The new Nursing Living Learning Community (LLC) at MSOE kicked off the academic year with a retreat focused on team building in Lake Geneva. Students worked on problem solving as a team by participating in races, ropes and balance challenges.

“The team building experience opened my eyes to different ways each one of us can play our part,” said Kelsey Albovias, nursing student and a resident assistant in the Nursing LLC. “Navigating different ways to work through tough problems is an important skill to have.”

At the end of the retreat, students were asked to identify their take-away in one word or phrase. Common themes included communication, team, success, perseverance, relationship building and trust. Students were able to connect in a fun way and bring these learned themes into their social and academic environments at MSOE.

“I am grateful to have had the opportunity to get to know the Nursing LLC floor better and observe the different personalities working together and celebrating success!” said Albovias.  

The Nursing LLC began in fall 2023 and includes freshman and sophomore students majoring in nursing. Located in the Grohmann Tower, the LLC is an opportunity for students to live alongside like-minded individuals and collaborate with both the School of Nursing and Residence Life to engage in academic support as well as community building programs. Students have access to a nursing faculty advisor, nursing tutoring and weekly student nights right in their residence hall. They also enjoy regularly scheduled social outings, professional development and volunteer opportunities. The goal of the program is to enhance academic success and create a greater sense of belonging for students.

“LLCs create comprehensive in- and out-of-class learning environments that offer heightened levels of student engagement with faculty, peers and their own learning,” said Dr. Amy Ketchum, School of Nursing assistant professor.

LLCs allow students to extend their learning beyond the classroom and enable the university to continue fostering the growth of the MSOE Mindset, which identifies graduates as leaders of character; responsible professionals; passionate learners; and value creators. Regarded as a high-impact educational practice, LLCs have shown demonstrated impact on student engagement, retention, graduation and personal success by integrating students into a community of like-minded learners.