Several years ago, I was addressing a parent group in a large Midwestern city. I was speaking about self-esteem and providing the audience with strategies to boost kids self-concept.

The overwhelming majority of the attendees were responding very positively to the message but one Dad wasn't buying what I was selling. He grumbled under his breath, "Kids oughta' toughen up. We praise 'em too much."

Wow, I thought. How can you possibly praise a kid too much? There's no such thing as too much praise! Kids especially kids with learning disabilities - need constant and consistent praise in order to feel good about themselves!

Well, although I don't agree with the gentleman from the audience, I have recently changed my mind a bit in regard to praise.

In countless special education classrooms, I've seen teachers heap bucketsful of praise on kids and yet these kids still have shaky self-concepts and low self-esteem.

Based on these observations, praise in and of itself isn't enough to create and maintain positive self-esteem.

Praise doesn't have the desired effect unless it's done properly and it doesn't work all the time.

As parents and teachers, we need to use praise appropriately and sparingly. If not, kids begin to view praise as nothing more than white noise (e.g., Way to breathe, Johnny, Nice job walking, Sally.)

They become so accustomed to a consistent bombardment of praise that it becomes meaningless and ineffectual for them.

In order to be effective, praise should be:

• Contingent There must be a solid, realistic reason to praise the child. The comment should respond directly to a behavior that reflects a childs improvement, accomplishment, or effort.

• Sincere Kids can recognize phony praise in an instant. This insincere praise is ineffective and causes the child to feel minimized and patronized.

• Creative Find unique ways to give praise! Leave a nice note in his lunchbox, tape a note to his mirror, tell another significant other about the childs progress and ask that she deliver the praise message.

But is there a down side to praise? Yes, there is. Praise can be an effective vehicle to improve self-esteem but there is a strategy that is even more effective. That technique involves the use of encouragement.

Dr. Rudolph Dreikur, noted child psychologist, once said -

 that a child needs encouragement like a plant needs sun and water.

This strategy can have a significant and lasting impact upon the child's view of himself.

Praise and encouragement are positive, effective and beneficial strategies to use with kids. Both of these techniques can:

• build self-esteem
• enhance pride
• foster cooperation
• build positive relationships
• celebrate unique skills and abilities
• assist kids during difficult or challenging times

But there are distinct and significant differences between praise and encouragement. Lets take a moment to examine these distinctions.

• Praise is a reward that must be earned (Way to go, Daniel. You got a 90 on that spelling quiz.). Encouragement is a gift (I'm glad to see you trying so hard, Sean!).
• Praise uses words that judge (You got 20 questions right, Taylor. That is terrific!).
• Encouragement uses words that notice (I was so happy to see you arrive on time for class & be in such a great mood!).
• Praise promotes competition (Jilly, you got the best grade in the class!). Encouragement promotes cooperation (Zack, keep trying! You're getting better all the time!).
• Praise reflects contingent acceptance (Shannon, I love it when you keep your room so clean!). Encouragement reflects unconditional acceptance (Kendall, I love being around you!).
• Praise teaches the child to please the adult (Heidi, you did a great job on the dishes tonight. Mom is very happy with you.). Encouragement teaches the child to please himself (Abby, I noticed how helpful you were at Grandmas today. You should be very proud of yourself.).
• Praise can only be given when the child is successful (Adam, you did great on the spelling test.). Encouragement can be given when the child is experiencing failure or frustration (Shane, you've really been trying on these word problems. Keep it up!).

As you can see, praise can become addicting and can cause the child to seek extrinsic (outside) motivation.

On the other hand, encouragement is less likely to become addicting and it promotes intrinsic (internal) motivation. Basically, praise works but encouragement works better!

Now, what if I were to tell you that there exists a 3rd strategy that can be more effective than praise or encouragement?! Well, there is!

I learned this strategy from Joe Williams, the Board Chair of the school that I used to head on Cape Cod. Joe was an extraordinarily bright and gifted individual.

His people skills were unparalleled and he was loved, admired, respected and revered by all who know him. I so enjoyed watching and learning from his interactions with others.

Whenever my secretary would call my office to tell me that Joe was on the line, I'd light up. I so enjoyed speaking with him on the phone.

One day, I tried to analyze the reason that his calls were so enjoyable for me. After this analysis, I came to understand! Joe provided me with lots of praise (The Board minutes were great last week, Rick.).

He also gave me lots of encouragement (I was glad to see you at the kids softball game. That was great that you took the time to come.) But perhaps most importantly Joe always showed great interest in me, my family, my activities and my life. He consistently demonstrated his interest in me as a person.

Whenever Joe called me, he obviously had school business to conduct. But he began every call by inquiring about my kids, my wife, or my activities. He was interested in me. And I loved it.

Once I realized the power of interest, I began using the strategy to build and maintain relationships with kids and staff. I remember running into a young teacher one day on campus. We stopped to talk for a moment.

Taking a page from Joe's book, I didn't praise or encourage her. Instead, I showed a genuine interest in her. I saw your new car in the parking lot, Sasha. What a great color. Where did you get it?

The young teachers face lit up! The school Director noticed her prized new car and took the time to mention it to her. Wow! That interaction was more meaningful to her than any praise or reinforcement I could have given her! Great!

The lesson? As teachers and parents we can give kids a great gift by expressing a genuine interest in their lives. (New jacket, Billy? I love it! or, I understand that your Dad is a firefighter. Did you know that my father was a firefighter, too?). Try it. It works.

So, the invaluable troika of self-esteem consists of praise, encouragement and interest. Use these strategies generously with kids. They need it.

When dealing with kids who struggle in school, we need to be ever mindful of their self-esteem.

We must continually remind ourselves that our small acts of kindness can make a genuine and lasting impact on them & their lives.

Special education isn't about breakthroughs and miracles. Rather, it's about small victories. These small victories build upon each other and eventually become major victories.

Early in my career, I had a 7 year old tutorial student named Jordi. He maintained a daily diary for me as part of his language arts class.

Each day, at the beginning of class, he'd take his journal and write a sentence or two about his activities from the previous day. He rushed, breathless, into my class one day.

Gimme the journal, Mr. Lavoie, I gotta write something great from yesterday.

