From Belonging to Flourishing: Rethinking Student Well-Being in Higher Education - On Campus Podcast

When colleges and universities think about student well-being, the conversation often begins and ends with counseling centers. But what if student well-being is much broader than mental health services alone? In this episode of On Campus, Dr. Maithreyi Gopalan, Associate Professor at the University of Oregon, for a discussion about how institutions can build a campus-wide approach to student well-being by focusing on belonging, connection, and student flourishing. Based on her research, Dr. Gopalan explains why a student's sense of belonging is strongly connected to persistence, graduation, academic success, and mental health outcomes. The conversation explores practical strategies for higher education leaders, including measuring belonging as an institutional outcome, conducting regular student pulse checks, strengthening advising and first-year experiences, and creating meaningful connections throughout the student journey. Dr. Gopalan also discusses the role faculty play as "first responders" in supporting students, the importance of equity-centered well-being initiatives, and why institutions must move beyond reactive approaches to create environments where all students can thrive. Whether you're a student affairs professional, faculty member, administrator, or higher education leader, this episode offers research-based insights for building a more supportive and successful campus community.  Resources Gopalan, M., & Brady, S. T. (2020). College Students’ Sense of Belonging: A National Perspective. Educational Researcher, 49(2), 134 137. https://protect.checkpoint.com/v2/r01/___https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X19897622___.YzJ1OmNpdGlwcm9ncmFtMTpjOm86NjgwOGY4OTBmZjYyNzJkNjA4YjdkM2YwMDYwMTgyODY6NzowMzMxOjYxYmQ2ZGQxMTU1N2ExYzI5YmVmYTQ0MmYyNGMxNmE4M2YzMmMzZjUwMmU4YWZjOWRiNWFjYWJjMmU5MDQ3NjQ6dDpUOkY Gopalan, M., Linden-Carmichael, A. Lanza, S. (2022). College Students’ Sense of Belonging and Mental Health Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic, Journal of Adolescent Health, 70(2), 228-233. https://protect.checkpoint.com/v2/r01/___https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.10.010___.YzJ1OmNpdGlwcm9ncmFtMTpjOm86NjgwOGY4OTBmZjYyNzJkNjA4YjdkM2YwMDYwMTgyODY6NzpjOTJiOjRmN2IxNTc1Mjc3MWIxYmYxZjA5MDIzNDIyZDcwN2FiY2E2ZmExYzgwZmMxNjdhZGQ2MmE1ZTFlMWZlYWY1OWY6dDpUOkY Murphy, M.C., Gopalan, M., Carter, E. R., Emerson, K. T. U., Bottoms, B. L., and Walton, G.M., (2020). A customized belonging intervention improves retention of socially disadvantaged students at a broad-access university Science Advances, 6(29). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aba4677 Walton, & Cohen. (2007). A question of belonging: Race, social fit, and achievement. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92(1), 82. https://protect.checkpoint.com/v2/r01/___https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.92.1.82___.YzJ1OmNpdGlwcm9ncmFtMTpjOm86NjgwOGY4OTBmZjYyNzJkNjA4YjdkM2YwMDYwMTgyODY6NzpiZmI3OmM5YmYwYTY2YmE3ZGQxMzY0MzM1ZTg2OWIwYjBkNTZmYzNmMGEyNzhkMmQ5ZThiZGEzZTc2M2ZiZTY0NDkzMjA6dDpUOkY