, speaks volumes of how it is regarded by these institutions of higher learning. If the student affairs department is relegated to the lower echelons of the college, then can anybody dream of professionalizing this profession? This paper would like to explore the importance attached to the student affairs department institutions of higher learning. At the helm of this paper, recommendations of how student affairs department could be professionalized will be proffered