In considering today’s higher education landscape – even amid intense turmoil, rapid technological change, and uncertainty – I keep returning to an important idea that is often overlooked: institutions thrive when they invest attention in the core work that supports both students and employees.
Even in today’s arguably unprecedented and challenging environment, faculty, staff, and students are all looking for the same things:
- Clarity about their roles, expectations, and pathways.
- Connection to peers, to their institution, and to meaningful work.
- Capacity to manage their responsibilities without being overwhelmed.
The parallels between the research on student success and on workplace culture are striking. Students want clear pathways through college, a sense of belonging in classrooms and communities, and systems that help them manage workload and emotional demands. Faculty and staff desire clarity about job responsibilities, connection to colleagues and institutional goals, and workloads that allow them to serve students well while staying healthy.
Yet too often, attention goes elsewhere. New buildings, centers, and high-visibility initiatives are easy to highlight on social media or in donor reports. They draw praise and external attention, and rightly so, as these are important milestones that take significant effort to achieve. But if institutions don’t also invest in the less visible work – teaching, advising, tutoring, counseling, curriculum development, program review – they may weaken the very foundation of student success.
This “nuts-and-bolts” work may not grab headlines, but it is some of the most student-centered work colleges and universities can do. Clear scheduling and curricula reduce confusion. Administrative support and program evaluation create transparency and purpose. Professional development in relational advising and high-impact teaching practices helps faculty and staff show students they matter and do good work. These things don’t just make operations smoother for the people who work there; they strengthen the student experience.
Investing in these fundamentals is also smart financially. Reviewing policies, regulating workloads, and providing training for faculty and staff typically costs far less than new initiatives, centers, or buildings, and it has a direct impact on retention and performance. Students stay when they feel they belong and understand how to succeed; employees stay when they feel capable, connected, and valued. High-return, low-cost attention like this creates a healthy environment for the people who work there (a human-centered approach) and benefits the institution’s bottom line.
And here’s the key: when the foundations are strong, there’s more room for creativity and innovation. Faculty and staff can put their energy into designing better courses, richer experiential learning opportunities, and stronger partnerships instead of putting out fires or working around broken systems. This is a better use of the hearts and minds that make up your team, and payoff is more than efficiency or checked boxes; it’s the opportunity to be bold.
Without attention to clarity, connection, and capacity, institutions risk creating a “net-zero effect”: attracting students with new initiatives while failing to support them day-to-day through the people and processes that matter most. This cycle leaves institutions busy but not necessarily better.
So, leaders and administrators should ask:
- Do students know they belong here? Do they feel the institution is clear about how they can succeed, connected to them as individuals, and structured so they can manage college?
- Do our faculty and staff know they matter? Do they feel equipped and supported to do their jobs in ways that are healthy, productive, and sustainable?
If the answers are “not really” or “not consistently,” it’s time to update job descriptions, policies, evaluation processes, and professional development to make clarity, connection, and capacity non-negotiables.
Years of research on student belonging and workplace culture tell us that attention to these fundamentals is vital to the health and success of students and employees.
Keep asking: what is my institution paying attention to right now?
Jennifer Snyder-Duch, Ph.D. is an educator and consultant with over 25 years of experience as a professor, advisor, and administrator in public, private, and community college settings. She brings a relational, values-based approach to her work, with a focus on community-engaged learning, student voice and advocacy, and human-centered strategies that support connection, belonging, and student success.
