“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10 (ESV)
Good grades = degree = good job = fulfillment. Or at least = survival. Right? The assumption that college is an often stressful, expensive means to an end is common. But is that all college can and should be? At PLNU, the answer to that question is a resounding “no.” Here, success isn’t just about surviving; it’s about thriving.
For Walter Augustine, Ph.D., vice president for intercultural engagement, retention, and community success initiatives, thriving means living the kind of abundant life Jesus refers to in John 10:10. Jesus doesn’t want his followers to simply survive. He came that “they may have life and have it abundantly” or “to the full.” That’s what Augustine wants for PLNU students as well.
To that end, Augustine and his team are working with Azusa Pacific University emeritus professor Dr. Laurie Schreiner, designer of the Thriving Quotient Project, to study what it means for students to not just survive college but to thrive while pursuing their education. The Thriving Quotient Project has its background in positive psychology, education, and faith with its biblical basis coming from John 10:10.
“It fits well with who we are here at PLNU,” Augustine said. “Our goal is not just to help students graduate but to fully become who they are meant to be.”
Augustine and Schreiner have already administered several Thriving Quotient surveys to PLNU students, faculty, and staff over the past two years. As the results are processed, the plan is to implement new initiatives and interventions to increase thriving on campus.
Most recently, more than 1,400 students and employees participated in the survey process. According to Augustine, PLNU is the first university to intentionally administer a version of the Thriving Quotient survey designed specifically for adjunct faculty in addition to the survey used for full-time faculty. Early findings indicate that the university is thriving above national norms overall, though Augustine sees continued opportunities for growth and improvement.
Improving student well-being isn’t just a nice thing to do. It’s directly connected to students’ retention. When students feel a sense of purpose, they have greater academic determination and less anxiety. When they are socially connected, they have a sense of belonging that empowers them to overcome obstacles and persist in their education.
A Score for Thriving
A musical score contains the many parts of a composition and shows how they fit together. Similarly, Schreiner’s research looks at five elements necessary to designing a positive student experience.
“Within the Thriving Quotient, there are key scales that really apply to all students where we can help move the needle,” Augustine explained.
The quotient measures engaged learning, academic determination, positive perspective, social connectedness, and diverse citizenship. Engaged learning evaluates the degree to which students are meaningfully processing what they are learning, Augustine explained. Academic determination considers students’ grit and ability to overcome obstacles. Positive perspective considers the attitudes students carry when facing challenges as well as their willingness to find alternatives and solutions. Social connectedness includes the quality of students’ relationships with their classmates as well as faculty, staff, and loved ones. Diverse citizenship evaluates the quality and frequency of students’ interactions with people different from themselves as well as their motivation for making a difference in their communities.
One thing that is already clear to Augustine is that this generation “is really hungry for genuine relationships with folks who are different from themselves.”
“It’s really exciting to see,” he said. “Students have a strong desire to make a difference in our society in the spaces in which they live.”
Using the results from the surveying done so far, Augustine has begun working with campus partners to create new initiatives that can benefit students. One example is a pilot extra credit module offered in Comm 1000, a general education communications course, in partnership with Career Services. The module is designed to get students thinking about vocation in their first year as undergraduates.
Creating Harmony
Thriving doesn’t happen in a vacuum. The right environment plays a key role.
“One of the exciting things about our partnership with Dr. Schreiner is that what it means to be a thriving university extends to staff and faculty as well,” Augustine said.
A university community thrives and students benefit when everyone plays their part successfully. When an orchestra plays a well-composed musical score, it creates a harmony that is more beautiful than if each part were played alone. That’s why Augustine’s work encompasses developing faculty and staff as well as serving students directly.
Thriving Quotient surveys for employees look at elements such as meaningful engagement and relationships as well as the sense of impact or accomplishment faculty and staff feel. To understand the needs and experiences of PLNU employees, Augustine is partnering with Human Resources and Dr. Holly Irwin, vice president of mission and calling.
“We realize that as a faith-based institution with a Wesleyan-Holiness background, our faith is important in everything we do and who we are,” he said.
One professional development opportunity Augustine launched in partnership with Human Resources is called the Symphony cohort. It applies the musical metaphor to bridging differences for positive results.
“In a six-week cohort model, faculty and staff learn together how to engage well across differences and then apply what they’ve learned in the classroom or department,” Augustine said. “Imagine a symphony with many different instruments and musicians with many different parts, but when it comes together the sound is so much greater and grander than any one part. That also relates to 1 Corinthians 12. We are many parts but one body, and when we come together, it creates an amazing result.”
Symphony is just one of the opportunities Augustine’s team has launched for faculty and staff. Also offered in collaboration with HR was a series called Conversations That Matter.
“Based on James 1:19, we asked, in our polarizing, tension-filled times, how do we communicate well across our differences?” Augustine said.
The Symphony cohorts and Conversations That Matter give students a different model from the polarization they see in other spaces. At PLNU, listening, respect, and collaboration are prioritized, and differences don’t have to mean division. Students who can learn that perspective from their professors and carry it with them will have the potential to significantly impact their communities.
This kind of opportunity to engage with others is also important to faculty and staff for their own well-being. It also shows them that even when they may disagree with a policy or position, they are still a valued member of the PLNU community.
Another opportunity, Beloved Communities, was “piloted with faculty and birthed from faculty,” Augustine said.
After a faculty meeting, two professors approached Augustine and Irwin.
“They said the meeting was really helpful because people from different backgrounds were having thoughtful, charitable dialogue across their differences,” Augustine said. “They wanted more spaces like that.”
This led to the creation of small groups of faculty from different disciplines journeying together. The name Beloved Communities was inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.’s words.
“He said the end is redemption, reconciliation, and the creation of the beloved community,” Augustine explained. “This is a realistic vision of the kingdom of God within our own time: people who are different but live in relationship with one another. One thing Dr. King realized is that everybody won’t always be on the same page or always in harmony. There will be conflict. We are not in the kingdom of God yet. We are on earth. But a marker of a beloved community is that members are committed to resolving conflict and engaging across it in a spirit of love. You still address the issues but in the spirit and atmosphere of love, avoiding physical violence and violence of the tongue.”
Four Beloved Communities groups ran this spring in the pilot launch. Groups were provided with materials on cultural values, difficult conversations, and how to discern what’s happening in challenging conversations. There is hope of eventually expanding the program to include staff as well.
D.C. al Fine
In music, D.C. al Fine—an instruction to return to the beginning and play until the end—suggests a cycle of renewal. Similarly, at PLNU, the work to create a thriving institution is ongoing. Today’s students not only face the expected challenges of a rigorous curriculum but also questions about what the future may bring in terms of politics, the environment, technology, and career opportunities. But these challenges shouldn’t prevent the pursuit of an abundant life. It’s possible to thrive in uncertain times with the right support, environment, and attitude. Augustine’s goal is to ensure that when students leave PLNU, they aren’t just leaving with a degree. They enter their next stage with resilience, connections, cultural competence, and readiness to make a difference and fully become who they are called to be.
