Kean Launches New Office of Belonging and Community Engagement

By: Hajar Lababidi | Publish Date: March 20th, 2026

Kean University has launched its new Office of Belonging and Community Engagement, an initiative designed to strengthen student connection, academic persistence, and campus-wide support. 

On Thursday, February 12, Senior Vice President of Student Success Katherine Gallagher cut the ribbon to signal the new launching of the office. The office opened with “Matcha Our Energy,” a well‑attended celebration featuring a lively social atmosphere and a decorated matcha bar for attendees. 

The Office of Belonging and Community Engagement, located in Townsend Hall Room 107, was developed under the Division of Student Success and Retention, aligning with Kean’s institutional core values: social connection, financial literacy, spiritual safety, intellectual curiosity, and environmental support. Associate Director Erin Lester explained that the office emerged from university‑wide planning efforts involving faculty, staff, and students. 

“We have developed the Office of Belonging and Community Engagement out of the Division of Student Success and Retention,” she said. “All of the staff, faculty, and even some student participants here guide what those definitions mean to our campus.” 

Lester emphasized that the office is rooted in the idea that students cannot succeed academically if they do not feel they belong. Drawing on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, she explained that belonging is foundational to student development. 

“Love and belonging is a core value… so when we think about the student life cycle, love and belonging needs to be achieved,” she said. “We need to create another space that’s not necessarily course‑associated to fill in that gap for a lot of our students.” 

The office is designed to support students who are thriving and want to contribute to campus life, as well as those who may be struggling academically, socially, or professionally. This is especially valuable as Kean continues to expand its commuter population. 

The office has already begun rolling out a full calendar of programs. According to the Cougar Link events page, March includes daily programming Monday through Thursday, ranging from academic support to leadership development. 

One of the office’s most experimental programs this semester is the Study With Me series, which targets courses with historically high failure rates. Events listed on Cougar Link include sessions for MATH*1000 and MATH*1054, held in partnership with faculty to help students navigate challenging coursework. 

“One of the reasons that people most leave college, not just Kean, but college in general, is that they might fail classes,” Lester said. “And so [these sessions are] if you feel as though, oh, well, [if] I’m not passing the classes, then I don’t belong here. Because ultimately, this is a place that we want everybody to belong [at]. And so we want to make sure that it’s both academically rigorous, but we also provide study support for people.” 

Upcoming events include the Kean Women in Leadership Panel, as well as the return of the Real Talk Conference, which brings speakers and facilitators to campus for conversations around identity, diversity, and student development. 

Since joining the university, Lester has helped onboard more than 200 multicultural vendors, expanding the diversity of speakers, services, and cultural experiences available to students. This includes everything from the matcha bar featured at the office’s opening to a Spanish‑language financial literacy workshop designed specifically for Spanish‑speaking students. 

“When we think about having different kinds of people come to the university, we are hoping that we are reflective of the demographics that we serve,” she said. 

The office’s mission is closely tied to Kean’s broader push toward academic rigor, especially following the university’s recent R2 research designation and the NJCU merger. Lester noted that these milestones place new pressures on students, faculty, and staff, making support structures more important than ever. 

“In our response to our community, we want to build support,” she said. The office aims to help students navigate academic challenges, professional development, and social connection as part of a holistic student experience. 

In light of recent pushback from the federal government on canceling or rebranding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives, the Office of Belonging comes as a welcome addition to help students feel more welcome. However, it may be a long time before it can make up for the loss of the the DEI Office. The DEI office, documented in Kean’s 2021 accreditation materials, focused on ethics, integrity, and institutional equity initiatives, such as coordinating cultural celebrations such as Lavender Graduation and African Heritage Graduation. 

“I wouldn’t say that it’s a continuation of the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion,” Lester said. “The Office of Belonging is more so a new development. We have different initiatives, different mission, different vision,” she said. “There might be some synergy… but I wouldn’t say that it’s a continuation.” 

Still, some identity‑based celebrations may continue through other offices, such as the upcoming First‑Generation Graduation, led by the Office of Student Success, Retention, and Educational Innovation.