Beyond Office Hours: Building a Network of Student Support

Building a Network of Student Support

Meaningful faculty-student relationships are a cornerstone of the Dartmouth experience, yet the growing complexity of students' lives presents challenges for even the most dedicated faculty mentors. How can we provide robust support without exceeding our own capacity and expertise? The Undergraduate Deans, in providing academic, career, and personal advising to all undergraduates from matriculation through graduation, are ideal partners with faculty in ensuring students receive holistic support. During a recent session at DCAL, the Undergraduate Deans Office joined faculty to discuss this uniquely complementary partnership.

Faculty Provide Meaningful Support

Among Dartmouth personnel, faculty are among those who interact with students most frequently, gleaning regular insights into a student's day-to-day wellbeing. Changes in a student's academic performance, attendance, physical health, emotional state, and social presence are often readily apparent in the teaching and learning context, and are often indications that a student needs support. 

Faculty are also well-positioned to provide meaningful support to students, who consistently look to faculty as role models, mentors, and friends. More than one-third of all Dartmouth students who responded to the 2021 Healthy Minds Student Survey Results indicated that they depend on faculty as primary sources of support in times of difficulty. Students report that even simple gestures of support from faculty–acknowledging distressing events, asking how they are doing, offering available resources–are valuable to their sense of wellbeing.

However, faculty are not solely responsible for supporting students' wellbeing, and often feel stretched beyond their capacity and expertise. This is increasingly true as student needs and expectations of support have grown in recent years. It is necessary–for faculty wellbeing as much as students'–to expand the network of support beyond individual faculty-student relationships.

A Productive Partnership

The Undergraduate Deans Office is Dartmouth's clearinghouse for student resources and support. With deep knowledge of institutional policies and protocols, active collaboration with all student-facing offices and personnel, and expertise in holistic student advising, the Undergraduate Deans are equipped to provide comprehensive care for students.

The Undergraduate Deans encourage contact with their office at the first sign a student may be struggling. As a consistent advisor throughout a student's time at Dartmouth, an Undergraduate Dean has a holistic picture of a student's broader context outside of a single class setting. When contacted by faculty, they can often triangulate with other sources of information–like the student's other instructors, residential advisors, coaches, the Counseling Center, or the student themself–to assess a student's experience comprehensively. Undergraduate Deans may know, for example, that a student's attendance has dropped off in all their classes, or that they are experiencing health or family-related challenges. Sharing your observations of a student with their Dean can help fill out this picture and allow for appropriate alignment of support and resources.

How to Collaborate with the Undergraduate Deans Office

Faculty are encouraged to notify a student's Undergraduate Dean of any observations or concerns through the Banner-based DSASA alert system, or by calling the office at 603-646-2243. It is Undergraduate Deans Office policy that all alerts will be addressed through appropriate communications and follow-up actions by the close of the following business day. Please note that, while you may not receive direct acknowledgement of a report or notification of its status or outcome, you are always welcome to request information or seek collaboration with a student's Undergraduate Dean by emailing or calling directly.