Living-Learning & Themed Housing Made Easy!

Christian J. Barber, Christopher Ottey & Don Brennan MACUHO Annual Conference 2012 November 8, 2012

Thank You for Joining Us….Please enjoy some candy to fight that mid-

afternoon slumpThis session is a cell phone friendly zone!

Tweet along with us!!#MACUHO, #LivingLearning #LLCTH@CJBarber86, @COttey7, @DonBrennanJr

Please do not hesitate to ask questions and provide insight and ideas throughout the presentation!

First, A Little About Us…Christian Barber

Associate Director of Residence Life for Housing Operations Oversees 6 LLC/TH

programs M.S. Shippensburg

University B.A./B.S. DeSales

University MACUHO Regional

Coordinator for DE/MD

Chris Ottey

Assistant Director of Residence Life Oversees 7 AH

M.S. Shippensburg University

B.A. Shippensburg University

MACUHO Regional Coordinator for NEPA

Don Brennan

o Resident Director o Oversees Transitional

Area including 4 AH & 1 TH

o M.A. Indiana University of Pennsylvania

o B.S. Millersville University

Now, a Little About You! What inspired you to attend this

session?What are you hoping to gain from our time

together?Do you currently have LLC/TH

communities on your campus?If so, what types are among the most

popular?If not, are you hoping to develop them?

Learning the Living-Learning Lingo!

Academic program, major, or cohort

Faculty involvement

F/A/S Involvement

University Support

Purpose & Learning

OutcomesA specific interest, lifestyle, or activity

Specific “pre-

requisites” Staff & Admin

Involvement

Living-Learning

Communities

Themed Housing

Communities

What’s in the Research? Students spend more time and effort on academics and

other educationally purposeful activities Tinto, V., & Russo, P. (1994).

Students become more actively involved and take more responsibility for their own learning instead of being a passive receiver of information Tinto, V., & Russo, P. (1994).

Greater social interaction with peers and extracurricular involvement Pascarella, Terenzini, & Blimling (1994)

Higher persistence and graduation rates Pascarella, Terenzini, & Blimling, 1994

Students participating in learning communities were more engaged overall Shapiro & Levine (1999)

Poll: What are the biggest challenges that you...

Poll: On your campus, who have been the bigges...

Poll: How does your department market and recr...

What’s Happening on our Campuses

Mount St. Mary’s University• Emmitsburg, MD• Founded in 1808• Roman Catholic

Institution• Seminary on campus

• Approx. 1450 resident students• Traditional Halls• Suites & Apartments• Campus Houses

Living-Learning Themed Housing• GHM Honors Program• Women in Science• Leadership

• Summit Wellness Living

• Faith Development• Senior Success

A Closer Look at the Mount…Honors-All Class

Years-Good

Academic Standing-Over 100 ResidentsWomen in

Science-All Class

Years-Science or

Health Services

major-Over 30 Residents

Leadership-Starting

Sophomore Year

-Collaborative w. Institute

for Leadership

Studies-15 Residents

Faith Developme

nt-All Class

Years-Student led

initiative, Collaborative w. Campus

Ministry-25 Residents

Summit Living

-All Class Years

-Collaborative w. Wellness,

Dining, & Rec Services-Over 60 Residents

Senior Success

-Located in an All-Senior Apt. Tower

-Collaborative

w. Career Center

-Over 45 Residents

Residential Programming Curricula For our LLC/TH Communities to be successful, we

knew that we needed to focus on purpose and goals Residential Programming Curriculum

Mission Statements & Community Overview Community Objectives (i.e. Learning Outcomes) Community Programming Guide

