The
national
Higher
Education
Data
Sharing
Consortium
(HEDS)
has
named
Baldwin
Wallace
University
and
Dr.
Timeka
Rashid,
BW's
VP
for
Student
Affairs,
as
one
of
16
"Student
Success
Champions"
for
2022.
The two-year HEDS Student Success Champions program supports campus leaders as they pursue projects that advance student success efforts and develop change management skills for student success at their institutions.
Rashid will be networking with the other Success Champions across the country as she develops a new "Peer Involvement Advising" (PIA) program for BW. PIA aims to increase student engagement outside the classroom, vital to a meaningful college experience that leads to graduation and a successful career path.
"The PIA program will emphasize one-on-one advising for co-curricular programming, just as we do for academic course planning," Rashid explains. "In this program, trained students will help their younger peers find the right fit for campus engagement from the large menu of co-curricular opportunities in areas like leadership, wellness, diversity and more."
Her
vision
is
that
PIA
will
include
a
smart
question-and-answer
assessment
that
will
guide
peer
advisors
as
they
develop
a
personalized
engagement
plan
for
each
student.
The
process
will
naturally
make
students
more
aware
of
campus
resources
and
increase
a
sense
of
belonging.
"BW has so many great programs and organizations that engage and develop the whole student beyond the classroom, but some students need a little more help finding where they fit," Rashid notes. "Under this model, from the get-go, the act of meeting with a peer advisor helps to forge new connections."
Rashid
will
also
be
looking
to
explore
some
of
the
hurdles
to
robust
engagement
for
every
student.
"Some of the challenges I'm looking to address include questions of time management and over-commitment, the inclusion of our student-athletes in the fabric of student life beyond their sport, and visibility and a sense of belonging for our BIPOC students," Rashid says.
"I know we can reduce these barriers because our students are already champions for each other and want to make our campus a welcoming and inclusive community for all."
With BW in the midst of the strategic planning process, Rashid says this initiative will be developed with those goals in mind.
"Developing this peer involvement advising program alongside other higher education professionals, who will share their own expertise, challenges and successes, will help BW refine and produce the best experience for our students," Rashid says.
