21st Annual Student Life Research Symposium

Developing a shared framework for student learning outcomes across multiple departments presents unique opportunities and challenges. In this session, Michigan Housing will share its experience creating and assessing unit-wide learning outcomes across four departments, from the initial planning process through implementation. We will discuss why this work began, how the framework evolved through stakeholder engagement, and the complexities of aligning departmental priorities, divisional outcomes, and professional standards. We will share what we learned about collaboration, establishing shared language, planning for assessment, and using multiple forms of student feedback to better understand the student experience. Participants will gain insight into one unit's approach and leave with practical ideas for strengthening their own assessment and continuous improvement efforts.

This program will share results gained from multiple sources of student data on their experiences in a course taught by the Program on Intergroup Relations (IGR) called “Making the Most of Michigan.” Data will be presented from Fall 2024 through Winter 2026 semesters including from course evaluations, the IGR common assessment of learning, and course feedback, as well as student writing from an assignment titled "Capstone Letter to a Student Like Me." Using qualitative content coding, we will present themes in the letters relevant to the course learning outcomes. Come hear how students in their first undergraduate year connected a broad range of learning activities and campus resources to their social identities, SMART goals, well-being, and learning outcomes. The students' own words reinforce the results of the IGR assessment which show that ALA 171 students make statistically significant gains on our learning outcomes, such as understanding social identities, interacting with people of different backgrounds, and interrupting bias. We will connect students’ own descriptions (i.e., student voices) to the Student Life and LSA missions as well as the Provost's Office First Year Student Success Initiative and Transfer Student Success Project.

Michigan Dining partnered with BITE: Building Impact Through Eating to transform East Quad Dining Hall into a research site for testing behavioral nudges toward plant-forward dining habits. The team implemented three behavioral techniques: plant-based defaults, menu ratios, and tasty titles, to understand how small shifts in choice architecture influence what students select during lunch service. The study aimed to reduce meat consumption, increase plant-forward choices, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and assess feasibility from the perspective of staff and students. Across two different dining stations, the pilot was able to generate both behavioral and sustainability impacts, such as reduced animal-protein uptake and emissions, and an increase in student and staff satisfaction. This session will share key findings, recommendations for future implementation, and Michigan Dining’s next steps for expanding plant-forward strategies across campus dining initiatives. The pilot demonstrates how small environmental changes can shape everyday decision-making. It also offers a look at how individuals navigate environments and how subtle shifts in layout and presentation can influence their choices.

Our presentation will highlight research across campus on psychological safety and well-being, focusing primarily on PhD students. We will share research findings from surveys and interviews of doctoral engineering students about their feelings of psychological safety in their advising relationships, as well as experiences of psychological safety and well-being for PhD students from climate assessments across multiple units. We will also share concrete tools and examples of how to apply findings from this psychological safety research to campus environments, including resources developed by the ADVANCE RISE Committee, that work to support climates of respect and inclusion in academic units. These tools and examples will be translatable to staff, faculty, students, and leaders in non-academic and co-curricular roles.

As part of the Student Success Initiative housed in the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, this study examines the implementation of the Ecological Validation Model of Student Success (EV) within academic advising and coaching. Recognizing that student persistence is shaped by a validating campus ecology, we aim to assess current EV knowledge, identify gaps in practice, and develop campus-wide training recommendations. 

A mixed-methods approach was utilized to gather data. A survey measuring EV-aligned practices and comfort levels was distributed to campus advisors and coaches, with closed-ended responses analyzed via descriptive statistics and open-ended responses evaluated through thematic analysis. Simultaneously, the Validation Training Task Force used an action research framework to guide the development of an asynchronous training course that includes pre-, post-, and 3-month follow-up assessments to collect additional data. 

Preliminary insights indicate that fostering an ecosystem of validation requires intentional institutional commitment and robust professional development, which serve to address structural barriers and the gap between EV endorsement and advisors' and coaches' ability to apply EV concepts. This presentation will detail survey outcomes, showcase the training course, and outline future collaborations to foster a culture of validation on campus that elevates student success.

