Scaling Relationship-Rich Education

How to create a college culture where all students develop the relationships they need to succeed and thrive. Human relationships are foundational to student learning, well-being, and success in higher education. If every student is to benefit from a relationship-rich education, colleges and universities must intentionally build cultures where connection, trust, and care are woven into everyday practices and policies by leadership at every level. At a time of unprecedented change and unrelenting crises, Scaling Relationship-Rich Education offers a hopeful vision for renewing the educational mission by recentering on the importance of human connections in college. Building on their books Relationship-Rich Education and Connections are Everything, Peter Felten, Leo M. Lambert, Isis Artze-Vega, Daniel Bergen, Bryan Dewsbury, and Sarah Hansen move beyond individual practice to explore systemic and durable change that supports student success at a wide range of institutions. The authors examine how diverse campuses are creating environments where students, faculty, and staff can thrive together. They show how institutional change takes root through shared leadership, investment in relational teaching, and systems that reward collaboration and belonging rather than isolated effort. Filled with practical examples and evidence-informed strategies, this book demonstrates that relationship-rich education can flourish at institutions of every size and mission. Scaling Relationship-Rich Education invites everyone working at a college or university-faculty, staff, student affairs professionals, senior administrators, and more-to reimagine and to create cultures where meaningful relationships are not exceptional experiences but an essential part of every student's education.