Share:
Close your
eyes and picture a community college. Did you envision student housing? You may
be surprised to hear that many campuses DO have housing, and just like any
four-year school, living on campus has an impact on student success. The catch
is, student housing cannot be just a building on campus; it must provide an
experience that engages the students who live there.
Tracy Morris
has 17 years of experience as a community college administrator. Most recently,
she served as Vice President for Student Services at Illinois Central College,
where she leveraged her doctoral research on community college student housing
and a relationship with COCM to transform the ICC student housing experience.
In October, Tracy took on a new role as Compliance Officer with Joliet Junior
College. She believes in the power of higher education to transform people’s
lives.
Today, Tracy
joins me to share her take on the role of student services in supporting the
social and emotional needs of students. She discusses her path from high school
teacher to community college administrator, offering insight around how her own
experience as a community college student ignited her love of learning. Tracy
also explains why there is no such thing as a typical community college
student, how involvement can help adult students get their confidence back, and
how COCM went about transforming the student housing experience on her campus. Listen in to understand the importance of a
flexible floor plan in the design of student housing and learn about the connection
between engagement and the success of student housing on a community college
campus!
Topics Covered
- Tracy’s take on the power of higher education to transform lives
- The role of student services in facilitating student learning
- Tracy’s path from HS teacher to community college administrator
- Tracy’s experience advising adult students who had lost their jobs
- Why there is no such thing as a typical community college student
- How involvement helps adult students get their confidence back
- Tracy’s personal experience as a community college student
- Tracy’s doctoral research on community college student housing
- The link between engagement and the success of student housing
- How COCM transformed the student housing experience at ICC
- The tangible change in dynamic when staff knows the residents
- How student housing can be detrimental if there’s no connection
- The significance of a flexible student housing building plan
- The value in a holistic support model with tech-guided self-service
- Why the student debt crisis makes community colleges crucial
Connect with Tracy
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