Constellations of Connection in a Welcoming Community
The John N Gardner Institute, which works with organizations to increase institutional responsibility for improving outcomes, visited Queensborough Community College on September 18 to learn more about what Queensborough does to create a sense of belonging on campus. After touring the campus and meeting with students, the visit ended with an event in the QCC Art Gallery, where board members from the Gardner Institute led a discussion centered on the transformative power of connections that students make with peers, faculty, and staff during college.
The stories just get better and better," said Isis Artze-Vega, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Valencia College, one of four authors of the book Connections are Everything: A College Student's Guide to Relationship-Rich Education (2023 Johns Hopkins University Press).
The other three co-authors are Leo M. Lambert, President Emeritus, Elon University, Oscar Miranda M.Ed., Research Associate for the Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research, and Peter Felton, Executive Director of the Center for Engaged Learning, Professor of History, and Assistant Provost for Teaching and Learning, Elon University. The book, based on interviews with hundreds of students, looks at how close relationships can significantly impact student success.
Drew Koch, Chief Executive Officer for the Gardner Institute, presented insights from his forthcoming book, Transforming the Gateway Course Experience: A Call to Action, to be published by Routledge in 2025. This book calls on educators to address inequities in gateway courses and provides an evidence-based model for enhancing teaching, learning, and student success in foundational college classrooms.
Highlights of the afternoon included readings given by faculty and staff of inspiring student quotes featured in the book and lively group discussions on examples of effective student engagement.
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