The goal of this program is for attendees to hear from professionals across institution types on strategies to build inclusive communities with a focus on socio-economic equality being ever present in the programs, jargon and initiatives presented to new students.

Having an understanding of how we welcome new members of our communities is a critical component of higher education. Specifically, with the changing dynamics of who is “coming” to campus, inclusive language and practices enables students to have an increased sense of belonging. The varying institution types in higher education can impact this sense of belonging, but it is still an important part of welcoming new students. One way we can create spaces that are not as inclusive as we intend is through our unwritten financial expectations for new members of our communities.

New Student Orientation/Welcomes are intended to be a time to build community, but often these programs can make certain students aware of their socio-economic status through institutionally-sponsored programs. This unintended consequence can work against the community orientation, transition and retention programs seek to develop when welcoming new members to their community.

This program will highlight ways campuses can build inclusive communities with new students, specifically focusing on inclusive practices related to student’s socio-economic status. In the program, a combination of higher education scholar-practitioners (a combination of university faculty, office directors and program managers) will share best practices across institution types used to welcome a diverse array of students with a socio-economic inclusive focus. The panel will discuss why inclusive socio-economic practices matter in welcoming new students and their families, ways campuses support students from varying SES backgrounds to engage in campus, and practices that prevent students from lower SES backgrounds from engaging in campus.

This session demonstrates how human-centered design and design thinking can be used as a tool for creating institutional culture change. Participants will learn how to assess the needs of a user including students, faculty, or staff, and apply a creative and iterative design process to find solutions that lead to change. Presenters outline how the Swarthmore College Center for Innovation and Leadership has used design thinking and how the audience can also make large scale change.

We frequently hear “retention is everyone’s job,” but often, we have a small office or group of professionals championing these efforts. Presenters will explore the successes and challenges of instituting retention-based practices between academic and student affairs. Participants are encouraged to attend this presentation and learn about the efforts at Kennesaw State University while engaging in conversation about the retention climate at their institution.