Conference

Ties that Bind our Students of Color: The Influence of Student-Faculty/Staff Interactions on Multicultural Students' Persistence

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Abstract

One of the critical criteria for staying in college is the student's social support network. These networks of multicultural students are central to their lives and are resources that could be activated and expanded to facilitate successful postsecondary and career trajectories. In 2011, Dean of Students Office at Iowa State University began testing an innovative project that leveraged peer and faculty/staff networks and relationships to assist Multicultural Affairs Office achieve its goal of supporting student retention through enhancing the multicultural students' experiences. Multicultural students found areas on campus where they developed relationships and fostered positive connections with institutional agents. This technologically infused and interactive session will focus specifically on patterns in multicultural students' social ties during their college pathways. We will demonstrate nuances of students' social network relationships and how they operate in postsecondary setting.