Living-Learning & Themed Housing Made Easy!
Christian J. Barber, Christopher Ottey & Don Brennan MACUHO Annual Conference 2012 November 8, 2012
Thank You for Joining Us….Please enjoy some candy to fight that mid-
afternoon slumpThis session is a cell phone friendly zone!
Tweet along with us!!#MACUHO, #LivingLearning #LLCTH@CJBarber86, @COttey7, @DonBrennanJr
Please do not hesitate to ask questions and provide insight and ideas throughout the presentation!
First, A Little About Us…Christian Barber
Associate Director of Residence Life for Housing Operations Oversees 6 LLC/TH
programs M.S. Shippensburg
University B.A./B.S. DeSales
University MACUHO Regional
Coordinator for DE/MD
Chris Ottey
Assistant Director of Residence Life Oversees 7 AH
M.S. Shippensburg University
B.A. Shippensburg University
MACUHO Regional Coordinator for NEPA
Don Brennan
o Resident Director o Oversees Transitional
Area including 4 AH & 1 TH
o M.A. Indiana University of Pennsylvania
o B.S. Millersville University
Now, a Little About You! What inspired you to attend this
session?What are you hoping to gain from our time
together?Do you currently have LLC/TH
communities on your campus?If so, what types are among the most
popular?If not, are you hoping to develop them?
Learning the Living-Learning Lingo!
Academic program, major, or cohort
Faculty involvement
F/A/S Involvement
University Support
Purpose & Learning
OutcomesA specific interest, lifestyle, or activity
Specific “pre-
requisites” Staff & Admin
Involvement
Living-Learning
Communities
Themed Housing
Communities
What’s in the Research? Students spend more time and effort on academics and
other educationally purposeful activities Tinto, V., & Russo, P. (1994).
Students become more actively involved and take more responsibility for their own learning instead of being a passive receiver of information Tinto, V., & Russo, P. (1994).
Greater social interaction with peers and extracurricular involvement Pascarella, Terenzini, & Blimling (1994)
Higher persistence and graduation rates Pascarella, Terenzini, & Blimling, 1994
Students participating in learning communities were more engaged overall Shapiro & Levine (1999)
Poll: What are the biggest challenges that you...
Poll: On your campus, who have been the bigges...
Poll: How does your department market and recr...
What’s Happening on our Campuses
Mount St. Mary’s University• Emmitsburg, MD• Founded in 1808• Roman Catholic
Institution• Seminary on campus
• Approx. 1450 resident students• Traditional Halls• Suites & Apartments• Campus Houses
Living-Learning Themed Housing• GHM Honors Program• Women in Science• Leadership
• Summit Wellness Living
• Faith Development• Senior Success
A Closer Look at the Mount…Honors-All Class
Years-Good
Academic Standing-Over 100 ResidentsWomen in
Science-All Class
Years-Science or
Health Services
major-Over 30 Residents
Leadership-Starting
Sophomore Year
-Collaborative w. Institute
for Leadership
Studies-15 Residents
Faith Developme
nt-All Class
Years-Student led
initiative, Collaborative w. Campus
Ministry-25 Residents
Summit Living
-All Class Years
-Collaborative w. Wellness,
Dining, & Rec Services-Over 60 Residents
Senior Success
-Located in an All-Senior Apt. Tower
-Collaborative
w. Career Center
-Over 45 Residents
Residential Programming Curricula For our LLC/TH Communities to be successful, we
knew that we needed to focus on purpose and goals Residential Programming Curriculum
Mission Statements & Community Overview Community Objectives (i.e. Learning Outcomes) Community Programming Guide
Required Programming Recommended Programming
Campus Calendar & Resources Developed and revised through a committee
of experienced and new RAs and Pro Staff
What’s Happening on our Campuses
Alvernia University• Reading, PA• Founded in 1958• Franciscan Institution• Approx. 3000 students / 1000
residential • Traditional Halls• Suites & Apartments• Townhouses
Living-Learning
Themed Housing
Affinity Housing
