One of the most crucial factors to students experiencing success in their first year of college is finding their people as quickly as possible. While first-year seminar (FYS) courses based on long-term goals and career preparedness have value, first-year students’ immediate needs include connecting to like-minded peers, gaining a sense of belonging, and achieving early success (Williams & Roberts, 2023). In contrast to long-term success–based courses, the priority of our college’s FYS course is to create a learning community (LC) that provides a platform for immediate success. This platform includes a purposeful, cohort-based approach that focuses on peer-to-peer connections between students with similar career paths, increased interactions with caring and compassionate faculty, and discussion-based presentations with university staff who oversee resources that empower students to succeed early in their first semester.
From “Rename and Remain” to “Reframe and Regain”: Reimagining Campus Inclusiveness
In my last article, I highlighted the crucial strategies of “person-first” and “targeted universalism” amid the wave of anti-DEI legislation in higher education. Initially, many of us embraced a “rename
Molly Kerby
July 7, 2025
