Richie Gebauer, Ed.D.

Over the past almost 17 years, I served in a multitude of capacities at Cabrini University, most recently as their Assistant Dean for Retention and Student Success. I found my place in this sort of work when I served as the founding director of Cabrini University’s comprehensive first-year experience (FYE), which saw academic learning communities as the foundational piece of a student’s first year. It was these efforts at Cabrini that led to an abundance of external opportunities beyond the university, serving as a resource faculty member at the Washington Center at Evergreen State College, participating in multi-institutional research through the Center for Engaged Learning at Elon University, sitting on the editorial review boards for two journals hosted by the National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, and for several leadership positions I held within the National Learning Community Association. I will forever be in debt to Cabrini for affording me the space to participate in each of these valuable opportunities, which continuously informed my work in learning communities, FYE, and ultimately student success.