One of the presentations by long-time ACC collaborator, Davis Jenkins, Senior Researcher of the Community College Research Center at Columbia University, highlighted research findings<\/a> from institutions implementing Guided Pathways. A key finding was the importance of a light the fire<\/i><\/b> learning experience for every entering student, that was aligned with their strengths and aspirations in a field of interest. Early Guided Pathways work in program mapping depicted introductory courses to the discipline within the first semester, while more recent efforts focus on engaging students in transfer conversations and career exploration as they begin their academic journey.<\/p>\n Another presenter, Tim Klein, Boston College Project Lead for The True North Program <\/a> and Harvard Teaching Fellow, had conducted research on the science of purpose and the positive impact on students, particularly underrepresented students. In his April 2019 article Why Schools Need to Help Students Find Purpose<\/a>, he says that instead of asking students \u201cWhat do you want to do?\u201d to find a career path, we should ask \u201cwhy?\u201d He explains,<\/p>\n \u201cWe promote a long laundry list of virtues including grit, growth mindset and socioemotional literacy. However, Marcus\u2019 story shows that these behaviors and mindsets can\u2019t be taught. Rather, they are outgrowths of something bigger\u2014<\/i>identifying and pursuing a sense of purpose<\/i><\/b>. Purpose dives deeper than mindsets\u2014it taps into someone\u2019s core motivation for choosing a path. It also taps into the belief structure and understanding of why someone wants to do something and how it aligns with their values and their unique talents, strengths and things they care about. Once students develop a sense of purpose, the mindsets follow.”<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n The convergence of these ideas sparked (pun intended) the curiosity to dig more deeply into the impact of purpose in student outcomes and success.\u00a0 In Why College Students Succeed, the Answer May Surprise You<\/a>, Carl Nielson explains, \u201cWhen it comes to students, college attendance, choosing a major, changing majors, time-to-degree attainment and student debt, there appears to be a correlation between clarity of personal goals<\/b> and quality of decision-making skills at the high school level and the length of time in college, student success and student debt.\u201d<\/p>\n There are also considerations about the role purpose can play in helping students, or any of us, mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and the stress, uncertainty, and mental health challenges it carries. In the Journal of Humanistic Psychology article, Purpose as a Powerful Resource in the Time of COVID-19<\/a>, author Allison White shares that the pandemic has provided opportunities where individuals could have more time to reflect and expand on their interests, motivations, and perhaps a newfound meaning to their goals. The perceptions and actions of service grow exponentially in crisis and during the pandemic, we saw a new perspective on what it means to help each other.\u00a0 In Who Helps Out in a Crisis?<\/a>, we are reminded of the intrinsic drive to help and that the needs of others brings out our inner drive to \u2018be part of something bigger,\u2019 a greater purpose. Kathleen Tierney, a co-author of \u201cDisasters, Collective Behavior, and Social Organization,\u201d notes the correlation between the anti-racist outcry and the pandemic, \u201cCOVID-19 really increased people\u2019s feeling of civic-mindedness,\u201d she said, \u201cand of caring for the larger community.\u201d<\/p>\n Throughout the pandemic, ACC departments and offices made adjustments to help guide students in more ways such as through the Student Money Management Office, targeted outreach with calls and email messages, establishing the Student Technology Support Office, and distributing $29.4 million dollars in federal aid.<\/p>\n We found that purpose also\u00a0 impacts other key metrics in education, such as:<\/p>\n Research on the Science of Purpose<\/a> also shows that \u201cpurpose positively impacts the entire human psychosomatic expression, e.g., goals, behavioral consistency, cognitive engagement, mental health, physical health, religiosity, stress responses, etc.\u201d (McKnight, 2009<\/a>) It even supports longevity according to a research study<\/a> by the University of Michigan School of Public Health, \u201cPurpose proved to be more indicative of longevity than gender, race, or education levels, and more important for decreasing risk of death than drinking, smoking, or exercising regularly.\u201d<\/p>\n The more we learned about purpose, the more interest we had in engaging Tim Klein and his work on the science of purpose and its positive impact on students with ours.