Do I Encourage Dependency On Myself That Meets My Need To Be Loved?

Do I Encourage My Kids To Help, Even Though When They Do, It May Make The Task Longer, Or May Not Even Turn Out As Well?

What parent hasn't said, or themselves heard as a child, something similar to, "Let me do it so we won't be here all day", or, "Let me do it so it gets done right", or, "You're making this harder for me. Move out of the way so I can get the job done."

Remember that our young kids have that sponge-like brain that doesn't think and process in the way ours does. Their brain absorbs what it hears, what it sees and what it's told.

It's a safe assumption that if we ask our young kids to help with just about anything, the task will take us longer and quite likely will not turn out quite as good as it would have if we'd just done it ourselves. But our kids aren't a "finished product", but rather, a "product in process."

They're in the process of becoming. We all know that intellectually, but it's easy for us to forget at times. One way we have of helping them in this process is to allow and encourage their participation in tasks and chores that might actually be easier for us to do by ourselves.

There are probably a lot of reasons that it's a good idea to encourage our kids to fumble their way through helping us. Three stand out as most important if one of our goals as parents is to raise great kids.

First, helping creates competent kids. Older kids who know how to do a lot of things well are the ones who've had many experiences. Helping us and learning through their efforts is one of those important experiences.

Our kids will learn best through doing and being guided and instructed by us through chores and tasks they may not have at first known how to do. There are many ways we human beings learn how to do something. We can read a book, watch someone else, we can learn through instructions or lectures in the classroom.

The best way to learn, though, is thru the "hands on" process of learning thru doing.

Secondly, young kids who grow up to be teenagers who are willing and capable (finally!) of helping, are the kids who've grown accustomed to helping even when, perhaps unknown to them, they really weren't much help at all.

Stated more simply: if you don't let our kids "help" when they aren't really much help at all, then don't expect much from them when they're older and their help is really needed.

I'm reminded of a time when our oldest daughter, Ashley, was in 6th grade. One of her elective classes was one called, "On Your Own". In this class, the students learned a variety of things like finances, cooking and health principles. One day she came home wanting to help make some apple turnovers.

That was okay by her mom, so the process of making the world's best apple turn-over began.

Early on in the process, I could tell that Ashley was taking some "creative freedom" in her efforts. Freedoms like, when the recipe called for one cup of flour, she added "about" a cup. One tablespoon of water became a "splash" of water from the tap. Her mom took the time to explain the importance of being more accurate rather than approximate, but Ashley, being a student in "On Your Own", preferred to be, on her own.

It was very tempting for me to rush in and take over, demanding that we do things my way - the right way - or even declaring that if she couldn't help in the way we wanted her to help, that she wouldn't be allowed to be a part of the process.

Fortunately, my wife had better sense and after explaining the importance of being very accurate in following recipes, she backed off and let Ashley learn through her mistakes. Sure enough, those apple turnovers were a mistake and Ashley learned in a practical way the importance of being precise when following a recipe.

If I had been in charge of that cooking adventure, I would have most likely interfered with her efforts to help and would have insisted that she step aside so we could get the job done right the first time. Today, Ashley is a ready helper and participant when it comes to doing tasks and chores (She also follows recipes in precise fashion).

Her willing spirit came about as a result of many more experiences than the one cited here, but the point of the story is to suggest that our kids need to help even when to do so, may not be that convenient for us. They'll be more likely to learn skills and competence from those trial and error experiences and they'll also learn that they're needed as a team member in their family.

"My teenager never lifts a finger to help around here. All I am is a free meal ticket ". What usually lies behind such a complaint from parents of teenagers, is a little kid who wasn't allowed and encouraged to help when he actually wanted to, but wasn't yet very capable.

Kids simply don't all of a sudden bloom into helpers. They're trained, encouraged and given opportunities. They're designed to be good helpers by us and our early efforts in letting them help are an investment in them that may not have immediate returns.

In the long run, however, our patience and tolerance will lead to an attitude in them of wanting (well, at least being somewhat willing) to help when finally, they're capable and really needed.

There's a 3rd reason that supports the notion of encouraging our kids to help at an early age. Kids who are a part of accomplishing tasks, chores and projects, grow up with the feeling that they're a significant part of a team.

And because there's this team effort attitude, they feel more needed and that their efforts and contributions matter. Being a part of a family team helps them grow up feeling good about themselves and what they have to offer.

Being a piece of "the big picture" feeds the attitude of significance and importance and this in turn helps us accomplish our goal of raising truly great kids. Without this sense of relevance that comes from helping and being a part of the team, kids have a difficult time believing that they have worth and value.

So, competence, a willing spirit and a sense of significance and importance, are 3 benefits of letting our young kids help, even though it might not be most convenient for us at the time.

In this day and age of "busy-ness," it's easy for us to lose sight of the importance of letting our kids "help" even when, at the time, they really aren't much help at all. So it's important to be reminded that raising great kids who like themselves and believe they have something to offer, is a process of our investing when the returns may not be immediately forth coming.

And this investing in and for their future well-being includes encouraging and allowing their involvement in projects and tasks, even when it may cost us time and maybe even some quality in the completed task.

It's an awesome task, but an exciting one, indeed!

Please note that I said a "good marriage" because I wouldn't consider an abusive marriage, or a marriage to an addict or alcoholic to be "good."

While some of these types of relationships can survive, many shouldn't and they're in need of ending.

It's easy to say "I want a divorce" or "I don't love you anymore" in this era of prenuptials, quickie divorces and do-your-own divorce kits. It's more difficult to say "We have a problem that's putting our marriage in jeopardy - let's work together to stay together."

In some cases, you're the one who wants to save the marriage while your spouse has one foot out the door and is waving bye-bye. In some cases, you're the one who wants out because there's just not enough "foundation" on which to build a strong marriage.

I don't like divorce. It makes nice people into monsters. It puts families into the welfare line. It forces children to grow up faster than they should have to and it teaches them that marriage doesn't have to last forever.

If I could, I'd make it extremely difficult to get married - or at least as difficult to get married as it is to get divorced. I'd absolutely require that couples learn good communication skills before they were issued a marriage license.

