Learning community programs, like many other forms of higher education, are at risk from the effects of financial constraints, systemic racism, and pressures from outside constituents that are forcing institutional leaders to face difficult decisions that result in cutting budgets and closing programs. During these tumultuous times, learning…

Faculty-in-residence programs have recently returned to the forefront in higher education. This paper investigates how residential students experienced a recently established faculty-in-residence (FIR) program at a mid-sized public university in Southern California. Drawing on existing research on faculty-student interaction, the paper explores…

Students of Color Experience predominantly White institutions (PWIs) differently than do White students in terms of belonging, support, connecting, and success. While this topic has been explored broadly, there remain gaps in the literature about experiences of Students of Color in the context of residential communities, which provide the setting…

Recent trends in higher education have called for renewed vitality in the connections between the in-class and out-of-class experiences. This movement has sparked increased interest in the interactions students have with each other, with instructional faculty, and with Student Affairs professionals. This article describes how residential learning…

College students transitioning to their sophomore year, those transferring to a new institution, and seniors transitioning out of higher education face various challenges and struggles. The literature on the transitions associated with these student populations indicates that they need sustained support in a few key areas that include student and…

This study examined three themed residential learning communities and their impact on students' satisfaction with their overall university experience, residence hall living experience, residence hall learning experience, their interactions with residence hall student staff, and the students' academic experience. The researchers were specifically…

The purpose of this study was to identify the benefits that faculty and student affairs staff gain from being involved in Living-Learning Programs (LLPs) and to explore any differences between the two groups. Faculty and student affairs staff (N = 268) report gaining intrinsic benefits more often than extrinsic benefits from their involvement in…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand what motivated tenured and tenure-track faculty at three research-extensive institutions to participate or not participate in residential learning communities. Responses were then categorized using one aspect of ford's (1992) Motivational Systems Theory (MST): personal agency beliefs as…

This study sought to explore and understand the perceptions that faculty members have of community development in living-learning communities at a large, private research institution in the Northeast. Boyer's (1990) tenets of community development provided a theoretical lens for the study. The article concludes with implications for practice and…

In its recent history, American higher education has segmented the student experience, especially as research universities have grown in size and complexity. To increase the integration of undergraduate learning experiences, many efforts have combined the curricular and cocurricular worlds of students. In one practice, housing and residence life…

This qualitative study employed a constructivist, case study approach to explore how faculty made meaning of their experiences in a newly developed residential college at a large, land-grant research university in the Midwest. Findings revealed that faculty focused on determining how to prioritize the numerous opportunities for involvement while…

Whether contemplating a swim in a river or a dive into the expanse of the Atlantic ocean, I am definitely more comfortable when I can see or touch the bottom. The farther out I swim, the more anxious I get, mostly because of the unknown. This analogy seems to capture the tentativeness that faculty members sometimes feel, specifically at large…

This article explores nine myths. These include that what is done in residence halls cannot be measured, that student housing is auxiliary to the central university mission, that resource management is a function of a chosen few, that in loco parentis is dead, and that management and program interests conflict. (Author)

Surveyed 660 students, 330 faculty, 130 professional staff and 78 residence hall staff to assess the educational environment of the residence halls. All groups perceived residents halls as a pleasant experience but agreed that appropriate levels of quiet were not maintained. Several recommendations are presented. (JAC)

Discusses the benefits of faculty participation in student residential life. Based on the example of Northwestern University, faculty involvement programs are described including residential colleges, advisor programs, and ad hoc programs. Strategies for implementation and involving students and teachers are suggested. (JAC)