By Jess Evora
Jess Evora is an M.Ed. candidate at USC's Rossier School of Education.
“The most successful people are not afraid to fail. They actually fail more because they try more. This is what makes them successful,” Dr. Soni explained, as I prepared to devour a plate of red velvet cake.
Dean Soni then facilitated a motivating conversation about religious life, spirituality, and the pursuit of our life goals. I couldn’t help but to realize how incredibly fortunate I was to have had the opportunity to participate in such a meaningful conversation. The beauty of it all, however, is that I did not have to leave my place of residence. Instead, the scholarship came to me. This is what we here at USC call residential education.
USC’s Office of Residential Education accomplished a landmark goal this year. It has transformed every first-year dorm building into a residential college, which can be defined as a building in which a faculty member (called a faculty master) resides in order to assist in fostering a residential community of scholarship outside the classroom. The department also partners with faculty staff mentors, who do not live in the residential hall, but do collaborate with the department’s staff to provide programming to the residents (all USC students are welcomed to participate in the programming, regardless of living status).
Residential education (also known as residence life) is a student affairs department that serves an extremely important role in the success of college students, especially those in their first-year. Johnson & Cuvins (1996) stated “…residence halls have a positive impact on students in a number of important areas, including grades, persistence, satisfaction with the institution, psychosocial development, self-esteem, critical thinking, involvement in extracurricular activities, and graduation” (p.72). Additional research has confirmed these findings (Zhao, 2004; LaNasa, 2007; Schudde, 2011).
Staff members within residential education are able to interact with residents in the comfort of their own home (campus home, that is!). The most authentic interactions take place within the communities that are formed within the residential halls (Johnson & Cuvins, 1996), and the opportunities for academic and personal development are endless.
“Much of your learning will take place outside the classroom” Dean Soni informed the group of fully engaged students as they consumed their last bites of velvety goodness. USC’s implementation of residential colleges is their effort to ensure that this idea continues to ring true on this campus.
As a graduate staff member within the Office of Residential Education (working in North Residential College), I have developed a great relationship with our faculty master, Dr. Ed McCann, professor of Philosophy and English here at USC. It was Professor McCann (affectionately call “Ed” by our residents) who invited Dean Soni as a guest for our weekly faculty master dinner. It was also Professor McCann who fired up the grill for our game-day barbeque last weekend.
It is a beautiful thing that we have here at USC, a trend that is spreading rapidly to campuses across the country. Each campus may tweak things to their liking, or find creative ways to provide an educational environment within their dorms. However, one thing stays consistent within residential education: No matter how you go about it, you live and you learn.
References
Johnson,
W. G., Cuvins, K. M. (1996). ). Strategies for enhancing student learning in
residence halls.
New Directions for Student Services, 1996(75), 69-82.
New Directions for Student Services, 1996(75), 69-82.
doi:10.1002/ss.37119967508
LaNasa,
S. M. (2007). The impact of
on-campus student growth on first-year student
engagement and success. Research in Higher Education, 48(8),
941-966.
doi:10.1007/s11162-007-9056-5
Schudde, L. T. (2011). The causal effect of campus residency on college
student retention. The
Review of Higher Education, 34(4), 581-610. doi:10.1353/rhe.2011.0023
Zhao,
C. (2004). Adding value: Learning
communities and student engagement.
Research in Higher Education, 45(2), 115-138.
doi:10.1023/B:RIHE.0000015692.88534.de
Research in Higher Education, 45(2), 115-138.
doi:10.1023/B:RIHE.0000015692.88534.de
The living learning experience is so important. The sad fact is that some students just can't afford to live on campus. It's a shame because studies show a higher success rate for resident students.
ReplyDeleteI loved the personalized feel of this post Jess, thank you for sharing your experience within Residential Education.
ReplyDeleteFirstly, great job Jess on your blog post! I loved how you put in a personal spin on it. As I was reading your post, I agree on a lot of the main ideas you pointed out about the benefits of residential education. I was not familiar with the term because I did not have res ed at my undergraduate but looking back at it I think its awesome to have a faculty member create educational opportunities for outside of classroom. One thing that did come to mind is how must it be for students who are commuting their first year ? Or could not afford staying in the residential halls? I think thats when its important to consider commuter programs or programs that tailor to all first year students regardless of living status. In res ed, since faculty workshops are open to all students it makes me think about whether if its feasible for students who live off campus. But again, I do like the idea of residential education and the opportunities it creates for students to interact with faculty in and out of the classroom.
ReplyDeleteI think it's great that USC has faculty members live with first year students. I did not have this experience at my college, but I think I would have really enjoyed it. Perhaps the dorms would be a little less rowdy too : )
ReplyDeleteFirst, I want to state what a wonderful blog - well written and interesting! Second, I agree with Mace's concerns about these services being provided to non-first year residence hall students. While your blog mentioned that these services were open to other populations, I am curious how many non-traditional first year students attend such events. Are there opportunities to also reach out to transfer students? Third, I am also curious to know the demographics of the faculty masters. Are they mainly faculty from Dornsife and Rossier? Or, is there a balance of faculty members from other professional schools such as Marshall and Viterbi as well? Finally, I am in full support of such programs within the residence halls. I believe that one of the keys to success for students is to communicate with their instructors. Providing an opportunity for students to start their college career having intimate conversations with faculty hopefully propels them to continue to approach faculty inside and outside of the classroom. - Jesse
ReplyDeleteResidential education is an interesting topic as institutions approach it in a variety of ways. I like that USC has revamped their residential education since I was an undergrad. It is encouraging to hear that they are not only fostering peer relationships but also student-faculty relationships. I wonder if these relationships will be maintained when students continue in their education and move off-campus.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that the faculty-in-residence program is a signature of USC's Office for Residential Education. It's a consistent and reliable program that guarantees students a wonderful learning opportunity in the residence hall. It also instills an environment that makes learning seamless--ubiquitous. In an odd way, I find higher education trying to cycle back to its roots. Over the recent years, I find that institutions are trying to revert back to the older, traditional models of learning (as established by the Ivy Leagues). Current day examples include faculty-in-residence programs, class identity, and seminar-based lectures.
ReplyDelete-Paul R.
What a powerful way to tell this story, Jess! I believe there's so much value to the living-learning community dynamic. I believe these types of programs will aid in the cultivation of curiosity in our students and help more them towards a pursuit of knowledge, rather than pursuit of an A. We discuss this challenge so often discuss and I'm encouraged by the idea of residential education. Dr. Soni has spoken in some of our classes and has truly been inspirational. The opportunity to have a meal with him and other distinguished scholars is really an asset and a means of creating a connection between faculty and students.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great blog post! One of my regrets is that I never got to experience this kind of living and learning environment. This is exactly when the college experience is all about...connecting the social and intellectual worlds. I really glad to see USC moving more in this direction to provide this opportunity to as many students as possible.
ReplyDelete- Scott