ABSTRACT

Abstract

Systematically recognizing and encouraging the individuality and accomplishments of college students positively impacts individual learning and institutional student retention. Such a formal process should include recognizing individuality, encouraging individual accomplishment and providing opportunities for growth.

Special attention should be paid to the institutional mission, the training of quality leaders and the coordination and education of college employees. This practicum is the blueprint for such a process at Kansas Newman College.

"The ultimate challenge for any instructor is to find ways to ensure success in learning" (Hiemstra & Sisco, 1990, p. 48).

"There is a wide band of potentialities available to us. We can reach the upper or the lower limit. . . . At rare moments, we glimpse the horizons of what could be. . . . Some people make this discovery when . . . they have been complimented and encouraged to do something that they have been convinced they are not capable of doing." (Dichter, 1971, p. 66)

INTRODUCTION

Polly Sawyer believed in a 4th grade student's elementary writing. 22 years later, I still recall her with fondness and respect, as one of the greatest teachers from whom I've had the joy learning. Though I'm not a novelist or a poet, though I don't compose ballads or even jingles, I use my writing daily in my work and in my personal life.

In that writing, I take pride and comfort and identity. It's become one of the best parts of who I am.

Mrs. Sawyer recognized this talent in me when it was still mostly unformed. She prodded me, nurtured me and encouraged me to write more each day. She praised my work and showed to others the pride she had in me. She incorporated creative assignments into my daily routine and she helped me to learn from my progress.

Later, as I grew older, other teachers took over, encouraging me further, pushing me on. But Polly was the first. It was she who took the hardest, smallest of seeds and nurtured it until it sprouted. It was she who fostered my love for writing and it she who I'll never forget.

At 9 years old, I was still a child in my learning. I was uncertain, unfocused and unaware of where the future would lead. At 31 years old, each time I tackle a new learning project, I'm still much the same. To some extent, I still lack confidence, focus and direction.

I still value encouragement and praise. I still thrive on empowerment and recognition. Though these tools aren't so valuable as once they were, they're still crucial to my education.

Now I find my roles have changed. Now it's I who teach and it's I who must encourage, empower and praise. In addition to being a continuing student, my new role is also one of teacher, facilitator and mentor. As I was once amid a community of learners, I'm now amid a community of educators.

This practicum is about teaching and empowering, both as an individual and as a member of an educational community. It's about recognizing and celebrating the individuality and accomplishments of our students and helping them along with encouragement. It's about education at its best.

I became interested in student encouragement when my daily interactions with students became more involved as a result in shifts of my professional responsibilities and philosophies. In my roles as student supervisor, educator, disciplinarian, administrator, counselor and advisor, I began to understand that students actively seek approval.

They need to know they're appreciated when they succeed and regardless of their actions, they need to know that they are valued as individuals.

This practicum will establish a formal process for student empowerment thru encouragement at Kansas Newman College.

The 1st step towards this goal is to examine several important concepts of encouragement.

What is encouragement? How does it connect to other important educational tools? How is it used in business management settings, where much motivation research and application has been conducted?

The 2nd step is to investigate how encouragement interacts with some of Kansas Newman College's highest values: mission, learning and student retention. In addition, it's crucial to evaluate exactly what encouragement strategies are currently used at the institution.

The final step in developing the KNC encouragement process is to develop the program itself. KNC must define its student populations, educate its employees, coordinate its resources and market its encouragement program.

The institution must develop a timeline and articulate the various action steps. Finally, college administrators must seek guidance and support from the front-line employees who already encourage students each day.

CHAPTER 1. An Introduction to Encouragement

Encouragement Defined

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (1993) defines "encourage" as "to inspire with courage, spirit or hope; to spur on" (p. 381).

Every day teachers at all levels encourage their students with words of praise, hope, direction and courage. They communicate to students belief in the students' abilities and progress. Teachers help to focus students efforts by rewarding good behavior.

They help to promote high self-esteem by demonstrating pride in the individuality of their students.

There are essentially 3 philosophical approaches to encouragement. First, teachers and leaders encourage specific desired behaviors by rewarding them when they occur in students or followers.

For instance, when a student composes an outstanding piece of music, the teacher may write them a congratulatory note or mention the student in a departmental meeting. James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner (1987), authors of The Leadership Challenge, view this type of encouragement as 1 of 5 essential skills for leaders.

Encouraging the heart, as they term it, includes recognizing individual contributions as well as celebrating accomplishments. According to Kouzes and Posner (1987), "Leaders give heart by visibly recognizing people's contributions to the common vision. . . . Leaders express pride in the accomplishments of their teams" (p. 249). This is one way leaders get extraordinary things done in organizations.

Second, teachers and leaders encourage individuality simply by recognizing the inherent worth in their students or followers. In the music example mentioned above, the teacher may simply praise the student for his or her love of music, regardless of whether the student ever composes another piece.

In On Becoming a Person, Carl Rogers (1961) promotes this concept of unconditional positive regard. He states, "It is an atmosphere which simply demonstrates 'I care': not 'I care for you if you behave thus and so'" (p. 283).

The focus is on the welfare of the student. It's an approach which recognizes the student as an individual, as a "separate person" with his or her own feelings and experiences.

Third, teachers and leaders encourage students by providing opportunities for individual growth. Again, in the music example mentioned above, the teacher may ask the student to perform their piece during a campus recital, or help the student seek publication.

In Servant Leadership, Robert K. Greenleaf (1977) promotes this concept of development. He defines a servant leader as one who places people first, as one whose primary objective is the personal growth and development of the follower.

Leaders lift up those who follow. They share the search for wholeness with the follower; both leader and follower quest for personal development. They provide order, so that followers have structured environments in which to grow.

All 3 of these approaches to encouragement are essential to education.

First, educators must value their students.They must know them, care about them and communicate with them.

Second, educators must focus their students. They must help students discover their own directions and help make the path more visible thru encouraging positive behaviors.

Third, they must provide opportunities for growth and development. They must provide avenues for learning and practice. The strategies proposed in this program address all 3 of these needs. Emphasis is placed on individuality, performance and opportunity.

