2026-2027 Faculty Research Grants

Gustavo Gregorutti (Leadership). 

Mapping Student Experiences to Multidimensional Flourishing: A Mixed-Methods Study of Senior Undergraduates and Alumni.

Higher education institutions frequently claim that they foster holistic student development, yet few studies empirically identify which specific collegiate experiences most strongly contribute to multidimensional flourishing. Drawing from the Global Flourishing Study (Harvard Univ) and multidimensional flourishing theory, this project seeks to identify and quantify the relative contribution of specific higher education experiences to growth across domains of meaning, character, relationships, leadership, well-being, and additional university-relevant domains. Using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, this study will survey senior undergraduate students and recent alumni (1–5 years post-graduation) to measure flourishing outcomes and retrospectively assess the perceived impact of specific collegiate experiences (e.g., mentoring, service-learning, spiritual life programming, research involvement, leadership roles, internships, faculty relationships). Quantitative analyses (regression modeling and relative weights analysis) will identify the strongest predictors of each flourishing domain. Follow-up qualitative interviews will deepen understanding of mechanisms linking experience and development.