Los Angeles Pierce College strengthens its culture of belonging for both students and staff with their successful implementation of Caring Campus, teaching employees principles, tactics, and habits to create a more welcoming and connected environment, and thereby improving student retention and success.
Our data shows that students who feel more connected to their college are more likely to be retained, persist from semester to semester, and complete their academic goals. Our work to increase connectedness aims to help ensure students achieve all that they can from their college experience.
Pierce College focused first on implementing Caring Campus for staff in spring 2022, prioritizing training for those who are the college’s earliest point of contact for students. The school then expanded training to faculty, completing the Caring Campus program on February 29, and ensuring that the entire Pierce College team was equipped to create and support an ongoing culture of care.
“Caring Campus has put a magnifying glass up to our college not only in terms of our behavior and how we interact with students, but also to help us identify the gaps that exist amongst our team,” Pierce College Interim President Aracely Aguiar said.
To support the implementation of Caring Campus principles and techniques, Professional Development Coordinator and Caring Campus Liaison Shannon Krajewski and her team developed a custom Caring Campus logo for Pierce College, produced nametags for all employees, created Caring Campus blazers and hoodies for ambassadors, and more. Krajewski has also helped to coordinate employee-centric events, such as a de-stress blanket-making event, a festive Halloween event, and more.
“I believe it’s important to first establish that sense of community and comradery among employees and then to bring that culture of care to students together,” Krajewski said. “Our campus really just feels lighter since we started Caring Campus. It feels like people are more connected and more compelled to go out of their way for others.”
Pierce College is known to be a diverse campus, both in terms of varying cultures and age groups.
“I think a real team and true caring campus is required to have a cohesiveness amongst everyone, and that sentiment gets picked up on by students,” Aguiar said. “Caring Campus has helped us become more intentional and responsive to the needs of our students and community members.”
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Los Angeles Pierce College professionals de-stress and deepen connections while learning to make chunky blankets. Pierce College staff and faculty have both participated in Caring Campus, which has helped to establish a sense of community and comradery among employees. The employees can then bring this culture to students together, establishing a sense of belonging on campus.
Los Angeles Pierce College professionals have embraced the Caring Campus program, implementing a number of techniques to help strengthen student connectedness to the college.