Empowerment Defined

Empowerment has become a buzzword throughout the education and business communities. It's taken on many different connotations, yet concise definitions are rare. Perhaps the best one comes from The Role and Contribution of Student Affairs in Involving Colleges (1991) in a chapter written by Elizabeth J. Witt, detailing the efforts of Holyoke College. Holyoke strives to challenge and support its students. "Their common goal is to develop independent students within a nurturing environment.

Therefore, they must be nurturing without fostering dependence and challenging without creating feelings of helplessness and isolation.

In order to take risks, Mount Holyoke students need to feel comfortable - but not too comfortable" (Kuh & Schuh, p. 123). This approach is the essence of empowerment.

An institutional student encouragement program can help meet many of these criteria. By rewarding positive behaviors, students can be taught to take risks. By valuing individuals, students can be taught self-esteem. By providing growth opportunities, students can practice.

The Rest of the Picture

It's important to note that encouragement is simply an educational tool. It isn't so much an area of education as it is a method with which to educate. In regards to both education and to institutional student retention, encouragement is only one small piece.

For instance, the rest of the education picture would include such areas as:

• conflict management
• critical thinking
• negative reinforcement
• empathy
• self-reinforcing operations
• role modeling
• attending skills
• increasingly challenging learning tasks and environments
• enthusiasm for subject matter
• self-directed learning
• questioning
• self actualization 
• the development of realistic expectations 
• world view

In truth, these areas are all closely related to encouragement and are essential to empowerment.

The rest of the retention picture would include such areas as:

• financial concerns
• service provider relationships with students
• early alert and intervention programs
• barriers to persistence
• athletic retention
• retention data management
• academic advising
• academic policies
• student services
• peer counseling 
• telecounseling

Again, most of these relate in one way or another to encouragement and they all represent major components of the institution's student retention effort.

However, though institutional encouragement is only one aspect of education, it's a philosophy which is at the very heart of teaching. Though encouragement is only one small part of the retention program, it's a philosophy which is at the heart of student satisfaction.

Encouragement is simply a tool, but it's a tool of tremendous power.

Research Sources

Most of the research sources for encouragement come from 3 specific areas:

• education
• psychology 
• business

The applicability of educational sources is, of course, rather obvious. The science of learning reveals much about leadership, methodology and focus.

Likewise, psychology resources cover self-esteem, motivation and reinforcement. What's perhaps most surprising is that many valuable encouragement resources are found in common business texts and popular management books.

Therefore, it's appropriate to spend a few words demonstrating how compatible business and education truly are in this regard. Both business and education utilize intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Both are susceptible to barriers involving family. Both are greatly impacted by the culture of their institution and both have the potential to make excellent use of mentoring relationships.

Individuals in both systems attempt to complete tasks beyond their present abilities and adapt to changes beyond their control. Both populations experience self-esteem changes resulting from their interaction with change and proficiency and both have basic needs for acceptance, identity and encouragement.

In both systems, teaching and learning are central to success.

CHAPTER TWO. Fundamental Principles of Encouragement

Encouragement Types

At the center of any task humanity undertakes is one factor alone: people.

Resources, vision, technology and time are relevant to the task. Some projects may require millions of dollars, others may require none. Some may require a clearly stated vision, others may involve a different vision for each individual. But the factor which never changes is people.

People are the center of every project. Whether the project involves leaders, followers, spectators or critics, it is dependent upon people for its successful completion. Providing direction and empowerment for people is the aspiration of education. Providing a positive working relationship between the leader and the follower is the measure of successful leadership.

As mentioned earlier, there are 3 basic forms of encouragement relevant to this program:

• encouraging accomplishment
• encouraging individuality
• providing individual growth opportunities

There are numerous strategies for each of these general types available to educators and institutions. It's the use of these strategies which helps to make for a good relationship between the follower and the leader, between the student and teacher.

Following is a summary of each of these 3 main subsets. Many of these strategies are adapted from 1001 Ways to Reward Employees by Rob Nelson (1994).

Strategies for Encouraging Achievement

There are several primary methods a leader may utilize to recognize and reward individual achievements which contribute to success.

1. Perhaps the most powerful of these recognition strategies is the informal "pat on the back." Such tactics might include a "good job" note from the instructor.

2. Increasing the level of communication between teachers and students, as well as communication among students allows them to better identify with the institution and to work together as a team. Suggestion box programs and newsletters are strategies which improve communication.

3. When students are allowed the authority to follow-through on their original ideas and are given the room necessary to complete their assigned tasks, they take more ownership and become more committed to vision.

4. Students who establish an identity with their institution take more pride in their education, are more committed to success. Identity is often established through community building activities, such as picnics and athletics.

5. Formal recognition in the form of a specific pre-conceived award provides the student positive feedback and serves as a social reinforcer. The teacher may present this award in front of the gathered class, thus recognizing outstanding achievement and allowing the student's peers to celebrate his or her success.

6. Some rewards come not in the form of individual recognition, but rather in the form of group recognition. For instance, an instructor may specifically praise a group of students who have completed an outstanding group project.

7. Finally, when students are encouraged to work together in teams, they develop strong working relationships that allow them to learn from each other. Such teamwork may take the guise of formally assigned teams, shared class management and awards given for class achievement.

Strategies for Encouraging Individuality

1. Listening to students is essential, though often not practiced. Teachers need to always improve their listening skills, rather than assuming that their listening skills are adequate. In Peer Counseling: Skills and Perspectives, Vicent D'Andrea and Peter Salovey (1983) focus on particular attending skills which can prove invaluable to all educators.

Such skills include nonverbal and minimum verbal attending behaviors, the use of open questions, paraphrasing and summarization and working with feelings.

2. Carl Rogers (1961) states in On Becoming a Person that "Learning will be facilitated, it would seem, if the teacher is congruent. This involves the teacher's being the person that he is and being openly aware of the attitudes he holds" (p. 287). Essentially, this means that teachers are individuals to students and students are individuals to teachers.

It means the teacher believes in the fundamental and inherent worth of the student, as well as in himself or herself. The result of this approach is greater realism and depth in the relationship of student to teacher and thus, greater opportunity for significant, life-changing learning.

