For Immediate Release
New Partnership Seeks to Accelerate Expansion of IEBC ‘Caring Campus’ Initiative
Austin, Texas – September 1, 2020 – The Institute for Evidence-Based Change (IEBC) seeks to accelerate expansion of its ‘Caring Campus’ initiative through a new partnership with the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD).
For more than four decades, NISOD has successfully engaged educators and shared best practices in education. IEBC and NISOD will work together to identify opportunities for developing Caring Campus at colleges around the country, maximizing reach and implementation of the Caring Campus program to community colleges throughout the nation.
“We’re energized by this new partnership with NISOD. Together we hope to expand the reach of Caring Campus to hundreds of colleges, impacting millions of students,” said Brad C. Phillips, IEBC CEO. “With COVID-19, almost all instruction and student support services have moved to virtual mode. Now, more than ever, colleges need to ensure that students feel connected and cared for.”
“We are excited to partner with the Institute for Evidence-Based Change, an organization that dovetails with NISOD’s commitment to help community and technical educators increase student success,” said Edward J. Leach, NISOD’s executive director. “Studies show that students who feel they belong on campus typically do better academically. Caring Campus is a practical and effective strategy for increasing students’ sense of belonging, and we look forward to helping IEBC make it available to more students.”
Caring Campus recognizes and leverages the value of connectedness for increasing the likelihood that students will continue towards, and succeed in, attaining their educational goals.
Staff interaction with students can set the stage for successful enrollment, persistence, and completion. It is particularly important for students from historically underserved populations, students less familiar with college, non-majority students, students from low-income households, and first-generation students to feel welcome and that they belong in college.
Unlike typical one-and-done professional development, Caring Campus coaches help faculty and professional staff identify and implement behaviors they can commit to intentionally and campus-wide to foster this vital connection between themselves and their students.
With funding from Ascendium Education Philanthropy and the California Community Colleges Chancellors Office, IEBC currently is implementing Caring Campus in 57 colleges around the country. Ascendium also is funding a partnership between IEBC and the Community College Research Center at Teachers College, Columbia University for an evaluation research project exploring the implementation and impact of Caring Campus to better understand how college culture changes.
“Caring Campus is designed to leverage and enhance a college’s existing student success efforts, with little to no cost to the institution to implement these interventions,” explained Phillips.
About the Institute for Evidence-Based Change (IEBC)
IEBC is a nationally-recognized nonprofit organization dedicated to helping education stakeholders – community colleges, universities, K-12 school systems, em¬ployers and others – use data, collab¬oration and coaching to make informed decisions and craft solutions that improve practice and dramatically increase student success. Learn more about IEBC at www.iebcnow.org.
About NISOD
The National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) is a membership organization committed to promoting and celebrating excellence in teaching, learning, and leadership at community and technical colleges. For over 40 years, NISOD has aligned a wide array of benefits with the needs of its members, which explains why the American Association of Community Colleges named NISOD, “The country’s leading provider of professional development for community college faculty, staff, and administrators.” For more information about NISOD, visit www.nisod.org.
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