The Planet Blue Student Leaders are contributing to a more sustainable campus, one that is circular and more resilient. As a result of their efforts with the FreeStore, Sustainability Lending Library, and Repair Cafe, students are getting real opportunities to solve problems, practice skills, learn who they are, and work toward change. Come discover what these students are learning, the impact they are having, and how they are doing it!

Mentorship, both formal and informal, plays a key role in the growth and development of all students as they prepare for their lives and career after graduation. In this session, the presenter will share findings from her dissertation research, a study which explored the professional mentorship experiences, both at work and through other communities, of women and gender expansive emerging professionals of color (W+EPoC). This study utilized semistructured interviews, thematic analysis, and Yosso’s (2005) Community Cultural Wealth as a theoretical framework to explore connections between mentorship experiences and sense of cultural wealth. The session will highlight some key findings that are relevant to higher education professionals supporting women and trans people of color as they prepare for their careers after school. The presenter will also share specific recommendations based on the research findings for best practices to better support this population of students, and give participants time to explore how they might apply those recommendations in their own work. 

This presentation, based on the data from my doctoral research, explores the institutional barriers and challenges to international students engaging in and utilizing campus resources. Using Tara Yosso’s model of Community Cultural Wealth, it identified the ways in which international students creatively problem-solve by co-creating non-institutional support for one another.

It will offer a reconceptualization for how institutions think about and respond to needs among non-traditional and marginalized student populations, moving beyond a deficit-based model, and emphasizing the creativity, adaptability and problem-solving potential that these student populations possess.

It will include concrete ideas for how to incorporate these concepts into existing programs, as well as how to structure programs to ensure they are as effective as possible for all students.

Presentation 1: How can prevention programs meaningfully engage students as partners in program design? This presentation explores how the University of Michigan's Raise the Bar program used community-based participatory evaluation (CBPE) principles to strengthen prevention education addressing the intersection of substance use and sexual violence. Recognizing that students are experts in their own experiences, Raise the Bar engaged undergraduate students throughout the evaluation process to identify barriers to participation, gaps in knowledge, and opportunities to strengthen prevention efforts. Through focus groups, participant surveys, and feedback from piloted workshops, students played an active role in informing the program's future direction. Rather than positioning participants solely as sources of data, this approach emphasized collaboration, shared learning, and the integration of student perspectives into program planning and decision-making. This session will examine how CBPE principles informed the evaluation design, facilitated authentic student engagement, and translated participant feedback into actionable program improvements. Attendees will learn how student input shaped revisions to educational content, outreach strategies, and implementation planning, including efforts to expand harm reduction education, increase awareness of campus support resources, and develop messaging that reflects students' lived experiences. The presentation will also discuss lessons learned from using participatory evaluation within a campus prevention initiative and offer practical strategies for incorporating community voice into program development, implementation, and continuous improvement.

Presentation 2: First-generation college students (FGCS) often face challenges adapting to the academic and social environments of elite institutions like Dartmouth College. Lacking familial experience in higher education, they must decode unspoken institutional norms, contributing to stress, social isolation, and barriers to accessing institutional support. This study examines how FGCS experience academic pressure, social belonging, and engagement with campus systems, and how these shape their personal and professional trajectories. Drawing on participant-generated audio diary journals with alumni, qualitative interviews with faculty and staff, and a review of existing literature, this research highlights the interplay of academic stress, coping strategies, cultural capital, and intersectional identities in shaping FGCS outcomes. Findings suggest that while academic stress is a significant barrier, structured support programs, mentorship, and peer networks play a critical role in fostering resilience and reducing uncertainty. Additionally, institutional fluency—the ability to interpret and operate within implicit norms and campus systems— is essential for academic success and long-term professional development. By emphasizing the roles of social support, help-seeking pathways, and identity negotiation, this study contributes to scholarship on educational equity, social mobility, and the long-term impact of higher education on FGCS post-graduate trajectories.