3. Teachers must also serve as role models. They must be comfortable with who they are and they must be willing to admit mistakes and accept new challenges. They must accept the responsibility to live in a fishbowl, not free from imperfections, but mature in their responses to them.

4. Teachers must also serve as mentors. They must encourage independence, specifically regarding decision-making and acceptance of consequences. They must be able to take students into their lives, nurture them and value them.

5. Students celebrate most often beyond the classroom. To an appropriate extent, teachers should be willing to share in this celebration. For example, a Chemistry I teacher must be willing to go to a student's piano recital when invited to do so by the student.

Likewise, educators should know students well enough to celebrate in birthdays, weddings, anniversaries and other important life events. By celebrating beyond the classroom, teachers tell students that the individual student is valuable to them, not as a necessary outcome of the teacher's efforts, but rather as an independent and whole person.

6. Finally, teachers must recognize that students learn differently. There are many models available to teachers regarding learning methodology. For instance, teachers at all levels should understand and be able to utilize Gardner's theory of multiple intellegences (1983). Knowing that students prefer to learn as individuals empowers teachers to more effectively.

Strategies for Providing Individual Growth Opportunities

1. When students are allowed increased opportunities to significantly contribute to their school and it's community, they learn self-confidence and responsibility. When they're stretched to the limits of their abilities and are taught new skills and knowledge, they expand their personal horizons. When they see their new ideas in place, they develop pride. When students are granted temporary leadership opportunities, they learn more about the skills and traits necessary for effective leadership.

2. All students have skills they consider their best and most valuable. Some people value their creativity, others their attention to detail, still others their problem solving abilities. By assigning tasks that allow them to hone these skills, teachers provide the opportunities for individual growth in areas where students are already motivated.

3. Personal growth is vital to each individual. Learning to overcome weaknesses, get along better with others, foster life-long learning, express individuality and raise children are goals that nearly all people eventually strive to achieve. Teachers often have access to the resources which can help their followers achieve their personal growth goals.

4. People like to know that they contribute to their community and that they make a difference beyond themselves. Many individuals need to know that they make a positive difference in the world by helping others. Schools can help students achieve this goal. They can host activities which allow students exposure to differing service efforts. They can teach community responsibility and allow students to satisfy their need to help others at the same time.

5. Finally, people need to have fun. They need to celebrate, to feel good about where they work and to feel good about the progress they're making towards attaining their personal goals.

Colleges can provide many opportunities for students to enjoy their work, to have fun learning and to celebrate their successes together. Policies and procedures which are dampening can be eliminated and strategies which encourage interaction and levity can be purposely planned. Teachers who believe that education should not be fun can be educated. Learning can be fun and healthy. Indeed, for the empowerment of students to occur, it must be just that.

Finally, the institution is responsible for vision. Decision makers must evaluate their mission, determine where student empowerment and encouragement fit in, plan for its development, nurture it through the rough periods, and ensure that it becomes and remains a vibrant component of the institution's educational objectives.

General Assumptions

In Rewarding and Recognizing Employees, Joan P. Klubnik (1995) presents several keys assumptions to consider in the development of an employee recognition process. These same assumptions apply equally to systems designed for higher education settings.

First, recognition, or encouragement, should be its own reward. It should be fun for the giver as well as for the receiver. It should make educators feel better about themselves. The program should be designed specifically with this end in mind. Since 93% of a message is carried by nonverbal communication (Klubnik, 1995, p. 4), it is essential that educators love what they are doing. It will certainly show if they do not.

Second, giving is a learned skill. It takes effort, knowledge, skill, and support to properly encourage learners. For many people, it is not simply a matter of being told to encourage students. It involves training and support. The institution's primary administrators must assume responsibility for empowering college employees to empower students.

Third, encouragement must be modeled at the top but coordinated at the bottom. High level administrators must agree that encouragement is part of the education process, that it is necessary, and that employees who practice it should be praised and rewarded. Coordination, however, must come from those who most often, and most significantly, interact with students. It is these individuals who know what students value, what they have achieved, and how they prefer to be encouraged.

Fourth, there must be an encouragement champion among the key administrators. There must be an individual willing to support the concepts and philosophies of encouragement, and who advocates for appropriate resources.

Fifth, encouragement is not a blanket approach. For instance, a parent of three children does not wait for each of them to excel before congratulating one of them. When a child succeeds, a parent praises him or her individually. When educators congratulate students only in groups, they imply that individuals and individual accomplishments are not important. This is not to say that group encouragement is not appropriate, only that it should not become the only, or even the primary, avenue for recognition.

Finally, and of most importance, the best approach is the simple approach. While there is a place for formal awards, it is the simple daily encouragement which is most valued. Simply saying "good job" or "thank you" is the best and most common action an educator can take. Once this practice is firmly in place, other more formal or creative strategies can be utilized to achieve even greater results. But attitude is key, and it all starts with daily encouragement.

CHAPTER THREE. Institutional Mission and Encouragement

Every institution exists for a specific purpose. While colleges and universities exist to educate students, they also meet other important needs. Exactly what those needs are is defined individually by each institution, usually in the form of a mission or vision statement, a motto or a philosophy statement.

The motto of Kansas Newman College, printed in the Kansas Newman College Catalog (1995), reads "Caritas Christi Urget Nos," or "The charity of Christ urges us." More than stating a direction for the institution, this motto sets a tone. It is charity that drives the college, charity for individuals. It represents a sense of caring and warmth.

The brief version of the mission of Kansas Newman College reads "Kansas Newman is a Catholic liberal arts college which through its educational programs empowers students to transform society by permeating it with Christian values" (Kansas Newman College Student Leadership Notebook, Fall, 1995). The empowerment of students is central to the purpose of the institution.

The more complete mission statement includes the following passage: "The College, through its curriculum and supporting environment, challenges its students to become liberally educated persons . . ." (Kansas Newman College, p. 4). Here, the term "supporting environment" is most relevant.

The philosophy statement of the college states, in part, "As a community of scholars - teachers and students in pursuit of truth -Kansas Newman College makes an ongoing contribution to the human community by fostering individual growth and development" (Kansas Newman College, p. 4).

The encouragement of students is firmly grounded in the mission and philosophy of Kansas Newman College. Indeed, as it relates to student empowerment, it is central.

