For any young adult transitioning into a new flow of life, the transition to college can be scary, especially when a new student is not familiar with the area of Ashland, Ohio.  

The idea of belonging is to assure a student that no matter their background, they too can find a sense of community, even at a smaller university. Finding community promotes that feeling of belonging and can remind students that regardless of where they are from, Ashland University can be their home.  

The Center for CommUNITY and Belonging is a program that was formed by combining the Diversity and Equity Office, International Student Services and Community Service.  

The purpose of merging these three programs into one was to create a unified mission, which is to stress the importance that every individual student here is valued, welcomed and celebrated. 

Director of the Center for CommUNITY & Belonging at Ashland University Alex Hill previously served in the Office of Christian Ministry as the director of the Well Campus Ministry and became involved with the Center for CommUNITY and Belonging as it was steadily growing.  

“Really, the work that we do here is all about connection, connecting across differences,” said Hill.  

At Ashland University, many different students come here for a variety of reasons, some on academic scholarship, athletic scholarship, location and more. Because of this, students from all over the country and even the world are coming to a new place unfamiliar to them, which may bring a little bit of culture shock: “If you’re an ex-Amish, Ashland is the big city for you. If you’re coming from Cleveland, Ashland can feel like there’s nothing to do,” said Hill.  

To mitigate this culture shock, this program brings international students early to campus before move-in day to get them settled. The center also reaches out to students coming from long distances or different backgrounds and helps them find a sense of community and resources sooner.  

Ashland University can also be a student’s home away from home. Many build lifelong friendships, memories and connections here. While these things can come easy to some people, others may struggle to put themselves out there, especially if they feel as though they do not fit in.   

Administrative Assistant for the Center for CommUNITY and Belonging Mike Emerick believes that the program combats the feeling of isolation. “ 

The Center is here to create a safe space for everyone: a place where people feel like they can belong, especially those who might not feel that sense of belonging elsewhere,” said Emerick.   

One specific example of the center’s impact directly onto a student came through a collaboration with the campus ministry that created space for gospel worship.  

Hill mentioned mentoring a student of color who loved music but felt he had grown disconnected from his passion after feeling excluded by traditional worship and choir spaces here that lacked the reflection of his own culture. Through the partnership between the Center and campus ministry, the student was given his own opportunity to participate and lead in a gospel worship night, an experience that Hill described as transformative.  

“I call it a redemptive opportunity,” Hill said, explaining that this moment helped the student grasp back onto his voice and his cultural identity, bringing healing to the student. “Any wounds he was holding onto from previous experiences seemed to fade away because he had his own opportunity to celebrate his culture in this space,” said Hill.  

Although there is always more work to be done within the center due to the ongoing process of new students enrolling at Ashland every semester, this work is extremely rewarding and feels like a mission to Hill.  

Not only was his transition to the Director a career move, but a calling shaped by his own life experiences.  

“I began to see that this wasn’t just work that is good, but a work that I was made for,” said Hill. As the Center continues to evolve and grow, the central focus of fostering connection, and creating spaces where every student has the opportunity to belong remains the same.