Engaging

I was extremely active in extracurricular activities and organizations

Involvement outside the classroom matters. Students who were highly active in extracurriculars were 1.4 times more likely to thrive in their post-college lives.

Faculty can play a key role in encouraging and connecting students to these opportunities. The strategies here highlight ways to support students’ personal development, leadership, and engagement beyond coursework.

Strategy Details Resources
Campus engagement

Connecting students with campus engagement resources, including:

  • Student organization repository: searchable database of student organizations.
  • Campus events calendar: centralized listing of campus events
  • Student club repository: listings with descriptions and contact info

Find an organization (Gator Connect – University of Florida)

Upcoming events (GatorConnect – University of Florida)

Sports Clubs (Rec Sports)

Local community engagement

Engaging with the community outside the campus allows students to build community and connections within their local community, buildsroots and helps students establish a home base, cultivates skills, interests, and hobbies to build a well-rounded individual. And fosters networks outside of the professional sphere To find opportunities, students might use: 

  • University-based repositories
  • Tourism Board Websites
  • Local Newspapers
Volunteer & community service Allows students to engage in experiential learning activities that relate to their interests, in a way that also connects them to and benefits their university communities. These experiences encourage dialogue with students about their interests, encouraging them to let those passions guide their volunteer choices Students can find opportunities through their campus service/experiential learning offices. Types of organizations: Local and national offices for non-profits, religious organizations, hospitals and medical clinics, government offices, museums, libraries, campus student groups
Contributors

Akash Alexander, University of Florida

Winfred Biddle, University of Georgia

Paola Ehrmantraut, University of St. Thomas

David Herman, University of Florida

Diba Mani, University of Florida