Also embedded in the mission of the college is another important dimension to the empowerment issue: results. The mission and philosophy describe in detail what students should be empowered to accomplish. They describe qualities which the college values, and thus, provide qualities which should be rewarded and encouraged in our students.

Such characteristics include desire for higher education imbued with values, the development of the whole person, consideration for the disadvantaged, a serious approach to thought, the development of an interdependent global perspective, and the positive transformation of society.

CHAPTER FIVE. Institutional Student Retention and Encouragement

Colleges are in the business of education. This statement implies two specific roles. The first of these two is education. Most colleges and universities do not exist to generate profits, but exist rather to serve their communities. However, they must also stay in business. Consequently, their primary form of revenue -- tuition -- must remain a central aspect of institutional planning.

As a result, colleges are inherently concerned about students leaving before graduation. They are concerned for two reasons. First, when a student leaves a particular college, he or she is less likely to attend another. In other words, when a students drops out of one college, it is likely the student will drop out of college altogether. Second, when any student leaves a college prior to graduation, more money must be spent recruiting a student replacement. If this is not done, then the institution cannot remain financially viable.

It should be noted that educators and administrators, for the most part, agree that not all students at all times are prepared for or will benefit from higher education. Though education is viewed as a beneficial service, it is not for everyone. Some students are simply unable or unwilling to take advantage of a college education. Others face barriers that are too large for them to overcome, even with assistance from individual colleges.

However, many students leave college due to obstacles which can be overcome with assistance. It is this group of students that an encouragement process can most positively impact.

There are essentially two sets of communities college students engage in: internal and external communities. Internal communities are those which are part of the institution. Such communities would include athletics, specific academic programs, and residence halls. External communities are those which are apart from the institution. For example, families, work environments, and civic organizations. Both of these sets of communities greatly impact retention, and both are excellent targets for institutional encouragement strategies.

Internal communities serve to assist the student in developing relationships with faculty, college staff, and other students. In addition, they help the student develop an identity with the institution itself. When a college fails at these two crucial roles, student alienation results. Alienation is defined as "a sense of powerlessness, meaninglessness, and social  estrangement" (Tomlinson-Clarke, 1996, p. 60).

The effect of alienation on student retention cannot be understated. According to a studies conducted and/or reviewed by Vincent Tinto (1987), "the absence of sufficient contact with other members of the institution proves to be the single most important predictor of eventual departure, even after taking account of the independent effects of background, personality, and academic performance" (p. 64). Lee Noel and Randi Levitz (1996) list student centeredness and campus climate as two of the five areas of greatest importance to students. In addition, an institution's concern for the individual student is also listed among the top five areas of greatest satisfaction to students.

An effective encouragement process can help students form solid relationships, both with college personnel and with other students. "Good job!" or "Congratulations," can become the springboard to more meaningful conversations, leading to more lasting relationships. If students feels individually noticed and valued, then they are less likely to feel isolated from the community.

This is especially true for commuter students who do not have built-in residence hall communities to draw from. While studies show that on-campus students have higher retention rates than those living off campus (Wolfe, 1993), it is important not to discount the commuter student's interest in developing ties to the campus community.

In a study conducted by Jeanne M. Likins (1991), 65% of responding commuter students "reported a desire to feel more a part of the university community," while 69% reported that "they felt a part of the university community at the mid-point or below on the 5-point scale" (p. 71). Commuter students do want to identify more strongly with the college community, and colleges must present avenues for them to do so.

The second set of communities which impact retention are those which are external to the institution. This set is especially important for students who have families and full-time employment, or for those who live at home or off-campus (Tinto, 1987). In a review of recent studies regarding adult student retention, J. S. Swift (Naretto, 1995) found that, for adult students, external influences are the usual cause for nonpersistence.

External communities include families, friends, work environments, and other social support networks. Most often, these communities are supportive (Naretto, 1995), and can in fact compensate for poor support from the institution itself. However, for some students, family members and employers may not fully understand the value of education to the student.

They may not understand the time and energy sacrifices required to complete degree requirements. In this respect, the college is in a unique position to reinforce the value of education to members of external supportive communities.

For instance, by recognizing the time sacrifices made by a student's spouse or employer, by thanking those individuals personally, the college can help bring the student's support system more fully into the educational process. In this way, supporting those who support the student may be the college's best avenue to help the student persist.

An important selling point to college administrators is Tinto's assertion that developing a comprehensive student retention program can result in a 10% to 20% increase in the student retention rate (Tinto, 1987). Such numbers mean significantly higher revenues, and thus, greater ability to serve and educate students.

CHAPTER SIX. Status Quo and Encouragement

Before proposing a new encouragement process, it is important to first examine any current systems in place at Kansas Newman College. In a recent survey conducted by the KNC retention team, academic program and departmental directors were asked six questions regarding retention efforts at KNC. A summary of the responses is as follows:

Divisions and departments were asked to list retention strategies they have already implemented. Their strategies fell into five main categories. First, several academic programs have increased their admissions standards and expanded their selection criteria. In addition, most academic programs have become more extensively involved in the new student recruitment process.

Second, student-employee and student-student relationships have been strengthened. Utilizing such tools as advising, staff development, student employment, mentoring, and early watch programs, departments have attempted to increase the number and quality of opportunities for interaction.

Third, administrative offices have streamlined and upgraded processes to make better use of new technology. This allows students to move more quickly and efficiently through common procedures. Fourth, career assistance has been expanded. Greater time and resources have been devoted to career development skills, placement, and networking.

Finally, many departments have developed individual strategies for increasing retention. Among them are academic clubs, departmental luncheons, student recognition programs, professional conference coordination and travel, increased departmental scholarships, and departmental newsletters.

When asked how affective these programs have been, most respondents indicated significantly high retention rates in their departments. Some quantified this information, while others used only qualitative language.

Future departmental retention efforts were also outlined by each department. Most of these strategies are similar to the ones stated above, with more attention and resources devoted to implementation. Ideas for college-wide retention were also provided by the respondents.

Among them are increased faculty research opportunities, lower tuition costs, general admissions standards review, increased opportunities for student-employee interaction, improved support networks, increased campus communication, and customer-friendly scheduling. While not all of these ideas may prove to be feasible, they do represent ideas from various areas of the college community.

