Gardner-Webb Incoming First-Year Students Form Strong Bonds in Living-Learning Communities (LLC)

Division of Student Success Offers Three Options: Honors, Faith and STEM

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.—After successfully introducing Gardner-Webb University’s first living-learning community (LLC) last year, the Division of Student Success in collaboration with the Office of Housing and Residence Education added two more LLCs for the 2024 Fall Semester. Incoming first-year students could choose to participate in one of three LLCs: Faith, STEM or Honors.   

An LLC is a program where first-year students live together on campus and participate in a shared academic endeavor. The pilot group was the Honors LLC led by Faculty Fellow Dr. Wilson Hawkins. Honors students who chose to participate last year were enrolled in the same University 111 section and lived in HAPY Hall. University 111 is a required class for all first-year students that helps them transition to university life, establish community, practice approaching academics through a Christian worldview, and develop skills to succeed in life during and after GWU.

Housing and Student Success are planning to add two additional LLCs for the 2025 Fall Semester. These new programs will focus on music and performing arts, and leadership and service.

Kara Alves, director of Success Initiatives and First-Year Experiences, explained that LLCs bridge students’ academic and residential experiences together as they thrive both in and out of the classroom.

“After having them for just two years, we have seen an increase in students’ sense of belonging as each LLC intentionally fosters community through social events and enhanced learning environments that help them connect to the greater Gardner-Webb community,” Alves described. “Each one is tailored to a theme that allows students to form bonds around shared experiences within the community. We see examples of this as the Faith LLC often integrates faith and learning by examining how scripture helps orient our lives to the truth of God’s word. STEM allows students of interdisciplinary studies to have a collaborative atmosphere through experiential learning and industry connections. The Honors LLC provides an enriched academic experience that blends social engagement while still preparing each student for future research and career endeavors.”

Alves also expressed her appreciation for the support and partnership of the Office of Housing and Residence Education. “Their efforts to accommodate each student and provide the great amenities and additional programming has greatly impacted the success of Living-Learning Communities,” Alves praised. “As LLCs continue to gain exposure, we are hopeful for the vast impact they will mark on student success and retention.”

The Faculty Fellows for the new LLCs were Professor of Religious Studies Dr. Paula Qualls, who led the Faith LLC, and Assistant Professor of Biology Susan Manahan directed the STEM LLC.

Manahan pointed out that because the STEM members were in the same courses, they shared study tips and techniques. When Hurricane Helene hit western North Carolina, Manahan and her peer leader, senior Kyndal Jackson, led a cookies and coloring destress activity. Manahan also invited the GWU Office of Personal and Professional Development to show community members how to build a professional LinkedIn page and talk about the benefits of internships.

Joining the STEM LLC appealed to Kaydence McDonald, of Franklin, N.C., a health care management major, because she thought the group would help her meet new people and make connections. “We all live in the same dorm, so it’s easy to talk to them because we have class together,” McDonald related. “The teacher for this class is really awesome. We went over a book called ‘Failure is not Final.’ I liked that because coming in as a freshman to college everything is scary. It can be nice to know that failure is not the end of the world.”

Luis McElearney, an exercise science major from New Bern, N.C., chose to be in the STEM LLC, because he wanted to surround himself with people who have similar interests and goals. “I could help them and they could help me and it could be like a symbiotic relationship,” he observed. “It’s been good. There’s many times where we have discussions about our other classes, whether it’s anatomy and physiology, biology, or any type of STEM classes.”

Ja’Kayla Alexander, a nursing major from Shelby, N.C., said being in the STEM LLC has made it easier to form friendships. “You get to see familiar faces around the campus, so you don’t feel like an outsider completely,” she observed.

Similarly, members of the Faith LLC described how they have developed friendships that extended beyond their group. They nominated Qualls for the First-Year Experience Instructor of the Year Award, and she was selected as the winner by the First-Year Experience Advisory Committee. The honor recognizes a University 111 Instructor who has made a significant impact on academic and personal development. The individual demonstrates exceptional dedication to fostering a supportive and engaging learning environment while modeling a Christlike character.

Qualls said leading the Faith LLC with help from her Peer Leader Emmajean Hampton, a sophomore, was an amazing experience. “It has far exceeded anything that I could have hoped for or imagined it to become,” she expressed. “Students have bonded together in friendship and community: They worship together, pray together, study and learn together, share meals, entertainment, and even participate in Christian service together. What is happening with these students is larger than the class itself. It is truly an astonishing dynamic to witness and be part of.”

The students in the LLC are sharing their faith with others across campus. Two members of the community, Troy Berchoff, of Mooresville, N.C., and Matthew Greene, of Knoxville, Tenn., started their own podcast, “Dorm Disciples,” to discuss topics about God and scripture. Toward the end of the semester, Elizabeth Qualls, Qualls’ daughter and another member of the LLC, joined Berchoff to create a spin-off series called “Dorm Disciples: The LLC Chronicles.”

Greene, an exercise science major, said the podcast grew out of discussions he had with Berchoff, who is majoring in English with a minor in biblical studies. “Troy and I had lunch and we started talking about God,” Greene related. They continued to exchange ideas until one day Greene asked, “What if we just started a podcast?”        

Another member of the Faith LLC, Mackenzie “Kenzie” Kenan, a psychology major from Charlotte, N.C., said the group is an answer to her prayer to be surrounded by Christian friends. “And it’s just so beautiful that I have them now,” she asserted. “He’s given me this entire classroom of people, who love the Lord, are funny and kind. We laugh a lot. I’m quiet, but they make me want to reach out and talk and you know, it’s an amazing experience to have all these people.”

Gardner-Webb University is North Carolina’s recognized leader in private, Christian higher education. A Carnegie-Classified Doctoral/Professional University, GWU is home to nine colleges and schools, more than 80 undergraduate and graduate majors, and a world-class faculty. Located on a beautiful 225-acre campus in Boiling Springs, N.C., Gardner-Webb prepares graduates to impact their chosen professions, equips them with the skills to advance the frontiers of knowledge, and inspires them to make a positive and lasting difference in the lives of others. Ignite your future at Gardner-Webb.edu.