Kimberly Grieve, Lourdes College Hampton Hopkins, Carolinas Coll. of Health Sciences

1. Students On Community: What Is It, Does It Matter, & Are We In?NASPA ConferencePhiladelphia, PAMarch 2011 Kimberly Grieve, Lourdes College Hampton Hopkins, Carolinas Coll. of Health Sciences George McClellan, Indiana U – Purdue U, Fort Wayne Michael Sachs, LIM College Julie Wong, U of Colorado - Boulder

2. Students on Community Project originated during discussions at the Senior Student Affairs Think Tank at the 2010 NASPA Conference in Chicago Student affairs professionals spend time and energy fostering a sense of community on campuses, their efforts informed by Boyer’s (1990) Campus Life: In Search of Community and McDonald’s (2002) Creating Campus Community: In Search of Ernest Boyer’s Legacy.

3. Students on Community Boyer’s qualities of community • Purposeful • Open • Just • Disciplined • Caring • Celebrative

4. Students on Community Both works are framed from an administrative or faculty perspective; what about the perspective of students on community?

5. Students on Community Questions • What does community mean to students? • Is community important to students? If so, how? • What role do students see for their college/university and student affairs in their universe of communities?

6. Students on Community Methodology • Exploratory study • Students selected to be reflective of the student body on their campus • Individual interviews and focus groups

7. Students on Community What does community mean to students? • Reflective pause

8. Students on Community What does community mean to students? • Qualities rather than places • Qualities included: • people • shared goals/experiences • support/helping others • unity • safe to be self/self-confidence • trust • diversity

9. Students on Community What does community mean to students? • Where: Campus, church, home, work • Cyberspaces not referenced

10. Students on Community Do you identify with the overall campus community, sub-communities, both or neither? • Sub-communities 1st by a wide margin • Both and neither distant 2nd • Sub-communities • clubs • cultural groups • residence halls • friends • athletics

11. Students on Community Do you identify with the overall campus community, sub-communities, both or neither? • Other than at the professional institutions academic programs/departments less frequently mentioned

12. Students on Community How important is it to you to belong to a community? • Instantaneous answer • Highly valued • A couple said it depends on the day

13. Students on Community If so, why? • Help to learn/grow • Find identity • Leadership roles • Confidence • Know you are wanted/needed • Be informed • Diversity • Feedback • Love • Belonging

14. Students on Community How, if at all, do you want the university to help develop a sense of campus community? • Opportunities and infrastructure • Break the ice • Help build self-confidence • Promote community service • Some people need push to get started • Go beyond welcome week • Up to students to make it happen

15. Students on Community How, if at all, do you want student affairs to help develop a sense of campus community? • At smaller institutions no distinction between university and student affairs • Large institutions there was a heightened expectation • It is your job to work with students, build bridges

16. Students on Community Findings • Students don’t use the word community • They have a clear understanding of it though, and it looks a lot like Boyer • They value community • Students recognize the role of community in learning • Sub-communities are important • Students have varying expectations of the university and student affairs • Future research needed