Finally, survey participants were asked to define potential barriers to retention efforts at Kansas Newman College. The most often cited barrier was limited resources, most notably money, personnel and facilities. Others included a general attitude of resistance to change, time, outside factors, poor or unavailable student data, departmental competition, and poorly set priorities.

Based on these survey results, it is obvious that some encouragement strategies are utilized by individuals within the college. However, what is lacking is a unified, comprehensive, and institutional approach.

CHAPTER 7: The Kansas Newman College Recognition Process Implementation Plan

This, then, is the heart of the issue. Institutions of higher education, as well as college & university students, can & should benefit from student encouragement.

This chapter details a plan for implementation of just such a formalized process at Kansas Newman College.

Sell the Process

Selling the process begins with selling the KNC Leadership Team. Their approval is key to a systematic, comprehensive process. However, once that approval is gained, the real challenge of selling the process to the KNC community begins.

Change is never easy, nor is it usually universally accepted. The best change is change that people want. When people see the value in changing & are given the time needed to adapt to the change, then the change becomes desired rather than feared.

This forms the guiding philosophy to selling the encouragement process to members of the college community. Start small. Begin with one strategy that everyone will find valuable. Start voluntary. Let people take it or leave it.

When some employees find success using the basic strategies & systems, others will wish to join. Start competent. Don't overstretch available resources or create a reputation for poor management. Start excited.

Find a few people within the institution who will champion the process & let their enthusiasm sell.

Form a Process Team

The development of ideas & the coordination of resources are the 2 essential roles of any process team. Such a team is crucial to the student encouragement effort. This team, appointed by the Leadership Team, would be composed of college employees - including faculty - who interact daily with students.

Serving on the team should be voluntary & individuals who naturally encourage students should be sought out for leadership roles. Excitement concerning the encouragement of students should be the only requirement for joining the team & the standard representation format should be avoided.

For the purposes of this practicum, such a team will be called the Student Empowerment Resource Team.

Identify KNC Students

As was discussed earlier, there are many different student sub-communities within the larger Kansas Newman College community. Table 1 illustrates the most significant of these. While this chart is a rough draft & will need to be reviewed later by the Student Empowerment Resource Team, it still provides some notion as to the variety of Newman's students.

Each of these categories represents opportunity for involvement on the part of the college. For instance, by providing free child-rearing seminars the college can assist new parents overcome a potentially large obstacle to persistence.

How involved with each of the sub-communities the institution wishes to become is a decision best left to the Student Empowerment Resource Team. In addition, in an effort to better design retention services for maximum impact, this group should also study the significance & size of each sub-community.

Finally, for many of the sub-communities, the Student Empowerment Resource Team should identify the college employees who interact most directly with each sub-community, thus ensuring that students don't fall between the cracks.

Assess Student Perceptions & Needs

Do Kansas Newman College students feel valued? Do they feel that their efforts are noticed? Do they desire recognition or praise? What do they value in their relationships with college employees? What barriers do they face in their continued education?

These are all questions which must be answered before the college can successfully implement encouragement or retention strategies. One of the Student Empowerment Resource Team's first responsibilities should be to develop & administer a student retention & encouragement survey.

Once the college better understands its students, it'll be better able to meet their needs.

Implement Process Strategies

Chapter 8 describes numerous encouragement strategies available to the college. Should these strategies be implemented? Are they affordable? Are they conducive to education, retention & mission? Are they effective? If they should be implemented, when? In what order? By whom?

These are all questions the Student Empowerment Resource Team must answer. Management must be organized & thorough.

Collect Further Retention Data

One of the primary obstacles the current KNC Retention Team faces is a significant lack of retention data. As new technologies within the college become available, the Student Empowerment Resource Team should further evaluate retention & attrition trends, as well as changes in demographics.

Assess the Encouragement Program

Each year the Student Empowerment Resource Team must assess the effectiveness of the encouragement process. Their methodology in doing so should be defined early by the team & a timeline for assessment should be developed. Assessment data should be reported to the KNC Leadership Team.

The Resource Center

Often it's inconvenient, or sometimes impossible, for a faculty or staff member to drive to a card shop & purchase a birthday card or a get well card. Likewise, finding other recognition or encouragement materials may prove difficult.

For this reason, a resource room should be established on campus, to be used by KNC employees in their efforts to recognize students.

The room would include notecards, birthday cards, get well cards, blank business cards, certificates, stress reducers, candy, coffee, construction paper, markers, a student birthday list, banner paper & inexpensive KNC items. It could be managed & funded by the Student Empowerment Resource Team.

Family Recognition

As was discussed earlier, families are crucial to students' support networks. Like employers, they can exert positive, negative, or neutral impact on a student's educational aspirations.

For the adult student, the primary family members are the spouse & children. Each of these individuals sacrifice greatly when the student continues education. They sacrifice the student's time & energy.

They find themselves with fewer financial resources than were previously available. The student's attention may become more difficult to focus on family matters.

Here, as with employers, the college is in an excellent position to assist the family empower the student; i.e., the college could send flowers or cards to spouses at appropriate times. The college could sponsor free child-rearing seminars, or it could offer more numerous weekend family activities designed to promote communication & interaction.

Free budgeting seminars could take some of the sting out of college expenses. A one-time Friday night daycare could be set up to give couples more alone time. Spouses could be invited to a dinner on campus thanking them for their contributions to education.

The college could host a family night, where spouses would be invited to attend a night class with the student. Families could be asked to put together a night class survival kit for their student (instructions provided by the college).

With traditionally aged college students, parents & siblings are the primary family members. Parents often experience sadness, apprehension & joy as they send their children to college. They often need reassurance that the student is embarking on a good journey & that the institution the student has chosen is safe, competent & appropriate.

By hosting family weekends, the college allows the family members to learn more about the college & to confront any lingering apprehensions. Care packages could be provided by family members for students.

The Good Gossip Grapevine

Small institutions are notorious for their grapevines. Negative information seems to flow like water. The good part of this rumor process is the high level of communication it generates. This same energy can easily be applied to spreading good news about students.

