What exactly is ‘engagement’?

If you have ever heard President Ruud speak about student involvement or discuss what makes UNI unique, then you have likely heard him talk about student engagement. We want faculty to engage with their students and vice versa, we hope students are engaged in their campus and community, and perhaps, they are even engaged to a significant other.

But what does engagement really mean? One definition of student engagement is found in  the Glossary of Education: “the degree of attention, curiosity, interest, optimism, and passion that students show when they are learning or being taught, which extends to the level of motivation they have to learn and progress in their education.”

In other words, take what you learn from your classes and run with it. Let it excite you in all that you do. Easier said than done, right? It involves making a conscious choice to connect what you are doing in your spare time, your activities, your job, your internship, your life experiences to what you are also doing in the classroom. This does not stop here, though, and continues throughout your college career. You should also look to explore out-of-classroom opportunities that build upon learning and your future career.

The student engagement possibilities at UNI are endless, sort of this well-kept secret that our university is just beginning to promote and provide more insight. Many of my experiences relate to my academics in law and politics, even back in high school when I participated in mock trial – where, if nothing else, I got experience in an actual courtroom.

When I graduated high school, I never expected to have the privilege to explore my passions in a way that will (hopefully) translate into postgraduate success.

The other piece of advice that I will leave you with is: figure out how to diversify your involvement and experiences while in school. Leaders and the successful employees should be able to rely on a variety of experiences. In student government, I speak in front of large and small audiences, I write speeches and newspaper articles, participate in strategic plans, work on budgets and chair fund committees, just to name some of the aspects.

This, like many other activities, is rewarding and definitely develops many transferable skills to all areas.

I don’t mean to imply that you only choose things that will benefit your future career or choose activities that you do not enjoy. This means figuring out how your passions are an extension of your academics. After all, we are in college to both learn and be career ready.

One example of this: people join the dance team at UNI not because it is associated with a major or minor (anymore) and likely not because they will pursue a career in dance, but because they love it; however, maybe as a future teacher, you could coach a team; also, think about all of the skills associated with dance: fitness, teamwork, time management, competition and interaction with schools all over the country, etc.

Get engaged and go Panthers!

-Katie Evans, Student Body President