Caring Campus Program

Caring Campus is an initiative developed by Brad Phillips from the Institute for Evidence-Based Change (IEBC) as a model to illustrate how a student who feels more connected to a colege can be retained, can persist across semesters, and can complete their academic goals. Caring Campus uses a coaching model to promote a culture change taht highlights and supports student success.

In short, a Caring Campus ia a campus that promotes a sense of belonging through meaningful empathetic connections founded on behavioral commitments in support of student success.

Part 1: Learning Who WE Are

When we know who WE are and who WE care for, we can create a welcoming environment where students find a sense of belonging. As a public serving institution, we have the responsibility of caring for our community members, our prospective students, and our current students in a way that exceeds how they expect to be cared for. Discovering who we are and who we are here for can be achieved through self-reflection of our unique lived experiences, both personal and professional. Knowing who we are is only the beginning of creating a Caring Campus that promotes belonging.

The purpose of this 2-hour session is to create a space for discovery, discussion, and reflection on how to identify who we work with, who WE care for, and how WE deserve to be treated.

Part 2: Committed for Student Success

Now that we know who WE are, who WE care for, and how WE expect to be cared for, we must create human connections that are founded on empathy. In order to create these empathetic connections, we must be committed to who WE care for in support of the institution and student success. These connections will be based on behavioral commitments that are identified based on unique lived experiences. The importance of these commitments is to reassure the sense of belonging in our community which is what allows a caring campus to thrive.

This 2-hour session will allow our participants to develop behavioral commitments that support our Caring Campus and to create a commitment to implement and model in all their interactions. Pre-requisite: Part 1: Learning Who WE Are.

Upcoming Sessions

Please contact Patricia Hinck at phinck@swccd.edu or at ext. 5678 if you would like to schedule Caring Campus training (4-hour training) for your Center/School/Office.