The Good Gossip Grapevine would be a formalized, user-friendly method for employees to share positive news about individual student accomplishments. The best explanation for this system comes in the form of a hypothetical situation.

John Smith is an English instructor, teaching Freshman Composition at Kansas Newman College. Barbara Davis is a freshman student in John's class. Near the end of the semester, Barbara sends an essay to a literary magazine & is accepted for publication.

Professor Smith, proud of his student, wishes to share this information with the rest of campus quickly. After checking first with Barbara, Smith logs onto the college's computer network, pulls up a special e-mail form (see Table 2) & then sends the completed form to all college employees on the network.

The next day, Anne Williams, a math instructor who teaches Barbara in her College Algebra class, reads the notice. In her class, she takes a minute to publicly congratulate Barbara on her accomplishment.

That same day, the college president also reads the notice & sends a special thank you card to Barbara for representing the college in such a good light.

Because the campus newspaper staff also read the notice, they contact Barbara & request an interview. The next week, Barbara's story appears as a feature article. As Barbara walks thru the halls, staff members congratulate her.

In this example, Barbara is noticed & encouraged. Her efforts are given a broader significance & she's given numerous opportunities to develop stronger ties with the college.

Obviously, there are some warnings which must accompany such a system - the same ones already mentioned repeatedly - just as there are technical problems which must be overcome. However, a Good Gossip Grapevine has enormous potential in the encouragement process.

Employee Coordination

Most KNC employees already know how to encourage students. They already understand most of the basic concepts involved. What they may need is the empowerment to follow thru with their instincts.

Some may need or desire additional training in customer service, attending skills, or communication. Others may need concrete suggestions or resources. Still others may simply need a structured environment in which student encouragement is supported in all employees.

The development of personnel in this area must be a coordinated effort, bringing together the Student Empowerment Resource Team & the college personnel department.

The Face Book

One of the problems facing KNC educators is that they may not recognize students, or may not be able to place names with faces when students are mentioned. Consequently, they're unable to congratulate or acknowledge students by name when they meet them in the halls or when they see them in the cafeteria.

Recently, the college purchased a new computer I.D. system which records & prints small identification photos. These photos could be compiled into a booklet - called a face book - which could then be printed each fall.

Photos could be tagged with student names & printed in alphabetical order. In the example mentioned above, a faculty member who heard about Barbara's published essay could quickly look in the face book, place the name with the picture & be prepared to congratulate Barbara when she next sees her.

This tool, utilized at Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas, is useful in allowing educators to approach students as individuals. When students are addressed by name by someone they've never met, they're often more willing to engage in personal interaction.

Although expensive, the face book can help greatly in the creation of a friendly, caring atmosphere.

Mentoring

Depending on their design, mentoring programs allow students to develop significant relationships with other students, faculty, staff, or alumnae. In these relationships, the mentor teaches & guides the student; the educator helps the student achieve his or her goals. Such relationships also help the student to develop a stronger support system & to become more closely identified with the institution.

Mentoring programs can come in many shapes. They can be designed to assist the student in academic advising, transition counseling, employment guidance, or social interaction. The Student Empowerment Resource Team should closely examine mentoring options & propose a model for voluntary use by KNC students. Like all programs, it should start small & expand as the demand increases.

Formal Awards Ceremonies

Many students look forward to annual awards ceremonies with high expectation.

For students who enjoy being praised publicly, few encouragement strategies are more satisfying than these ceremonies. Students currently receive awards for a host of accomplishments, including academic, co-curricular & athletic performance.

These awards are appropriate & timely. They're currently managed properly & little concern has been raised with the awards or the ceremonies.

However, other awards may warrant consideration, based on the mission of the institution; i.e., is volunteerism rewarded? How do we know when students permeate society with Christian values? Are students rewarded for demonstrating initiative in liberal arts learning?

By looking at the mission of the college, it becomes clear that certain values are held in high esteem. These values should then be rewarded in students whenever possible.

Celebrating Diversity

One major component of student encouragement which has been largely ignored by the college is that of celebrating cultural diversity.

Programs should be originated which educate students regarding individual cultures & which allow students from those cultures to share more of themselves. Specific cultural holidays should be noted by the college.

Because so much work needs to be done in this area, it would be advisable to form a cultural diversity team composed of faculty, staff & students, which would coordinate activities & which could serve as a resource to students & educators alike.

Student Empowerment Resource Team Efforts

There are several other important strategies which should be coordinated by the Student Empowerment Resource Team.

1st: they should manage an encouragement budget. Educators could then solicit the Student Empowerment Resource Team for funding for gifts, flowers, cards, banquets & awards. They could request money to send students to special academic or co-curricular conferences.

2nd: they should formally recognize those educators who participate in the encouragement process. Using T-shirts, dinners, cards, or letters of accommodation, they should reinforce the value of encouragement to KNC employees.

3rd: they should coordinate opportunities for individual growth. They should list conferences available to students, promote service trips & coordinate educational opportunities.

Finally, again, they should plan & they should sell.

CHAPTER 9: Program Administration

Budget

The amount of funding required for this project is solely dependent upon which strategies the Student Empowerment Resource Team proposes to the Leadership Team & which of these the Leadership Team approves. However, annual costs for each strategy can be approximated. Table 3 specifies estimated costs.

The total costs for the program, if each strategy were implemented at least minimally, would be $5,650. More extensive implementation could increase the total costs to $12,250.

Some of these costs could be absorbed by various departments or divisions; i.e., College Relations could pay full or partial costs for the development of the face book. Personnel could pay employee training costs.

However, most of the associated costs would need to allocated from general revenues. While there's no specific income to offset these costs, it should be noted that when combined with other retention efforts, these strategies will result in a significant increase - up to 15% - in general revenue.

Management

Like all process teams, the Student Empowerment Resource Team must have a home. A member of the Leadership Team must be assigned to oversee the efforts of the team & to advocate for team proposals. The most logical Leadership Team member to head this effort would be the Vice President for Student Affairs.

The team itself should be facilitated by the Director of Student Life. Most decisions regarding the formal encouragement process should be made by the process team itself, or by other teams or committees when appropriate.

CONCLUSION