Senior Scholars Day and the “Big Six”
In 2015, Sean Seymour and
Shane Lopez published, “Big
Six” College Experiences Linked to Life Preparedness, which was the
product of an extensive research initiative between Gallup and Purdue
University. The study identified six specific experiences during one’s college
education that are linked to strong engagement in work and to general happiness
in adult life.
Having spent my career in
student-centered, residential institutions, it is hard to imagine that these
experiences are not more commonplace in higher education. These are the
experiences and the percentage of respondents who strongly agreed that they had
them:
Support
Had at
least one professor who made me excited about learning. 63%
Professors
cared about me as a person. 27%
Had a
mentor who encouraged me to pursue my goals and dreams. 22%
All Three
Supports 14%
Experiential
Worked on a
project that took a semester or more to complete. 32%
Had an internship
or job that applied what I was learning in the classroom 29%
Was extremely
active in extracurricular activities and organizations 20%
All Three Experientials 6%
All Six 3%
For each experience, the
study revealed a multiplying effect on later engagement and happiness. When
combined, the overall impact greatly exceeded the sum of the individual
effects. Only 3% of respondents indicated that they strongly agreed to having
had all six experiences.
Today, Susquehanna celebrated
Senior Scholars Day, an event we have held for over 30 years. It is a showcase
of undergraduate scholarship, research, and creative work. Over 150 students
presented at the event, which is a third of our graduates. As I toured the
posters and listened to presentations, I was struck by the very high percentage
of our students whom I know have had all six experiences in spades.
I am proud of the remarkable
accomplishments of our students and for the diversity and quality of their
work. I am prouder still of the thoughtfulness and dedication of my colleagues
for developing an educational program that is so carefully focused on the
development of our students for success beyond graduation. What have recently been
identified as best practices nationally have been habits here for decades.
Congratulations!