Graduate student support: Using wellness programming to promote connection, community, and sense of belonging

Abstract

Community and a sense of belonging are commonly accepted as two of the biggest predictors of academic success in higher education. Additionally, student distress, accidental death from risky behavior, and suicide can be combatted primarily through connections, according to the University's Suicide Prevention Program. Due to the nature of the work, it is easy for graduate students to become isolated and disconnected. Increased rigor, perfectionistic tendencies and demand for original impactful contributions make graduate school stressful. The very nature of the learning process creates dissonance by presenting hurdles and problems to be solved. Creating connection, community and a sense of professional belonging can make our graduate programs thrive instead of ridden with student attrition, students just making it through, or worse. Initiatives were begun in a large graduate engineering program. This is a discussion of the good, the bad, and the ugly of the first attempts of the programming. Some of the components include small group leadership of new students, Get Launched for Success Workshop Series, weekly email outreach spotlighting University resources, suicide risk assessment, Group Wellness Coaching, collaboration with graduate student organization officers, student interest surveys, and "Surviving the Holidays" workshop presented by campus counseling services. Support was solidified from faculty leadership to create a wellness culture. The department chair was approached for approval of a budget for food for events in autumn semester. Faculty who had experienced a student's accidental death just months prior were approached about recommending their advisees participate in Group Wellness Coaching with the objective of creating community and connection. In order to be intentional, consultation regarding objectives, outcomes and evaluation was sought. University resources utilized include Counseling & Consultation Services, Office of Diversity, Student Wellness Center, Engineering Career Services, University Center for the Advancement of Teaching, and Center for the Study of Student Life. It is the author's hope that presenting the material will encourage other staff and faculty to collaborate across their campuses to create holistic graduate student programming to meet unmet needs in their areas.