The Institute for Evidence-Based Change

  • Going for the Gold: UACCB Becomes Second Caring Campus Institution to Earn Gold Certification

    UACCB has implemented numerous strategies to make care part of the everyday campus experience. In addition to the traditional Caring Campus commitments of wearing nametags to increase visibility, following the 10-foot rule to greet and help anyone in a 10-foot radius, making warm referrals by walking people to their destinations, and creating a cross-department reference guide, UACCB staff have developed their own commitments tailored to the campus community. The college has replaced the term “visitors” with “guests,” building on the idea that a visitor is someone who shows up, while a guest is someone who you prepare to host. UACCB also creates reserved parking signs for guests, expanded the 10-foot rule into a “Within Eyesight” commitment, uses a “call ahead” practice to create seamless transitions for students in need of help, and creates banners and electronic signage for events to ensure guests receive a special welcome.

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  • Culture of Care Fuels Record Student Retention, Persistence at Texas A&M University – Kingsville

    Texas A&M University – Kingsville (TAMUK) is achieving record student persistence and retention rates by building a campuswide culture where every employee plays a role in helping students succeed. Fall-to-spring retention reached an all-time high of 92.6% in the university’s most recently reported cohort, up from 78% just two years earlier. Fall-to-fall persistence has also climbed from 62% in 2022 to 76.3%. TAMUK President Dr. Robert Vela attributes those gains to a culture of care they have intentionally built through participation in Caring Campus, which helps community colleges and universities create environments centered on meaningful relationships rather than transactional interactions.

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  • Alamo Colleges District Strengthens Culture of Care through Districtwide Alignment

    After becoming the nation’s first Caring Campus District, the Alamo Colleges District, a community college system serving the Greater San Antonio region, is strengthening its culture of care through districtwide alignment, employee engagement, and shared student-centered practices. Through employee recognition programs, engagement initiatives, and strategic communications, the District is embedding these practices throughout the organization, extending its culture of care beyond traditionally student-facing roles and across its District offices and five colleges: Northeast Lakeview College, Northwest Vista College, Palo Alto College, St. Philip’s College, and San Antonio College.

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IEBC Partnership Seeks to Sustain and Institutionalize Caring Campus

The Institute for Evidence-Based Change’s (IEBC) longtime partner, California Community College Classified Senate, is producing a guide outlining strategies for community colleges to sustain and institutionalize Caring Campus beyond its initial implementation, integrating the program's principles and strategies into the college's culture for long-term effectiveness. IEBC created Caring Campus to provide staff and faculty with tools and resources to help students feel more connected to their college, thereby improving student retention, persistence, and success.

L.A. Pierce College Strengthens Campus Culture Through Caring Campus

Los Angeles Pierce College is strengthening its culture of belonging for both students and staff by successfully implementing Caring Campus, a program that teaches principles, tactics, and habits to create a more welcoming, connected environment, thereby improving student retention and success. Data from the Institute for Evidence-Based Change shows that students who feel more connected to their college are more likely to be retained, persist from semester to semester, and complete their academic goals. Caring Campus’ work to increase connectedness aims to help ensure students achieve all that they can from their college experience.

Institute for Evidence-Based Change Partnership Seeks to Sustain and Institutionalize Caring Campus

The Institute for Evidence-Based Change’s (IEBC) longtime partner, California Community Colleges Classified Senate (4CS), is producing a guide outlining strategies for community colleges to sustain and institutionalize the Caring Campus initiative beyond its initial implementation, integrating the program's principles and strategies into the college's culture for long-term effectiveness. IEBC created Caring Campus to provide staff and faculty with tools and resources to help students feel more connected to their college, thereby improving student retention, persistence, and success. 4CS is a nonprofit organization made up of volunteers from across the California Community College system who advocate for shared governance for all classified professionals. IEBC and 4CS have partnered together since 2019, when IEBC President and Founder Dr. Brad Phillips delivered the keynote speech at a 4CS Classified Leadership Conference.

Los Angeles Pierce College Staff and Faculty Establish a Supportive Campus Culture Through the Caring Campus Program

Los Angeles Pierce College is strengthening its culture of belonging for both students and staff by successfully implementing Caring Campus, a program that teaches principles, tactics, and habits to create a more welcoming, connected environment, thereby improving student retention and success. Data from the Institute for Evidence-Based Change shows that students who feel more connected to their college are more likely to be retained, persist from semester to semester, and complete their academic goals. Caring Campus’s work to increase connectedness aims to help ensure students achieve all that they can from their college experience.

Nexus Between Caring Campus and Guided Pathways Creates Impactful Student Experience for Diverse Learners

Colleges and universities are seeing an increasing number of learners from diverse backgrounds on their campuses, making it crucial for the institutions to establish cultures that welcome these students and set them up for success.One recognized and respected way to achieve this is Guided Pathways, a framework of structural and policy changes that help higher education institutions redesign the college experience, giving all students the support they need to feel welcomed and thrive on campus. The Institute for Evidence-Based Change’s (IEBC) Caring Campus builds on Guided Pathways by introducing cultural and behavioral practices, providing a holistic framework aimed to propel higher education toward a future where students seamlessly achieve their academic and career goals.

Caring Campus Comes to Texas A&M University – Kingsville, Building a Culture of Care for Students

The Institute for Evidence-Based Change (IEBC) is bringing Caring Campus to Texas A&M University – Kingsville (TAMUK), the first university to adopt the program as IEBC expands its reach to establish a culture of care on campuses nationwide. TAMUK joins the more than one hundred community colleges across the country who have implemented Caring Campus at their institutions, thereby improving student connectedness and boosting their determination to succeed. Data shows that if students do not feel connected to the institution they attend, they are far less likely to persist and graduate. With that in mind, IEBC has developed its Caring Campus program to increase students’ sense of belonging and increase student success for all students.