Ohio University faculty and staff are invited to join the Strategic Ohio Council on Higher Education (SOCHE) for a virtual lunch and learn entitled “The First 3 Weeks: College Students’ Initial Sense of Belonging,” on Thursday, Oct. 12, beginning at 12 p.m. ET. The session will be presented by Dr. Jeff Montgomery, Dean of Technical Studies at Southern State Community College.

Belonging is a fundamental human motivation. Positive belonging in students can promote higher rates of retention and student success. Similarly, lack of belonging predicts lower academic achievement and departure from the institution.

Institutions can take practical steps to promote a sense of belonging in their students, often with little or no cost to the college. Those colleges that take these steps can anticipate greater student satisfaction, completion, and success.

This presentation will discuss what factors influence students’ sense of belonging in community colleges, why belonging is important for keeping students on the path to success, and why college practitioners should be interested in nurturing that. Discussion will include factors that influence student belonging within the first three weeks of their community college experience, as well as what role faculty and staff can play in fostering belonging.

From this webinar, attendees will be able to:

• Define sense of belonging
• Understand the role that a sense of belonging plays in student success and completion
• Focus on the impact that the first three weeks of a community college students’ experience has on belonging and decisions to persist
• Review the top factors that influence sense of belonging and how colleges and practitioners can leverage this information to improve belonging amongst their students and personnel
• Registration for this event closes on Monday, Oct. 9. Click here to register now.