Joel Semancik, a senior architecture major and honors student, is the creator of Gulp Radio. This radio program and podcast airs on Kent State’s Black Squirrel Radio, and during each episode, Joel and his guests discuss five songs that have special significance to them. They talk about the songs, enjoy the music and converse about the guests and their life stories.
A new program will foster a stronger sense of belonging to address research that demonstrates that graduate students are less likely to feel a sense of identity attached to their graduate school than those connections to undergraduate school experiences.
Research shows that college students who feel a sense of belonging within their program of study and university community are more likely to seek out support when needed. This is particularly effective for first-gen students, international students and students who have been historically minoritized within higher education.
While research has shown the effectiveness of creating a sense of belonging for undergraduate students, the graduate student experience is different, according to three Kent State administrators who have authored an article on the topic for Inside Higher Education. Graduate-level education often focuses on professional and career goals with less emphasis on creating a sense of belonging, according to the article’s authors – Sarah Beal, Ph.D., professional development specialist in the Center for Teaching and Learning and the Graduate College, Christa J. Porter, Ph.D., associate dean of the Graduate College and associate professor of higher education administration, and Manfred H.M. van Dulmen, Ph.D., senior associate provost and dean of the Graduate College.
“While their engagement at the university level may be different than for undergraduate students, there is still an opportunity to make that engagement more intentional and meaningful,” the authors stated.
Seeing an opportunity to create meaningful change, these administrators developed a new type of experience by redesigning the graduate-student orientation program in 2023. The program included online access to university resources as well as in-person orientation focused on community building and belonging. Goals included:
- Creating social belonging among peers
- Helping to build relationships with faculty members
- Establishing a community within Kent State and higher education in general.
“The result was better than we could have hoped for: as many as 450 students engaged in open conversation with their peers, beginning the community building process,” the article stated.
Future plans include creating a pilot program of first-year cohorts that features a monthly opportunity for groups to connect and share their experiences.