Current Engagement
We know that students are more likely to continue their education if they feel like they belong. Research shows that students’ sense of belonging makes a difference in student wellbeing and success.
Oregon's Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) has identified Belonging as one of the key goals in its 2024-2029 Strategic Plan. The plan “envisions a future where all people benefit from the economic, civic, and cultural impact of high-quality postsecondary education, training, and workforce development.” As HECC considers how best to implement the plan’s goals and strategies, HECC is partnering with Oregon’s Kitchen Table to hear from Oregonians about what helps create a sense of belonging for students in postsecondary learning settings.
In spring 2026, Oregon’s Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) partnered with Oregon’s Kitchen Table and Izora Arts & Sciences to hear from 1,100 Oregonians about what helps create a sense of belonging for students in college and training programs. We distilled all those ideas into 74 factors. All the factors are important, but some of them also help other factors gain momentum.
In fall, we're asking which factors you think spur the others. We invite current and recent students as well faculty, staff, and administrators in colleges, universities, career and trade schools, and workforce programs to take part in a community exercise. This is a fun exercise to make connections between the factors and help us identify which ones have the highest potential to affect student belonging statewide.
You can do the exercise starting October 14 through December 11, 2026. Stay tuned!