Delta College is championing student well-being both in and out of the classroom through the institutionalization of Caring Campus strategies.
“Many colleges don’t fully recognize the power of relationships as an elixir for student success, often overlooking the importance of how students feel in an academic setting,” President Dr. Michael Gavin said. “Caring Campus serves as a crucial reminder, providing concrete strategies for staff and faculty to engage with students and create a culture that truly supports them.”
To embed this culture, Delta College trains new faculty in Caring Campus principles through a yearlong program that pairs them with experienced mentors. These Faculty Investment Teams (FIT) meet biweekly to share best practices and refine classroom approaches.
“Caring Campus has given us a common language and a framework to share the culture we’ve always had at Delta,” English professor Kristin Cornelius said. “We’ve grown to understand the more we are there to support and champion each other through our FIT model, the greater ability we have to create meaningful and impactful relationships and learning communities for our students.”
Delta College’s focus on care and connection has been a contributing factor in increasing the college’s statistics. From Fall 2022 to Fall 2024, enrollment increased by nearly 20%, retention rates rose from 58.5% to 61.2%, and completion rates jumped from 16.8% to 26.8%. Delta College has also expanded its student support services, including 24/7 telehealth support and a substance recovery program, to address students’ non-academic needs.
“Caring Campus is important because it answers the question our staff and faculty have, which is ‘what can I myself do to help improve retention and student success in the classroom?’,” Vice President of Instruction/Learning Services Dr. Reva Curry said. “We can empower our staff and faculty to answer that very question thanks to being part of the Caring Campus family.”
Click HERE to read the full story.