Students tell trustees to keep investing in peer support and community‑engaged learning

Three students addressed the Board of Trustees to describe how peer programs and community‑engaged learning supported their success and to urge continued investment in those initiatives.

Cole Hovind, a junior majoring in business administration and a first‑generation commuter from Kingsport, said peer mentoring through the Bigs program was the reason he persisted at ETSU and highlighted recent growth in the program: “To be on the other end and be an intern and see we had over a 100 students apply to be a big this year. That’s a huge change,” he told trustees.

Anna Tate, a December graduate who will return for a master’s in social work and who works at the Center for Academic Achievement, said peer coaching and supplemental instruction help students build self‑advocacy and confidence. Hannah (student introduced by the CFAA presentation) described how one‑on‑one academic coaching connected students to resources and peers.

Hunter Mahaffey, a rising senior in media and communications, described ETSU’s community‑engaged learning program, citing field work after Hurricane Helene and the multimedia innovation lab Overlooked in Appalachia: “If we left, we come back. It’s after the buzz is gone, we’re still here,” he said, urging trustees to sustain support for courses and programs that connect students with regional communities.

Michelle Berg, senior vice president for student partners, introduced the panel and noted increased participation in First Year Experience courses and retention benefits tied to these programs. Trustees thanked the students and echoed a student‑first framing for future decisions.

What happens next: Trustees heard the students’ requests and were reminded that several of the programs discussed are already part of the university’s retention strategy; trustees directed staff to continue integrating metrics from these programs into future reports.