What was the focus of your research?

My Action Research study investigated and aimed to improve how LGBTQIA2S+ students experience sense of belonging in higher education, specifically within the community college setting. I wanted to address the reality that institutions of higher education continue to be seen as Traditionally Heterogendered Institutions that foster a campus climate that can alienate minoritized student communities.

What inspired you to pursue this topic?

I have served as a student affairs professional for more than 20 years, and throughout my career, I’ve served as an advisor and advocate for LGBTQIA2S+ students. Interestingly, this role as advisor to LGBTQIA2S+ student organizations has always been voluntary and not part of my direct responsibilities. Over the years, I’ve seen many different initiatives geared toward supporting marginalized student identities in higher education, but limited services specific to LGBTQIA2S+ students. This inspired my desire to select this as my problem of practice.

Why is sense of belonging so important?

As part of Maslow’s understanding of basic human needs, sense of belonging in college refers to perceived student social supports on campus, feelings of connectedness within the campus community, and feelings of acceptance, respect, value, and a sense of importance to other campus community members. It’s the responsibility of institutions of higher education to create a community that fosters a sense of belonging for all students, and unfortunately this is not always the case for marginalized students.

Why focus on community colleges specifically?

Community colleges are known to serve very diverse student populations, and like other institutions of higher education, they offer many programs and services to support many of the marginalized student identities they serve. However, they offer limited programming and services to support LGBTQIA2S+ students specifically. This gap needed to be addressed.

I hope this research will inspire other college campuses to assess their campuses for supports, programming, resources, and engagement for LGBTQIA2S+ students to improve retention and increase student success for these students.

What do you hope to achieve through your research?

I have several anticipated outcomes. First, I want to increase awareness of the LGBTQIA2S+ community and shed light on their needs. Second, I hope to enhance service delivery that encourages LGBTQIA2S+ students to be their authentic selves and not suppress any part of their identity in fear of being unwelcome and not accepted. Lastly, my final goal is to improve sense of belonging for LGBTQIA2S+ students to feel welcome, to thrive as members of the diverse higher education community, and feel supported to achieve their academic goals.

What impact do you hope your research will have beyond your own institution?

I hope this research will inspire other college campuses to assess their campuses for supports, programming, resources, and engagement for LGBTQIA2S+ students to improve retention and increase student success for these students. During my literature review, I became aware of the limited research on LGBTQIA2S+ student initiatives and supports in higher education to foster sense of belonging—even less geared toward community college institutions. My research is important to add to this deficit and will hopefully encourage other research on this important topic.

Connect with Will: LinkedIn