- Honors- Criminal Justice
- Academic Village - Go Green - Soccer
- Cancer Awareness - Theater
- Alvernia Serving U - Hockey
- Women’s Health - MS
- Academic - Track
A Closer Look at Alvernia…Community Housing by Occupation, Interest, & Civic Engagement (CHOICE Housing)
Honors-First Year Students-Opt-In &
Member of Honors Program
-17 Students Total
Criminal Justice-First Year Students-Opt-In &
Criminal Justice Major
-13 Students TotalLeadership
-Sophomore Students
-Attendance at biweekly
discussion groups
-Completion of one
service/citizenship project each
semester-15 Students
Total
Academic Village
-Junior & Senior Students
-Attendance at 2 Career focused
community programs -Respect
Extended Quiet Hours
-94 Students Total
Affinity Housing-Groups of Sophomores or Juniors &
Seniors Students-Selection of a Community Leader and
Advisor -Creation of a Theme, Community Agreement, and Mission Statement
(Approved through Office of Residence Life)
-Completion of one Service Project and one Alvernia Community Project each
semester -11 Affinity Groups and 108 Students
Total
Building or Improving LLCs/TH on Your Campuses – MADE EASY!
Six Critical Factors1. Departmental & Institutional
Support2. Faculty/Staff Support &
Involvement3. Live-in Staffing Needs &
Constraints4. Budgetary Needs & Constraints5. Housing Facilities6. Selection Process &
Requirements
Six Critical Factors to Achieve Success with LLC & TH on Your Campus!1. Departmental &
Institutional Support Would this program align
with the values & mission of the institution?
Who would be willing to champion this effort? Who might be resistant to it?
How will this program improve the residential experience of your students?
2. Faculty/Staff Support & Involvement Who are the
“superstar” faculty/staff that would commit to this project?
Who will be in support of your efforts – and who may be in opposition?
What have past collaborations looked like? Why have they succeeded or failed?
Six Critical Factors to Achieve Success with LLC & TH on Your Campus!3. Live-in Staffing Needs & Constraints
Is there adequate Pro Staff to supervise the communities?
Would new/more student staff need to be hired? Is this feasible to do?
Do you have current or potential staff members who are a good fit for the community?
4. Budgetary Needs & Constraints
What are the expenses associated with this endeavor?
If there are costs, will they be reoccurring or one-time?
What will be the source of funding? Will collaborating offices/staff contribute?
Six Critical Factors to Achieve Success with LLC & TH on Your Campus!5. Housing Facilities
Which type of housing is best suited for this community?
Where on campus would this community be most successful?
Will housing occupancy numbers present any issues with establishing the community?
6. Selection Process & Requirements
Who is eligible to live in this community?
How will students apply/select to live in this community?
Will a capacity be placed on the number of students able to live in the community?
Community Construction It’s Time to Build a LLC/TH
Community on “Your Campus” Who would you look to for
assistance and support? Who may challenge your attempts to
build this community? What staffing or financial issues
might you need to consider? Ideally, where would you place this
community and who would live there?
How would students obtain this housing?
Building or Improving LLCs/TH on Your Campuses – MADE EASY!
Six Critical Factors1. Departmental & Institutional
Support2. Faculty/Staff Support &
Involvement3. Live-in Staffing Needs &
Constraints4. Budgetary Needs & Constraints5. Housing Facilities6. Selection Process &
Requirements
Additional Tools & Resources
LLC/TH Programming Curricula
RA Staff Committee Focus Groups &
Surveys Formal Assessment
and Data Collection
Thank You for Joining Us!
Questions?Suggestions or
Ideas to Share?
Christian J. Barber [email protected]
Christopher Ottey Christopher.ottey@alver
nia.edu Don Brennan
Happy 40th Birthday MACUHO!