Welcome or welcome back, if you read yesterday’s post, to The Faculty Student Connection!

Today, I promised to share more about my dissertation research entitled The Faculty Student Connection: The Faculty Perspective.  Read yesterday’s post if you need to catch up a bit.

I absolutely loved doing my research and heard stories about how faculty had connected with students that touched my heart and brought tears to my eyes.  One thing that stood out to me was that many of them said no one had ever asked them about this before. 

No one had asked tenured track professors how they connected with students?  Actually, if you search for research on faculty-student connection, there is really not much out there.  Interesting, since Gallup-Purdue research does tell us that faculty can have a significant effect on student success, not only in their field of study but in their lifelong well-being (Ray & Marken, 2014).

I conclude my dissertation stating that the faculty who connect with students the way my faculty participants did are “the best kept secrets on a campus.  It would benefit us all to find them, value them, and reward them.  There is no doubt they are the epitome of what educators should be, and they are the kind of faculty all campuses should strive to have and do anything to keep” (Pitstick, 2020, p. 149-150).  I believe this 100%, which is another reason for this blog. 

I have worked at two other campuses since completing my PhD and have found faculty on those campuses who make developing connections with students a priority as well. I am confident they exist on every campus, and I want to find them. This brings me to one of my major goals for this blog; I want to hear stories from other faculty at other institutions about how you have connected with students in meaningful ways.  I guess you might say I am continuing my research in an informal way.  My hope is to use this blog to share some of my research, but I also want to hear your stories and feature them, with your permission, on the blog. 

Why is this so important?  Honestly, I think it is more important than ever in this post pandemic world where the number of students coming to college is declining and students are not engaging when they do attend college even though they are desperately searching for a sense of belonging.  I believe hearing stories about how your faculty colleagues are successfully connecting with students might not only inspire you, but also give you some new strategies to try as we all work to figure out how to better reach and teach students.  One thing my research revealed is that many faculty want to connect more with students, but they don’t know how.  I hope this blog can provide more of the how. 

Our students are struggling like they never have before, struggling to create relationships, build community, and find a sense of purpose.  I am a strong believer in the influence a faculty member can have on a student’s life, for the positive or the negative.  I have seen both happen, and my hope is to give you more ways to positively connect with and influence your students.

I hope you will share your stories in the comments section.  Here are the guiding questions from my research to help you get started: 

• When you experience a connection with a student, how would you describe that experience? Share an example by telling a story about a student who you connected with and how it happened.

• How has the connection story you told informed or influenced your role as a faculty member?

Please also include other strategies you have used to increase connections with students.

A Sneak Peek:  Upcoming Blog Topics

• Understanding Belongingness and How Faculty Can Help
• The Importance of Connectedness
• Cox’s Typology of Faculty/Student Interaction
• Compassionate Pedagogy
• People are More Important than Policies:  Damaging Stories that Can Crush Students
• Working with Students Struggling with Mental Health; A Mother’s Perspective
• University Barriers to Connectedness
• And, of course, Stories from Faculty Colleagues

Resources will also be supplied for each topic.

DON’T FORGET:  Share your story about a meaningful faculty-student connection you have experienced in the comments section.  Be sure to let me know if I have permission to share it or pieces of it for the blog.  I would love to have your contact information, but if you would like to keep your story anonymous, just let me know. Thank you for sharing!  I look forward to hearing from you!!

Feel free to share this blog address with fellow faculty colleagues.  Everyone deserves an opportunity to tell their story.

Thanks for reading and remember – Connection Matters!

References

Pitstick, V. K. (2020). A Phenomenological Study of Faculty-student Connection: The Faculty Perspective. The Ohio State University.

Ray, J. & Marken, S. (2014). Life in college matters for life after college. Economy. Retrieved from http://www.gallup.com/poll/168848/life-college-matters-life-college.aspx.

Do you need a workshop for a summer retreat, an addition to your fall faculty orientation, or a professional development session to re-energize your faculty or staff?  Dr. Vicki Pitstick is available for 1.5 – 2 hour workshops, as well as day-long workshops on the following topics: 

• Sense of Belonging
• First Year Student Development
• Second Year Student Development
  • (Combine the two above for a day-long workshop on the First Year to Second Year Transition)
• Effective Mentoring
• Compassionate Pedagogy (day-long only)
• Power, Privilege, and Difference