\u00a0 As we discussed professional development opportunities, and our focus on equity, diversity, and inclusion, with Tim, the conversation evolved from purpose to also include belonging – two foundational constructs of learning and life.<\/p>\n The research on belonging in Education is also significant. In the Study International article, \u201cHere\u2019s why a sense of belonging in college matters more than you think<\/a>,\u201d we find that fostering a sense of belonging helps improve academic outcomes, health outcomes, and engagement with students. On the opposite spectrum, \u201cFailing to feel a strong sense of belonging on campus can impact how underrepresented student populations integrate, perform and persist.\u201d<\/p>\n Myra Laldin, a researcher for Research Schools International at Harvard Graduate School of Education, speaks to the psychology of belonging<\/a> and why it matters.\u00a0 She shares the correlation between academic performance, dropout rates, and motivation to feelings of belonging.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we find ourselves in situations where we are the \u201cout- group\u201d or in an environment in which we feel like an outsider, we use our mental energy to monitor for threats, leaving fewer resources for higher cognitive processes. When students feel as if they don\u2019t belong in a school setting, the cognitive energy that should be used on social engagement and learning is being used to scan for group barriers, discrimination and stereotypes.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n At Austin Community College we have collaborated and connected across all areas of the College to develop belonging in several ways.\u00a0 We established Cultural Centers such as El Centro and the African American Cultural Center, we have established an LGBTeQuity committee, provided non-gender bathroom facilities, offering the chosen name option, ensured we provide sign language interpreters and captions, established unique student programs like Ascender and BRASS, and we offer a robust Honors program and more.<\/p>\n Belonging is not just important for students, it applies to all of us. In our Sept 17 blog post for this Purpose and Belonging series, I referenced Dr. Kerry Ann Rockquemore, founder of the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity, who spoke about the critical need for belonging in new faculty onboarding, particularly key to hiring and retaining faculty who are members of historically underrepresented groups. And the case for shortcomings in faculty development around student othering and belonging was recently made by Dr. Johnnella E. Butler, Executive Leadership Academy Faculty member at UC Berkeley, professor emerita of comparative women\u2019s studies, and former provost at Spelman College (2005\u201314). Butler says we don\u2019t do enough to address the historical and cultural context of belonging and perceptions of who belongs, who is othered, who believes or is told they don\u2019t belong in the classroom. Hers is a vision where creating a faculty development framework that, \u201cexplores historical and contemporary American ways of belonging and othering will guide us beyond inclusion into a \u201cmelting pot\u201d that replicates othering to a transformative diversity, as we help students engage the interactions among texts, ideas, feelings, long-held sociocultural assumptions, and facts.\u201d<\/p>\n Faculty development offerings such as the Teaching and Learning Academy<\/i><\/a> and Faculty Talent Onboarding<\/i><\/a> at ACC have not only been developed with an equity framework, but focused programming has been offered to support inclusive classrooms such as our Equity-Minded Instructor Program, Discover your Blindspots: Teach for all Students workshop, the Conflict Transformation Academy, and more.<\/p>\n Sense of belonging contributes to the perception of students that certain colleges, career paths, programs of study, or certain courses are not for \u2018me.\u2019 Our ACC Equity Gaps Analysis of September 2020 shows that Hispanic and African American students are overrepresented in low-wage programs and conversely underrepresented in fields like accounting and technology. Providing more robust career exploration opportunities, connecting to career mentors and discipline faculty early, providing media resources with diverse role models in these fields, and building intentional belonging in these programs can provide students with the motivation to explore opportunities where they previously felt they did not belong.<\/p>\n Once in a program or classroom, having the ability to be authentic, open, and actively participatory in a classroom discussion, assignment, or activity without judgement or fear, also generates a sense of belonging. Diversity and inclusion in classes make for rich discussions and broadens the perspectives of all participants, including faculty.