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Cultivating a Sense of Belonging in Higher Education: The Role Fostering Connectedness, Support, and Respect Play in Student Success

Kim Hales, Carey Borkoski, and Jeff Spears

Student sense of belonging is a critical issue in higher education, with national trends showing declines among both students (Crawford et al., 2023) and faculty (Wilson, Ghosh, & Jason, 2025). Recent studies have explored the causes of student disengagement and its impact on academic success across multiple areas of higher education (Verbree et al., 2025; Fenizia & Parrello, 2025; Ajjawi, Gravett, & O’Shea, 2025). As Dr. Carey Borkoski notes, “Authentic community building and cultivating a sense of belonging is not about figuring out how to blend into your environment or augmenting the environment to align with any one individual. When there is belonging, individuals within the community believe and trust that they are valued as people within the community. This is not about assimilation or congruence. Instead, it’s about creating feelings of social, academic, and professional connectedness, support, and respect.… Our ability to support personal development and create an environment of belonging leads to stronger student-to-student, teacher-to-teacher, and student-teacher connections” (ace-ed.org). A sense of belonging, as Tinto (2015) explains, arises from students’ daily interactions with peers, faculty, staff, and administrators—and the messages those interactions convey about their value and inclusion on campus.

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Table of Contents

Chapter Authors
Foreword Chandani Patel
Introduction Kim Hales; Carey Borkoski; and Jeff Spears
Section 1: The Student Experience – The How and Why of Cultivating Belonging for Students
Chapter 1: Co-Authoring Belonging: Student Voices in the Digital Learning Space Susan C. Hines
Chapter 2: Voices That Matter: Transforming Learning Through Peer-to-Peer Engagement Elle Corvette; Wade Newhouse; and Jackson Bostian
Chapter 3: Creating Connection at a Distance: Belonging Practices for Online Courses Rachel K. Turner and Amanda Deliman
Chapter 4: Minoritized STEM Students’ Sense of Belonging in Higher Education Amira F.A. Ibrahim; Ariel E. Vaughn; and Blake Gillespie
Chapter 5: From Belonging to Becoming: A Student-Centered Developmental Framework for Higher Education Jarrod Lockhart
Chapter 6: “Mainly I Just Feel Angry”: Countering Academic Non-Belonging to Promote Student Mental Health and Well-Being Christine Simonian
Chapter 7: Co-Creating Critical Spaces for Belonging Elaine Ward; Nicole M. Williams; Carlos Rodriguez-Flores; Diana Coello; Jenny Iyoke Enaboakpe; and Samantha Campbell
Section 2: Faculty Engagement – Creating Social, Academic, and Professional Connectedness in Higher Education
Chapter 8: Designing Belonging Together: Reimagining Instructional Designer–Faculty Partnerships to Cultivate Student Belonging Pooja Potdar and Heloisa Rutigliano
Chapter 9: Designing for Belonging: How Instructional Choices Create Inclusive Learning Spaces Sunshine Brosi; Jenifer Evers; Chloe Wilson; and Amanda Deliman
Chapter 10: Sparkshops as an Innovative Model for Empowering Faculty to Cultivate Student Belonging Laura Ferdinand and Jennifer Keys
Chapter 11: Small Steps, Syncing Strides: Building Belonging Opportunities for Faculty and Staff Vitality Eric Bloomquist; Mary McGrath; and Linda Love
Chapter 12: Undergraduate Mentorship: Creating a Sense of Belonging for Faculty Jeff Spears; Amanda Deliman; Hannah Lewis; Jim LaMuth; and Michael Christiansen
Chapter 13: Belonging at Two Levels: Inclusive STEM Teaching in the Classroom and the Communities That Sustain It Klaudja Caushi; Jennifer Love; Diedra M. Wrighting; Bridget Smyser; and Daniel Grindle
Section 3: Staff/Administrators – Supporting Students Through Professional Connectedness, Support, and Respect
Chapter 14: Belonging Together: Developing Community for Adjunct Faculty and Their Students Mary Catherine Stoumbos
Chapter 15: Cultivating Belonging for Higher Education Administrators: Reconnecting Leadership and Community Channing R. Ford; Lindsey Moseley; and Kristen Helms
Chapter 16: Fostering Connectedness and Belonging in Doctoral Education Domonique Edwards; Attia Goheer; Amy Ramos; and Keshia Pollack Porter
Chapter 17: Beyond Surface Belonging: How Campus Microenvironments Shape Authentic Expression and Student Success Emily J. Calderone; Andrew J. Perrin; and Jessica Caterson
Chapter 18: Repairing Burnout Through Belonging: Communities of Praxis for AI-Era Faculty Development Miranda Rodak
Chapter 19: Belonging at Work: Building Belonging Among Peer Tutors Amber Zoe Smith and Christina Fabrey
Section 4: The Community – Engagement for Connectedness
Chapter 20: Belonging as Design Practice: A Framework for Fostering Stronger Instructional Designer-Faculty Collaboration Lydia Tippett and Carey Borkoski
Chapter 21: The Pedagogy of Partnership: Co-Creating Belonging Through Community-Engaged Teaching and Shared Power Eda Bozkurt
Chapter 22: The Place Between Classes: The Library’s Multi-Faceted Role in Supporting Student Belonging Katie Luder; Rachel Lawyer; and Michael W. Harris
Chapter 23: Flipping the Script: Creating a Sense of Belonging for Community Practitioners Through Student Role-Play Jan Thornton; Eric Hansen; Tammy Taylor; and Jeff Spears
When students are empowered to contribute to their own learning and communities, their engagement is fueled by purpose rather than requirements. When every member of an institution understands the role they play in shaping a culture of belonging, together they can take action toward a thriving future.
Dr. Chandani Patel

Book Details

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Recommended APA Citation

Hales, K., Borkoski, C., & Spears, J. (Eds.). (2026). Cultivating a sense of belonging in higher education. Utah State University. https://uen.pressbooks.pub/cultivatingbelonging/

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Dr. Jarrod Lockhart

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