For an institution to survive in today’s competitive environment, it must place students at the center, assessing their needs and adapting a traditional structure to become more flexible. In this interview, John Rainone discusses what student-centricity looks like to him, the need for this model across institutions and the ripple effect it has on the community.
The EvoLLLution (Evo): What is student-centricity in higher ed, and how have you seen it evolve in recent years?
John Rainone (JR): Student-centricity reminds me of a book that came out a couple of years ago about becoming a student-ready college. I devoured it and tried to implement several of its ideas. Take schedules, for example: Classes are typically held in the morning because that’s what faculty prefer. However, true student-centricity in higher education means asking our customers—students—how the college can best meet their needs. This approach applies to schedules, services and programs.
Having been in higher education for 35 years, I’ve seen the evolution from a time when institutions could simply offer what they had, and students would come due to less competition. Even in rural areas, where there may not be physical competition, we now lose students to online schools because of their flexibility. If an institution hasn’t evolved, overwhelmed students will often choose to drop college first.
Evo: Why is it important for higher ed leaders to prioritize a more student-centric approach?
JR: One big challenge is competition. People can access higher education anytime, anywhere and in any format. Following the pandemic, we offer most of our classes are fully online, in-person or in a high-flex format. We have students with transportation issues, childcare issues, and some who are simply too sick to come to campus. These students have the option to log into Zoom and participate synchronously in their classes. Offering these various formats allows our learners to access classes no matter what hurdles they face.
Evo: What are some challenges to delivering a student-centric model?
JR: Most of our colleges, built in the ‘60s, were not designed with student centricity in mind. My philosophy is that if you’re a student here, regardless of your division, you’re a student of the institution. Currently, we have two doors: one for workforce students and another for credit students. However, we’ve been discussing the idea of having one unified door to serve all students.
The challenge in serving all students lies in our physical facilities. These buildings, designed in an industrial style, were not built around student-centricity. With the decline of on-campus students, most states are reluctant to invest money in buildings because the numbers don’t justify it. Therefore, we need to adopt at least a one-door approach. If someone walks through our door, we will help them get where they need to go, regardless of the type of student they are. We’ll walk them two buildings over to the right office if necessary. We don’t want to risk losing any student, and we want them to feel supported.
Evo: What are the characteristics of a strong student-centric model, and how can higher ed leaders start implementing one?
JR: Asking students what they need is critical. If you picture a campus, there’s the sidewalk and there’s the path students actually use. The sidewalk might go straight and to the left, but students will take the shortest route. So, we have to ask them what’s best for them and how we can deliver that.
We aim to be as customer-friendly as possible. Including students in our plans and designs can really help. Some other characteristics of a student-centric model include flexible scheduling and meeting students where they are. We need to focus on the nonacademic barriers in a student’s life. We partner with many organizations to provide transportation, food banks, housing and other resources to help. Thinking about the student holistically is a strong characteristic of a student-centric model.
Evo: What impact does this student-centric model have on the institution and its learners?
JR: Every institution will have different needs, but the students’ needs are the baseline. For example, a food closet can make a significant impact. We were early adopters of this initiative and have grown it into a partnership with various businesses that sponsor the food closet for a month. From a community perspective, it has been very positive. We can show the community and its leaders that we care.
Recently, the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond Survey of Community Colleges looked at completion rates, discarding the IPEDs report since it’s not well suited for community colleges. Over a four-year timeline, combining credit and workforce students, they found we had over an 85% completion rate. Our credit enrollment increased by 3% this past year, while our workforce—or noncredit—enrollment increased by over 50%. During this same timeframe, we significantly increased completion rates for all students by supporting the entire student through a student-centric mindset. Initiatives like the food bank, transportation and other support services all contribute to ensuring students have the support they need to succeed.
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