\u00a0 Aligning with the need for academic freedom to generate belonging, a\u00a0 Joint Statement on Rights and Freedoms of Students<\/a> was formulated in 1967 by a committee with broad representation from the American Association of University Professors, the United States Student Association, the Association of American Colleges and Universities, the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, and the National Association of Women Deans and Counselors. They not only defined a purpose in the preamble stating that, \u201cAcademic institutions exist for the transmission of knowledge, the pursuit of truth, the development of students, and the general well-being of society,\u201d but also emphasize that:<\/p>\n \u201cThe freedom to learn depends upon appropriate opportunities and conditions in the classroom, on the campus, and in the larger community. <\/i>In order to protect the freedom of students to learn, as well as enhance their participation in the life of the academic community, students should be free from exploitation or harassment.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Purpose is also a critical driver in organizations and companies where our students will work or that students will build as entrepreneurs.\u00a0 A study conducted by RepTrak\u00ae and StrawberryFrog on consumer perceptions of brand purpose looked at the \u201chigher order reason to exist beyond making a profit.\u201d\u00a0 Through this work, they developed the Purpose Power Index<\/a> \u2122 looking at four key factors. Our ACC partner Tesla and their sister company SpaceX made the top 10 list twice as noted in the article \u201cElon Musk Is ‘Pioneer’ Of Purpose-Driven Brands, Says New Study<\/a>,\u201d through highest scores on: (1) standing for more than just making money; (2) improving the lives of people and communities; (3) benefiting society as a whole; and (4) changing the world for the better. Corroborated by Galli in \u201cElon Musk Life Purpose EXPLAINED: Finding Your Purpose in Existential Crisis<\/a>,\u201d he highlights that profits don\u2019t drive Musk, but rather a look at the future and the \u201cwhy\u201d of the work.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople work better when they know what the goal is and why. It is important that people look forward to coming to work in the morning and enjoy working. I think it\u2019s important to have a future that is inspiring and appealing. There has to be reasons you get up in the morning and want to live. What\u2019s the point? What inspires you? What do you love about the future?\u201d \u2014 Elon Musk<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n In The Harvard Business Review article, Your Company’s Purpose Is Not Its Mission, Vision or Values<\/a>, the story of a 1960 speech by David Packard of Hewlett-Packard looks at the same dimension of purpose in relation to profit.<\/p>\n “I want to discuss why a company exists in the first place. In other words, why are we here? I think many people assume, wrongly, that a company exists simply to make money. While this is an important result of a company’s existence, we have to go deeper and find the real reasons for our being. Purpose (which should last at least 100 years) should not be confused with specific goals or business strategies (which should change many times in 100 years). Whereas you might achieve a goal or complete a strategy, you cannot fulfill a purpose; it’s like a guiding star on the horizon\u2014forever pursued but never reached. Yet although purpose itself does not change, it does inspire change. The very fact that purpose can never be fully realized means that an organization can never stop stimulating change and progress.”<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n In 1955, Van Arsdale France,<\/a> founded the “University of Disneyland,” to train and motivate employees that would lead, manage, and build Walt Disney\u2019s theme parks with the goal beyond a material paycheck, but a shared value of an intangible dream, a “raison d’etre” (reason for being), as the driver for grit, creativity, resilience and effort – the same drivers of student persistence and success. In pitching the purpose that would drive a business model of extraordinary customer focus,\u00a0 Van Arsdale France shares:<\/p>\n “And here were top executives, all of them right there, and I had to get up and say ‘And now our theme: the purpose of Disneyland is to create happiness for others.’ And you see, the beautiful thing about saying, ‘We’re going to create happiness’ was then I could say, ‘Look, you may park cars, clean up the place, sweep the place, work graveyard and everything else, but whatever you do is contributing to creating happiness for others.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n The organization\u2019s purpose, our purpose, each individual\u2019s purpose is the \u201cWhy.\u201d Take a look at the purpose elements below and reflect on how they make you feel — each \u2018why\u2019 is the driver of employee commitment, customer engagement, brand loyalty, and a greater sense of purpose.<\/p>\n\n
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