Presentation 1: Student employment is common among undergraduates. This presentation shares findings from a systematic review of over 50 studies (2005-2025) on undergraduate student employment in the U.S., synthesizing two decades of research into a practical framework for understanding when employment supports student success and when it undermines it. Findings show that financial stability, time pressure, and skill-building all interact, and that job quality, schedule control, and career relevance matter as much as whether a student works at all. The review also shows that students are not randomly distributed across job types: some are more likely to end up in lower-quality work arrangements, raising equity questions that go beyond access to employment alone. Presenter will highlight practical questions institutions can ask about the student jobs they oversee – from work-study to campus employment to career-connected roles – and invite discussion about what data or partnerships might help answer them locally.

Presentation 2: Student employment is common among undergraduates. This presentation shares findings from a systematic review of over 50 studies (2005-2025) on undergraduate student employment in the U.S., synthesizing two decades of research into a practical framework for understanding when employment supports student success and when it undermines it. Findings show that financial stability, time pressure, and skill-building all interact, and that job quality, schedule control, and career relevance matter as much as whether a student works at all. The review also shows that students are not randomly distributed across job types: some are more likely to end up in lower-quality work arrangements, raising equity questions that go beyond access to employment alone. Presenter will highlight practical questions institutions can ask about the student jobs they oversee – from work-study to campus employment to career-connected roles – and invite discussion about what data or partnerships might help answer them locally.

Presentation 1: Established in 2022, Rackham’s Strategic Evaluation and Assessment Team (R-SEAT) was designed to support continuous improvement through collaborative, data-informed reviews of academic initiatives. Over four years, R-SEAT has evaluated more than ten initiatives using a mixed-methods approach that includes institutional and program data analysis, document review, and stakeholder feedback. This presentation shares what R-SEAT has learned about the promise — and complexity — of conducting internal evaluations. Our experience shows that rigorous evaluation can generate valuable insights, but it can also be slow, resource-intensive, and difficult to move from recommendations to action. We also found that evaluating initiatives one at a time can make it harder to see broader patterns, connections, and opportunities across programs with shared goals. These lessons point to the need for a more agile, connected, and action-oriented evaluation strategy. The session will also invite conversation with U-M colleagues interested in sharing tools, strategies, and lessons learned through a cross-campus community of practice.

Presentation 2: This presentation explores how intentional collaboration can strengthen the work of university unions. Grounded in systems thinking and informed by an anonymous survey, this session looks at how relationships across departments shape day-to-day communication and the overall experience of working in shared spaces. Using this study as a starting point, the session will help participants think about how a similar approach could be used in their own organizations or projects. Rather than offering a one-size-fits-all model, it invites attendees to reflect on where collaboration is already happening, where silos may be getting in the way, and what stronger connections could make possible. Participants will learn simple ways to map relationships and notice patterns that can open the door to more honest conversations across teams. By making organizational reflection practical and approachable, the session will help attendees identify ideas they can adapt to better understand their own environments and support more connected, caring, and effective work.

Presentation 1: As part of the Student Success Initiative at U-M, we aim to improve students’ success through increased student engagement with high-impact practices. Our work utilizes a mixed methods approach to characterize the experiences of students who took part in the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP). This project is guided by the following questions: How do UROP students experience research? And how does participating in UROP support student momentum towards degree attainment and post-graduation outcomes? Our work examines how the research environment, namely the tasks they were given and relationships formed, crafted students’ experiences. We are interested in how research experiences might contribute to students making connections, developing self-efficacy, and exploring their values and passions.

