Faculty Engagement Advances Belonging and Student Support Efforts

As Gonzaga University continues its work following the Presidential Task Force on Accompaniment, Safety and Belonging, faculty members are playing an important role in supporting student belonging, well-being, and success.

At the start of the academic year, Gonzaga provided faculty with opportunities to learn about approaches for supporting students, connect with colleagues and plan for how they could apply what they were learning with students.

On August 18, 193 faculty members participated in Faculty Operational Excellence Day. The day included sessions focused on teaching, advising and student support, including opportunities directly related to inclusion, belonging, and student well-being.

One session, “Trauma-Informed Teaching”, led by Charmayne Adams, assistant dean for student health, counseling and wellness, explored challenges students may be navigating and provided practical guidance for supporting students through clear expectations, consistency, and healthy boundaries.

Another session, “Planning for Inclusive Learning Environments and Student Belonging,” led by Juliane Mora, an associate professor of communication studies, focused on ways faculty can support inclusion and belonging in their courses. Faculty were asked to consider one course they would be teaching and identify specific approaches they planned to try during the semester. The session was designed to connect with Gonzaga’s new Structured Student Feedback instrument, which includes the item, “The learning environment supported my sense of belonging in the course.” Faculty could plan at the beginning of the semester and then use feedback from their students as one source of information to reflect on their efforts to support belonging.

The focus on supporting students continued at the Fall Faculty Conference August 27, attended by approximately 300 faculty members. Sessions addressed how faculty can recognize when students may need additional support, understand University reporting processes and help connect students with appropriate resources.

Brice Yates, director of Gonzaga’s harassment and discrimination prevention office and the University’s Title IX coordinator, provided an overview of reporting and support processes related to bias incidents, harassment and discrimination, Title IX concerns, and other student issues. The session helped faculty better understand their reporting responsibilities and the resources available to students when concerns arise.

A second conference session led by Adams focused on early alerts and student retention. Faculty explored how to recognize when a student may need additional support and how to connect students with University resources through SOS referrals and other support systems.

“A big part of this is making sure faculty know what resources are available and what to do when they have a concern about a student,” Barta said. “We aren’t asking faculty to solve every problem a student may be experiencing. We want them to know when and how to make a referral and how they can help a student connect with the right support.”

Questions and feedback gathered from faculty during the August sessions are being reviewed by the Faculty Advisory Group for the Presidential Task Force and will help inform additional resources and communication during the academic year.

Faculty will have additional opportunities throughout the year to connect with colleagues, reflect on what they are trying with students and continue learning about approaches and resources that support student belonging, flourishing, and academic success.