Aaron Kuecker has witnessed a palpable shift in how students have changed during his 16 years at Trinity Christian College. Since becoming the permanent president last year, the former dean, professor and provost of the Illinois-based liberal arts school has been talking about some of the pain points that everyone involved in higher education—from policymakers to students—is currently concerned with: affordability, student well-being and career preparation.
“So much feels different, from the polarization of the world to our awareness of all the social challenges and opportunities available,” President Kuecker says. “As an institution rooted in the Christian tradition, we see vocation as a key aspect to prepare our students.”
In his nearly two decades of higher education leadership across Trinity Christian and Texas’ LeTourneau University, Kuecker has learned to manage change by focusing on the students he serves. He often asks himself what this generation needs to be well—physically, academically, emotionally, socially, spiritually, financially and professionally. This philosophy has stood for his North Star as he oversaw the launch of one of higher education’s most unique initiatives in fall 2022, when he was just an interim president.
Thanks to Wellness Wednesdays, the college now operates on a four-day course schedule, providing students a dedicated weekday to prioritize their mental health, catch up on their studies and network with employers and nonprofits in the Chicago region.
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“So much of the conversation in higher education right now is about scarcity. There are not enough students, there’s not enough money, there’s not enough endowment,” he says. “Well, what if there is enough?”
This “gift of time,” as Kuecker describes it, has so far reaped some “incredible” results, he adds. After one year of implementing Wellness Wednesdays, student use of mental health resources has dropped by almost half, the number of students on academic probation has decreased by 60%, and the number of students with unpaid balances fell from 135 to below 10.
Increased student support
A key component of not scheduling classes on Wednesdays is to give students a taste of what real life is like, Kuecker contends. But while classes—and even the athletics department—are closed, campus services are still widely available, encouraging students to take notice of the infrastructure they have around them to thrive. “We’re a small campus and a hallmark of our educational approach at Trinity Christian is interpersonal relational work,” he says.
“Those Wednesdays not only give our faculty a day to not be in the classroom, but they also give them an extended opportunity to meet with and support students.”
The four-day block has even created efficiencies in administrative class scheduling, simplifying Monday and Thursday, and Tuesday and Friday blocks.
Experiential learning and workforce development
Trinity Christian’s proximity to the broader Chicago community, combined with the added time students have during the week, has allowed the institution to expand its experiential learning and internship opportunities with employers and nonprofits. The Earn Network & Learn initiative builds students’ professional networks while reducing tuition costs—students enrolled in specific employer co-pay opportunities can see up to $6,000 in tuition discounts.
“They’re using the gift of that time to connect to our local business and nonprofit partners that are eager for those hiring pipelines and who are willing to pay for their tuition grants in some cases,” Kuecker says. “It’s a very efficient way to give them hands-on learning, but it’s also reducing their debt load.”
Hear more about Kuecker’s philosophy on Earn Network & Learn here:
Whether through employer-funded co-pay programs or donor-funded student vouchers, Kuecker hopes Trinity’s collaborative spirit helps its Chicago partners reframe who the onus of education should fall on.
“If we think about the triangle relationship between a student, university and employer, most of the economic risk falls on students. What if employers step forward and get access to training students in hiring pipelines and pay those students for the internship work that they’re doing? Then we can start to shift that economic flow a little bit.”
