Who cares?  How students view faculty and other adults in US higher education 

The study sought to ascertain whether recent college graduates experienced less caring relationships with faculty and other university personnel.  The authors note that colleges should be concerned as to whether or not students felt that they had caring relationships with faculty and other university employees.  Alumni who reported having caring relationships with university faculty and community members reported higher satisfaction with their college experience, and made larger donations as alumni.  In addition, faculty interest in students has been shown to increase student engagement and influence a student’s academic performance.   

The study found that faculty involvement in learning, as opposed to merely advising, has a strong correlation to academic achievement, satisfaction with one’s college experience, and personal growth.  In addition, female students responded that they felt more cared for on the whole than male students.  Students with better grades also felt more cared for than students with mediocre grades.  Athletes were more likely to report that someone cared, but were less likely than other students to report that a member of the faculty cared.  Finally, the study also found that faculty members, more than administrators, impact the degree to which students feel cared for while in college.   

Complete text available for download at:  www.williams.edu/wpehe