Student Success in Higher Education: Developing the Whole Person through High-Impact Practices

Student Success in Higher Education is not just a book, it’s a revolution! It’s exceptionally well written, well-researched, and insightful. In a refreshing, uplifting way, Elaine and Henry Brzycki clearly demonstrate the depth of their knowledge and experience in teaching, motivating, and guiding teens and young adults. With the blueprint for building success through a student-driven methodology, there is no excuse for colleges and universities to hold on to their outdated models. This book sets the tone for higher education in preparing young people for life-long satisfaction and prosperity in the 21st century.

This is a small, but mighty book! When I received it, I expected to breeze through it over the next couple of days. Once getting into it however, I've decided to take it slow and really read, reflect, and journal out the questions in each chapter. The thoughts and ideas presented are motivational and inspiring. No matter what age or stage of life you are in, it is always beneficial to dive in and explore your well-being. This book is a tool to help you do just that. I can't wait to keep exploring!

What is the true measure of student success? Is it a high GPA? A number? Consistently high test scores?Or should our universities and educational systems be responsible for much, much more in fostering student development and growth?Student Success in Higher Education calls upon educators and higher education professionals to restructure the approach to student well-being and redefine our ideas of "success" in education. It challenges us to move away from stagnant, numbers-based testing and consider the education of the whole person, taking a mind-body-spirit approach. This is not to say that traditional approaches to education lack value or are obsolete; there just needs to be a greater balance and paradigm shift, placing students' own wants, needs, desires, and goals at the center of both curricula and support/administrative/counseling services. The goal is to create self-actualized, autonomous individuals and foster a space that recognizes our students' crucial life transition as young people setting their course and making their way through the world. Currently, our educational system is in crisis, with student depression rates at an all-time high. A paradigm shift is needed. And this book calls our attention to just that, offering solutions and opening up a larger conversation that aims to reshape our thoughts about higher education as we know it.Here, the Brzycki Group offers a systematic, integrated approach to creating a more positive and uplifting environment for students that considers the whole person (deemed the iSelf Model). Citing programs and innovative approaches already taking place in some major universities, this is an essential handbook that helps educators and students alike rethink and reassess the purpose of higher education, with the goal of fostering a positive environment and bringing us forth into a new dawn as healthy, balanced, and truly successful individuals.I recommend this read wholly and completely for any college-level educator or university professional. A must read.