Required Programming Recommended Programming

Campus Calendar & Resources Developed and revised through a committee

of experienced and new RAs and Pro Staff

What’s Happening on our Campuses

Alvernia University• Reading, PA• Founded in 1958• Franciscan Institution• Approx. 3000 students / 1000

residential • Traditional Halls• Suites & Apartments• Townhouses

Living-Learning

Themed Housing

Affinity Housing

- Honors- Criminal Justice

- Academic Village - Go Green - Soccer

- Cancer Awareness - Theater

- Alvernia Serving U - Hockey

- Women’s Health - MS

- Academic - Track

A Closer Look at Alvernia…Community Housing by Occupation, Interest, & Civic Engagement (CHOICE Housing)

Honors-First Year Students-Opt-In &

Member of Honors Program

-17 Students Total

Criminal Justice-First Year Students-Opt-In &

Criminal Justice Major

-13 Students TotalLeadership

-Sophomore Students

-Attendance at biweekly

discussion groups

-Completion of one

service/citizenship project each

semester-15 Students

Total

Academic Village

-Junior & Senior Students

-Attendance at 2 Career focused

community programs -Respect

Extended Quiet Hours

-94 Students Total

Affinity Housing-Groups of Sophomores or Juniors &

Seniors Students-Selection of a Community Leader and

Advisor -Creation of a Theme, Community Agreement, and Mission Statement

(Approved through Office of Residence Life)

-Completion of one Service Project and one Alvernia Community Project each

semester -11 Affinity Groups and 108 Students

Total

Building or Improving LLCs/TH on Your Campuses – MADE EASY!

Six Critical Factors1. Departmental & Institutional

Support2. Faculty/Staff Support &

Involvement3. Live-in Staffing Needs &

Constraints4. Budgetary Needs & Constraints5. Housing Facilities6. Selection Process &

Requirements

Six Critical Factors to Achieve Success with LLC & TH on Your Campus!1. Departmental &

Institutional Support Would this program align

with the values & mission of the institution?

Who would be willing to champion this effort? Who might be resistant to it?

How will this program improve the residential experience of your students?

2. Faculty/Staff Support & Involvement Who are the

“superstar” faculty/staff that would commit to this project?

Who will be in support of your efforts – and who may be in opposition?

What have past collaborations looked like? Why have they succeeded or failed?

Six Critical Factors to Achieve Success with LLC & TH on Your Campus!3. Live-in Staffing Needs & Constraints

Is there adequate Pro Staff to supervise the communities?

Would new/more student staff need to be hired? Is this feasible to do?

Do you have current or potential staff members who are a good fit for the community?

4. Budgetary Needs & Constraints

What are the expenses associated with this endeavor?

If there are costs, will they be reoccurring or one-time?

What will be the source of funding? Will collaborating offices/staff contribute?

Six Critical Factors to Achieve Success with LLC & TH on Your Campus!5. Housing Facilities

Which type of housing is best suited for this community?

Where on campus would this community be most successful?

Will housing occupancy numbers present any issues with establishing the community?

6. Selection Process & Requirements

Who is eligible to live in this community?

How will students apply/select to live in this community?

Will a capacity be placed on the number of students able to live in the community?

Community Construction It’s Time to Build a LLC/TH

Community on “Your Campus” Who would you look to for

assistance and support? Who may challenge your attempts to

build this community? What staffing or financial issues

might you need to consider? Ideally, where would you place this

community and who would live there?

How would students obtain this housing?

Building or Improving LLCs/TH on Your Campuses – MADE EASY!

Six Critical Factors1. Departmental & Institutional

Support2. Faculty/Staff Support &

Involvement3. Live-in Staffing Needs &

Constraints4. Budgetary Needs & Constraints5. Housing Facilities6. Selection Process &

Requirements

Additional Tools & Resources

LLC/TH Programming Curricula

RA Staff Committee Focus Groups &

Surveys Formal Assessment

and Data Collection

Thank You for Joining Us!

Questions?Suggestions or

Ideas to Share?

Christian J. Barber Barber@msmary.edu

Christopher Ottey Christopher.ottey@alver

nia.edu Don Brennan

Donald.brennan@alvernia.edu

Happy 40th Birthday MACUHO!