Presentation 2: Asian and Asian American college students are consistently found in the literature to face high rates of mental health stigma due to cultural norms, but it remains unclear whether this stigma or a lack of awareness of campus resources drives gaps in help-seeking. This session presents findings from the Healthy Minds Study, an annual national survey of student mental health across undergraduate and graduate students from universities across the country, comparing stigma, knowledge of campus mental health services, and treatment utilization across racial and ethnic groups. Asian/Asian American students reported the highest personal stigma of any group, despite holding public stigma perceptions and knowledge of campus mental health services similar to their peers, suggesting internalized stigma rather than lack of knowledge as the key barrier. This group also showed the lowest rates of formal and informal help-seeking, including among students already experiencing depression or anxiety symptoms. These findings point to internalized stigma, rather than lack of awareness, as the key driver of help-seeking disparities among Asian/Asian American students, highlighting the need for more culturally sensitive approaches to mental health support.

Across the nation and here at the University of Michigan, there is a growing population of students who self-identify as mixed race. Between the 2010 and 2020 United States censuses, mixed race populations increased 276 percent (Jones et al., 2021). Additionally, ten percent of all children younger than ten identify as mixed race (Pew, 2015). These individuals constitute our future student pipeline at a time when the much-discussed enrollment cliff is looming. Despite these trends, most campuses do not adequately include the experiences and issues related to mixed race people in our curricula, collections, and co-curricular services (Barrett, 2022; Zook, 2019). These statistics serve as a wakeup call for postsecondary institutions and together, curriculum planners, student life workers, academic librarians, and others need to be well positioned to contribute to the success of mixed race students. The authors from the Library-based Mixed Race Project will present their findings from a survey, along with qualitative data gathered during a 2026 community art project. Together, these data illustrate how important a sense of belonging is to mixed race student well-being. We will also share our collaborative efforts with units across campus to raise the visibility of and sense of community for mixed race issues on campus.

How can research move beyond findings and reports and become a catalyst for campus change? This session explores how qualitative interviews with students helped the University better understand experiences of religious and cultural inclusion, including awareness and use of reflection spaces, religious holiday accommodations, dining options, and campus supports. The study highlighted the importance of religious and spiritual identity as a source of belonging, strength, and purpose for many students, while also identifying barriers related to communication, policy implementation, resource visibility, and faculty/staff understanding. This session will demonstrate how higher ed staff who do not conduct research in their daily roles applied research findings to inform practical, cross-campus action. After a brief overview of the study’s key findings, panelists from several campus areas will share how the research shaped their work, including efforts related to religious holiday accommodations, Ramadan education, and dining practices. Participants will leave with examples of how qualitative data can be translated into institutional learning, collaboration, and concrete steps toward a more inclusive student experience.

This presentation will share findings from Student Life Research’s qualitative assessment of ecological validation among U-M undergraduate students. Based on structured interviews with 37 students, the study explores how students’ identities, relationships, and campus environments shape their sense of belonging, academic persistence, and overall success. Participants described identities that extend beyond institutional demographic categories, including family roles, first-generation status, sexuality, religion, disability, socioeconomic background, immigrant experiences, and personality traits. Findings highlight the central role of peers, family, student organizations, instructors, advisors, cohort programs, and Student Life staff in affirming, and sometimes limiting, students’ experiences. Attendees will learn how identity- and strengths-based connections foster belonging, while barriers such as bias, unclear navigation, inconsistent support, and siloed campus systems can undermine validation. The session will include recommendations for integrating validating practices that strengthen a campus culture where all students can thrive.

Come learn how IGR and the CommonGround program empowered student and professional colleagues to take ownership of their work and learning through conducting assessments of the CommonGround program. IGR’s Assistant Director worked with CommonGround’s team to create a qualitative assessment for their Programming Team and Workshop Facilitators. Student colleagues started by interviewing the Programming Team, a small group of five students. The Graduate Intern and Program Assistant conducted these interviews, coded and analyzed the data, and presented it to the rest of the team. After refining the interview protocol, they conducted interviews with every Workshop Facilitator (12 students). In this session you’ll hear our lessons learned: as a unit working with young professionals and student colleagues, as individuals conducting qualitative research design and analysis, and as a program about strengths and areas of growth.