Innovative Program at Unity College Wins Two Awards

Unity, Maine – December, 2008 – An innovative program at Unity College has been recognized as among the very best in Maine, winning both the Maine Association of Student Affairs Practitioners and NASPA Program of the Year Awards.

The Dean’s Cup program, a comprehensive community-building approach created by the Office of Student Affairs at Unity College, is being hailed as a “what’s next” template for re-framing residential life at Maine institutions of higher education and beyond.

The brainchild of Dean for Student Affairs Gary Zane and Director of Residence Life / Assistant Director for Student Affairs Stephen Nason, the Dean’s Cup program rallies the entire College community around a series of events that take place throughout the academic year. A key aspect that makes this program different is that the Dean’s Cup adds the element of competition tied to key values of the College, with multiple events and team strategy keeping all segments of the College community engaged throughout the year instead of only for select, often unconnected events.

Every Unity College student is a member of a Dean’s Cup team. Therein lies the difference.

“The Dean’s Cup is a comprehensive student affairs approach to fostering a focused, supportive, engaged and positive campus community throughout the year,” noted Nason. “This program ensures that no student is able to fall through the cracks and be unconnected to our campus community, which is one of the biggest contributing factors to students leaving before they have earned their degree. Sometimes the social factors of campus life can be just as important for overall academic success as what goes on inside the classroom.”

Just as some college athletes express their feeling that being part of a team makes their connection to the college experience stronger, so does the Dean’s Cup take a page from the team concept by ensuring that every student is an important member of a team.

The Dean’s Cup program engages Unity College students in ways that allow them to be creative and competitive throughout the year. Nason says that being competitive can be a positive element of the student experience if done correctly.

“So far, this program has exceeded our expectations for success,” Nason said. “I’m amazed at how we gave each student a Dean’s Cup shirt with their specific team color, and they wear it all the time. The shirt design is based on the new compass logo, which is a creed for our students based on integrity, respect, community and environment.”

All Dean’s Cup events focus on one or more of the values expressed on the compass logo, with points given out for each competition throughout the year. One team will ascend to win the Dean’s Cup and have their name forever immortalized on the trophy.

The Dean’s Cup began on Opening Weekend with a softball tournament, a parade of flags where each team had to create their own flag, a scavenger hunt, and ended with a karaoke night.
Early on Nason and Zane saw signs of the program’s success.

“I couldn’t believe that 75 students willingly got up on a Sunday morning at 8 a.m. to play softball,” said Nason. “Right then I knew we were on to something.”

There have been 19 Dean’s Cup events during the fall semester with more planned for spring semester, each consisting of a different theme, core value and objective.

“Because the Dean’s Cup activities cover the gamut from athletics to art, every student has the opportunity to shine at some point and feel they are making a valuable contribution,” noted Nason.

Unity College is a small private college in rural Maine that provides dedicated, engaged students with a liberal arts education which emphasizes the environment and natural resources. Unity College graduates are prepared to be environmental stewards, effective leaders, and responsible citizens through active learning experiences within a supportive community.