Empowering faculty to engage in basic needs support for students

As the cost of higher education has grown and students from more diverse backgrounds have found their place in colleges, basic needs insecurity has risen as a retention concern. National data finds 22.6 percent of undergraduates and 12.2 percent of graduate students experience food insecurity, and 8 percent of undergraduates and 4.6 percent of graduate students experience homelessness. One strategy to improve students’ lives is to equip faculty and staff members with resources that highlight student demographics and the issues that impact student success. Launched in late October, the #RealCollege curriculum seeks to do just that through online courses that amplify student voices and data.