Editor's Note

Theresa Haug-Belvin, Assistant Professor/Faculty Director of UVU Mentor Program, Utah Valley University

During the past two years, the task of creating opportunities for our students to engage in their campus communities has been a challenging one. As we continue to deal with the ramifications of a global pandemic, those of us in higher education strive to design unique educational practices to ensure our students have access to high quality opportunities that will serve them while they are students and into their transition as global citizens.

The five articles presented in this curated edition of E-Source for College Transitions exhibit some of the previously published excellent work by our colleagues that highlight innovative approaches to increase student engagement. Some of the common themes you will see throughout these articles is a focus on a shift in culture, thoughtful assessment measures, an incorporation of HIPS, and ensuring students understand their role in a civilized society.

In this issue, you will find an update to Washburn University’s attempt to increase first-year retention with limited resources by creating a first-year seminar along with a unique restructuring of university libraries and stronger relationships with institutional research. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology shares how they successfully leveraged their residence hall assignments to increase engagement in their first-year seminar. You will learn more about North Park University’s dynamic creation of a cohort-based program centering on meaningful integration of the city through general education courses. The staff at Rollins College in Florida prioritized integrating career preparation and academic advising while first-year seminar administrators at Reinhardt University piloted a revised curriculum to incorporate a service-learning project that was Covid-compliant and aligned with the institution’s QEP assessment plan.

We have all been inspired by the resilience of our students and colleagues over the past two years as we have observed numerous examples of imagination and creativity. As we move forward as higher education professionals seeking new ways to engage our students, it is our hope that we can look to the ideas shared in this issue and use them as a catalyst to challenge us to continue to find ways to collaborate with others inside and outside of our institutions. We hope these ideas inspire you as well as remind you of the impact our work has on students and their success.