Empowering Faculty to Engage in Basic Needs Support for Students

As the cost of higher education has grown and students from more diverse backgrounds have found their place in colleges, basic needs insecurity has risen as a retention concern.

National data finds 22.6 percent of undergraduates and 12.2 percent of graduate students experience food insecurity, and 8 percent of undergraduates and 4.6 percent of graduate students experience homelessness.

One strategy to improve students’ lives is to equip faculty and staff members with resources that highlight student demographics and the issues that impact student success. Launched in late October, the #RealCollege curriculum seeks to do just that through online courses that amplify student voices and data.

The #RealCollege curriculum debuted on Oct. 28 at a webinar hosted by Believe in Students, a nonprofit organization that addresses student basic needs.

What’s the need: Despite large numbers of students struggling to make ends meet or pay for basic expenses, not every learner is utilizing the resources available to them. A 2023 report from Tyton Partners found 60 percent of college students are unaware of the full scope of student support offerings available to them on campus. Similarly, a Government Accountability Office report from this summer identified that millions of college students who are eligible are not enrolled in public benefit programs.

Financial challenges are one of the greatest threats to student persistence, as well.

Tyton Partners’ research recommends higher education institutions increase communication and active programming around available supports to increase student awareness, as well as create connected and coordinated offices that serve students holistically.

The #RealCollege curriculum serves as one piece in the communication puzzle to help higher education professionals increase equitable use of holistic student supports, according to Believe in Students’ website.

How it works: #RealCollege is a four-course program led by researchers Sara Goldrick-Rab and Jesse Stommel in collaboration with Never Whisper Justice and Believe in Students.

The first course, titled The Students We Have, was released Oct. 28, focusing on the current landscape of basic needs insecurity in colleges and universities to enhance awareness and develop practitioners’ practical skills.

“It’s really designed … to give people a common language and basic knowledge to build a foundation for taking on these issues,” said Traci Kirtley, executive director of Believe in Students, during the webinar. Each course is around 60 to 90 minutes and features video presentations by experts, administrators, faculty, staff and students, as well as self-reflection and self-assessment exercises.

One common criticism of professional development is that it is time-consuming to complete and implement, Stommel said during the webinar. The #RealCollege curriculum aims to remove extra challenges faculty members encounter in supporting students by educating them about pedagogies of care that can improve teaching and relationships with students, he said.

#RealCollege received financial support from the ECMC Foundation, the Gates Foundation, Imaginable Futures and Michelson 20MM.

What’s next: The first course is free and available now, while the remaining three courses will be released next year under a soon-to-be determined pricing model.

The curriculum is specifically designed for people working in higher education, but anyone who works with college students could benefit from the lessons and the perspectives shared, Kirtley said.

Faculty feedback from pilot institutions found most participants felt better prepared to identify supports at their institution (72 percent) and had direct plans for change on campus (80 percent) after completing the course.

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