Connections Are Everything

Peter Felten is the executive director of the Center for Engaged Learning, the assistant provost for teaching and learning, and a professor of history at Elon University. Leo M. Lambert is president emeritus and professor at Elon University. Felten and Lambert are coauthors of Relationship-Rich Education: How Human Connections Drive Success in College. Isis Artze-Vega is the college provost and vice president for academic affairs at Valencia College. She is a coauthor of The Norton Guide to Equity-Minded Teaching. Oscar R. Miranda Tapia is pursuing his doctorate degree in Educational Leadership, Policy, and Human Development at North Carolina State University.

• Introduction: Read This First!Section 1: Relationships and You1. Start with One2. College Comes with Challenges3. You Have What It TakesSection 2: You Never Know Who Will Change You (or How)4. Connecting with Peers: Find Your People5. Connecting with Professors: In and Out of Class6. Connecting with Staff: Allies EverywhereSection 3: You Can Do It7. Relationship Accelerators8. Make the Most of Mentoring Conversations9. Building Your Relationship ConstellationConclusion: Take These Ideas with YouAfterword, by Mohamed A. Farge and Timothy K. EatmanAcknowledgementsWords to Know (Glossary)NotesIndex

While steeped in research, Connections Are Everything is accessible. It's a quick read, and its tone is friendly and practical....The pandemic has frayed students' connections to campus in ways that colleges are still struggling to understand, much less repair. After reading the book, I'm confident it could be enormously helpful to just about any student who reads it.—Beckie Supiano, Chronicle of Higher Education