Carrie West, Jeff Doyle, and Elliot Felix on Building First Gen Belonging

How can higher education institutions foster a deeper sense of belonging for first-generation students through connected programs, services, and physical spaces? What national trends and campus-level strategies best empower first gen success? We talk through these with Carrie West, Director of Campus Planning, Design, and Construction at UT Austin, and Jeff Doyle, former leader at UT Austin and current Vice President at Marymount University. Together, we explore how holistic approaches, cross-departmental collaboration, peer coaching networks, and strategic facility design can break down administrative silos and improve first generation student recruitment and retention. [Recorded live at the NASPA Student Success in Higher Education Conference in June 2026] Episode Highlights include: [03:15] National Belonging Data - Elliot Felix outlines national survey trends connecting student belonging to increased graduation rates. [07:46] Peer Success Coaching - Jeff Doyle shares how peer coaching and parent webinars build critical social capital for first-gen students. [11:58] Living-Learning Communities - UT Austin demonstrates how targeted residential communities and laptop checkout programs foster immediate connection. [18:07] Co-Locating Support Services - Carrie West explains how embedding academic centers like Sanger directly within residential halls increases service utilization. [22:13] Activating Outdoor Spaces - UT Austin leverages exterior campus corridors with seating and food trucks to spark organic community interactions. Download presentation: https://www.elliotfelix.com/podcast-c...