How Do Campus Living Programs Contribute To The Mission Of A Liberal Arts University

Campus Living programs contribute to the mission of a liberal arts university by serving as an integral part of the educational mission of a liberal arts university. Learning and living are partners, interactive, integrated, and inseparable. According to Carnegie, “A liberal arts education prepares students for a lifetime of meaningful and productive work, personal growth, and community leadership. …Students are taught to think beyond the confines of their discipline so that they can be leaders in our world for years to come”. Pascarella et al. (2005) further define a liberal arts education as one with “a strong emphasis on teaching and student development, a common valuing of the life of the mind, small size, a shared intellectual experience, high academic expectations, and frequent interactions inside and outside the classroom”. Further, students of liberal arts education are encouraged to raise questions, challenge assumptions, and make their own discoveries. A significant amount of learning takes place outside of the classroom. Through the residential experience, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week academic, personal, and social activity occur constantly. The communities created, grown, and fostered in campus living urge and expand opportunities for students to learn, grow, and mature as people

Campus Living serves a strong role in an integrated systems to support non-cognitive factors shaping student outcomes, including social integration, resilience and health, and wellness. Students in a residential liberal arts setting are often removed from many of the immediate responsibilities of daily adult life, making them more able to focus on their academic work and managing life outside of their studies and academic