Blog from Jonathan Ragone, Executive Director for Undergraduate Studies and Student Success, School of Engineering and Applied Science.
First, I would like to express my appreciation to the Dean and Associate Dean for their nomination to participate in GWALA this academic year. It was an amazing experience that allowed me to connect and learn from faculty and staff colleagues from across campus. The Provost Office team organizes and facilitates our monthly meeting so welcoming and supportive throughout the year. The carefully curated curriculum was outstanding from the guest speakers to the topics to the in-class discussion to the assignments. I truly enjoyed the monthly assigned meet-up as well as the coaching through the 360-evaluation process. I look forward to staying to connect to GWALA and meeting other alumni of the program.
Now, I would like to share my GWALA Project:
For my project I developed a lesson plan that could be used as part of the GWALA curriculum that highlights the importance of collaboration in higher education with an emphasis on academic and student affairs partnerships. Driven by decades of research the lesson draws attention to how these “powerful partnerships” when leveraged truly impact student success and learning.
This is a very much a passion project for me as I began my higher education journey in several student affairs roles that highly valued collaboration between academic-student affairs to support student success and learning. This was paramount to my professional experience and shaped how I approach my everyday work and how I navigated various roles throughout my career.
As I moved into more "Academic Affairs" spaces this has allowed me to help cultivate this type of collaboration to support my every day work.
Student Development in Higher Education Literature
The literature on student development and engagement in higher education spans decades, emphasizing theories, practices, and institutional strategies that foster student success. Foundational works by Astin (1984), Chickering and Reisser (1993), Tinto (1993), and Pascarella and Terenzini (1991) laid the theoretical groundwork, while more recent scholarship and reports address evolving challenges such as diversity, technology, and social justice. More detailed information and about some of this scholarship can be found in the Powerful Partnership: Student Development Literature Reference Guide linked below.