After Office Hours Creates Sense of Community Among Students, Faculty and Staff
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 25, 2021) — Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the culture shock of the transition to college can create challenges. To overcome those challenges, it’s important that students feel a sense of belonging by developing positive and supportive connections with their peers, faculty and staff.
The Office of Residence Life, housed in the Office for Student Success at the University of Kentucky, aims to empower students to engage in active learning, global citizenship and self-discovery.
With that mission in mind, a creative idea emerged — After Office Hours.
Every fall semester, the Office of Residence Life invites colleagues from across campus into its residence halls to engage with students after normal business hours. Attendees discuss various topics, such as campus resources and adjusting to college life, as well as students' aspirations, interests and needs.
"Faculty and staff interacting with students during After Office Hours demonstrates how the UK family is caring, supportive and student-centric. Moreover, this event allows our first-year students a chance to build relationships with faculty and staff early in their college career — relationships they may utilize for support in the future," Kenyatta Jeter, acting associate director for residential curriculum, said. "Faculty and staff members who participate enjoy connecting with students about college classes, as well as their overall experience at UK. In fact, many return to volunteer year after year."
After Office Hours will take place on 5-7:00 p.m, Sept. 8. There will be a dinner and orientation in the private dining room in Fresh Food Company at The 90. Resident directors will then escort AOH participants to their respective residence halls to begin After Office Hours.
Volunteers might prepare themselves to answer the following:
- academic advising;
- academic resources;
- how to contact a faculty member;
- how to be involved on campus;
- campus safety; and
- personal needs, etc.
Those interested in volunteering or learning more about the program, should connect using the link here by Aug. 27, 2021, or contact Kenyatta Jeter at kenyatta.jeter@uky.edu or 859-323–4626.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.
In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.