This case study, explores how the College of the Redwoods in Northern California, is rethinking who belongs in their educational community and taking its offerings into a place that most colleges choose not to operate: Pelican Bay State Prison — a “supermax” institution in Crescent City, CA. These efforts are one part of a deeper evolution that is underway at the college to institutionalize Belonging, Meaning, Wellbeing and Purpose (BMWP) approaches as a means to improve student success rates. This evolution includes ambitious efforts in student services, human resources and faculty professional development all aimed at putting the college on a trajectory that fosters a deeper sense of BMWP for students.
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Findings from a student-led study on needed support for underrepresented student groups — In 2017, the Multicultural Diversity Committee at College of the Redwoods (CR) requested a study to, “produce information useful for college improvement of retention rates for members of specific equity groups” at the college including Indigenous students, African American students, Latino/a/x students as well as ESL and LGBTQ+ students. This report summarizes findings of this study, which used a student participatory action research model where eight undergrad and one grad student worked with a research methodologist. The student made an impact and eventually led to the establishment of the Multicultural & Equity Center at the college.