Our Work
Our Division of Student Development is student-focused, data-informed, and outcomes-driven. We build relationships with students, support them throughout their UR journey, serve as a resource, and provide opportunities to gain knowledge and skills. Through our work, we:
- Welcome new students and help them find their communities
- Stretch students to develop skills in self-advocacy and life management
- Empower students to participate in and lead organizations and become change agents
- Support students to develop the habits and skills to manage their well-being
- Help students to explore their identities and personal development
- Facilitate dialogue opportunities for student to learn from one another
Our Vision
Equip every student for a life of purpose.
Our Mission
We cultivate environments that encourage connection, embrace challenge, and support learning and growth so that every Spider develops the confidence, curiosity, and capacity to thrive.
Our Values
These are the values our Student Development staff espouse in their individual and collective work.
Community
Building relationships that foster belonging, support, and shared purpose
Well-being
Promoting environments of respect, care, empowerment, and health
Collaboration
Working together and inviting each other’s voices and contributions in pursuit of our goals
Growth
Investing in our potential and in one another
Accountability
Taking responsibility for our actions and commitments
Innovation
Creatively approaching our work and continuously striving to improve
Pillars & Priorities
Enrich the Holistic Student Experience
Students design an individualized journey at UR, supported by key co-curricular involvement and activities — gaining knowledge and skills to lead lives of purpose.
Key Priorities
- Establish a clear developmental arc that outlines key milestones within students’ journeys, providing direction, skill-building, and opportunity at every stage
- Partner with campus colleagues to provide and deepen opportunities for student learning and growth across curricular and co-curricular spaces
- Elevate campus employment and leadership as meaningful developmental experiences tied to engagement, belonging, and student success
- Align approaches and advance a culture that centers student well-being where programs, resources, services, and spaces support the development of habits and skills for healthy living
Elevate Student Community
Students are connected, valued, and empowered in environments that nurture belonging, meaningful engagement, and authentic relationships.
Key Priorities
- Illuminate UR’s shared definition of belonging by contributing to and creating environments where people know and feel they are valued, respected, included, and celebrated
- Expand pathways for students to access and form meaningful relationships with peers, staff, and faculty
- Create and enhance avenues, with campus colleagues, for students to engage across difference, promoting a culture of ‘listening to understand’ and the thoughtful exchange of ideas
Engage Collaboratively
The Division collaborates through shared understanding, aligned processes, and clear communication.
Key Priorities
- Set clear expectations and shared approaches that make cross-unit collaboration consistent, sustainable, and aligned with divisional goals
- Bolster key relationships and campus partnerships to further divisional and institutional imperatives and priorities
- Develop and implement a plan for connecting with parents and families that strengthens their engagement with UR and promotes student success
- Build and enhance communication strategies and channels with students, student leaders and groups to share information, solicit feedback, and support a community of care
Enhance Staff Development
The Division is committed to supporting staff learning across a diverse and talented team.
Key Priorities
- Offer professional development that advances growth and retention to support staff across all roles
- Increase internal visibility of roles, expertise, and unit functions through intentional opportunities for staff to learn from and engage with one another
- Promote a professional culture rooted in shared learning, mentoring, community, and staff well-being
- Provide ongoing and consistent training on supervision, management, and leading teams
Embed Organizational Excellence
The Division stewards its resources wisely, aligning and optimizing its resources, promoting transparent and inclusive practices, and effective and efficient operations.
Key Priorities
- Align and steward resources — staff, fiscal, space, technology, and policy — through assessment and planning
- Establish clear and consistent practices and review processes that inspire continuous improvement and innovation
- Strengthen communication across a variety of approaches — electronic, in-person meetings and gatherings, committees and working groups — to provide updates, foster collaboration and community, and deepen investment in shared priorities
Our Impact
Two Class of 2023 alums spent Valentine’s Day weekend revisiting their old haunts and mentoring juniors in the Jepson School’s career preparation program.
94% of first-years said Weeks of Welcome made them feel more engaged with the campus community
91% of first-years report Weeks of Welcome allowed them to connect with other students, faculty, and staff
94% of students report their residential experience has helped them live responsibly and facilitate their affinity to community
96% of WELL 100 participants said that the class helped them become aware of health and wellness resources on campust
94% of students say events through the Hub for Student Inclusion & Community positively contributed to their UR experience
It was a difficult adjustment at the beginning saying good-bye to my family and meeting new people, but the "Weeks of Welcome" experience made me so welcomed in this new community. I felt an immediate sense of belonging and had an overall great experience.