The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 36, No. 2 - 76

Frank Shushok, Jr. • Rishi Sriram

caution. The results of this study would also be enhanced by qualitative interviews with participants to understand what practices or components of this living-learning center increased engagement and satisfaction. Although this study attempts to control for selection bias through matched-pair samples, the fact remains that students in the living-learning community self-selected to the environment. Efforts to minimize the impact of motivation and other selection bias concerns are critical to better understanding the influence of programmatic efforts on student outcomes.

should be a critical part of this work because of the results they provide. This study helps to provide further justification for the allocation of institutional resources for living-learning programs, especially programs that benefit STEM students. Further, the results reveal the powerful impact of an academic and student affairs partnership in student development. As two separate divisions of most institutions, student and academic affairs have the choice to either work in isolation or in collaboration. Unfortunately, through the history of higher education in America, the roles of student affairs staff and faculty have grown farther apart (Cook & Lewis, 2007). The cause for the gap between these two important areas can be attributed to a number of things, such as hindering structures, embedded values, organizational norms, financial competition, increased specialization, alienating jargon, lack of knowledge of each others’ jobs, and incorrect perceptions (Cook & Lewis). Much can and should be done to overcome the divide between student and academic affairs. When this gap is bridged and the two areas work collaboratively, the satisfaction, persistence, learning, and personal development of students increase. Partnerships between student and academic affairs best align the mission of the institution with the personal mission of the student, thus leading to a stronger bond between the two and the promotion of student success. While living-learning communities are not the only option for such a partnership, studies such as this one suggest that higher education administrators should give these programs serious consideration.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE
The results of this study reinforce the growing body of research indicating that residence hall programs, facilities, and organizations can be rearranged to offer different experiences for students. Partnering with academic affairs can allow the residential experience of college and university students to be characterized by a seamless integration of what occurs inside and outside of class (Cook & Lewis, 2007; Kuh et al., 2005). It appears that the positive effects of living-learning communities occur regardless of major. Since faculty-student interaction and peer academic interaction have been found to be especially important to student persistence, efforts such as this campus living-learning program may have substantial long-term benefits (Milem & Berger, 1997). Perhaps more than ever before, external constituents such as professional associations and accreditation committees require evidence of the work of student affairs: student learning and development. Living-learning programs can and

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The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 36, No. 2

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