{"682194":{"#nid":"682194","#data":{"type":"news","title":"A Nine-Year Journey to a Third Degree","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECaitlyn Wine has spent most of her career on college campuses, much of it in student center spaces. As the associate director of Campus Reservations and Event Services for \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.studentcenter.gatech.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EStudent and Campus Event Centers\u003C\/a\u003E, she manages event spaces for much of the Georgia Tech campus, including the 232,350 square feet of space in Georgia Tech\u2019s John Lewis Student Center and surrounding buildings.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlong the way, she wondered about the data and strategy behind building these spaces for students. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI\u2019ve worked in both recreation and student centers, and we are always changing the spaces,\u201d she said. \u201cStudent centers have long been viewed as the heart of campus life where students gather, connect, and build community. I noticed a gap in the research. While these spaces are often redesigned or repurposed, there wasn\u2019t much data showing how those physical changes affect students\u2019 sense of community. Given the resources institutions invest in these spaces, I wanted to take a data-informed approach to explore that connection through a quantitative lens.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat idea came to her nine years ago while working at the University of Georgia. Since then, she\u2019s changed jobs, changed universities, gotten married, and had two children. Now, she has successfully defended her dissertation and is graduating with a Doctor of Education degree from Georgia Southern University.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo fund her education, she used the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/benefits.hr.gatech.edu\/tap\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ETuition Assistance Program\u003C\/a\u003E (TAP), which is available to full-time, benefits-eligible employees within the University System of Georgia. \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cAt the time I applied, I had some free time, and TAP is money on the table,\u201d she said. \u201cMost of the people I worked with had a Ph.D. or Ed.D. degree, so that felt like the path I should take.\u201d \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe program was primarily online the first few years, followed by monthly visits to the Statesboro campus for two and a half years. During the Covid-19 pandemic, as circumstances and job duties changed on an almost weekly basis, her research stalled; not only were some campus spaces closed, but Wine lacked the time and energy to devote to the work.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cYou have to make it a priority,\u201d she said. When she picked back up, she carved out weekly time to write. Five years later, she is proudly completing the program.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBuilding Belonging\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWine worked with the Association of College Unions International to administer a nationwide survey about student centers and how they contribute to building a sense of community for students. She found that time spent in the space does not necessarily correlate with a feeling of belonging. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe biggest finding was that those without a sense of community are looking for it at the student center,\u201d Wine said. \u201cSo we have to be intentional about space design and the programs and activities we are putting on. Students are looking for more than a place to sit, they\u2019re looking for a place to belong.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWine applies her findings to her work in designing programming and spaces. She looks at data such as space utilization to evaluate whether the spaces are being used to benefit the most students, and if not, how they could be changed. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI developed a passion for data analytics through this program,\u201d she said. \u201cI always appreciated qualitative data, but am now very passionate about quantitative as well.\u201d \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u2018Just Do It\u2019\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor those thinking of continuing their education and who have access to the TAP\/STRAP programs, she says, just do it.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt\u2019s such a great and underutilized resource. You have so many options. It doesn\u2019t have to be at the institution you work at, but you should make sure it is covered,\u201d she said. As a people manager, she encourages those who report to her to consider it and encourages other managers on campus to support those who want to pursue education through the program. She also suggests being realistic about the time commitment and planning to have a conversation with your supervisor and family. \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWine holds a bachelor\u2019s degree in social work from Central Michigan University and a master\u2019s in educational leadership from Florida Atlantic University. She\u2019ll celebrate her third degree at Georgia Southern\u2019s Commencement in Statesboro next week with her parents, sister, husband, and children.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"full_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ECaitlyn Wine has successfully defended her dissertation and is graduating with a Doctor of Education degree from Georgia Southern University.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Caitlyn Wine has successfully defended her dissertation and is graduating with a Doctor of Education degree from Georgia Southern University. "}],"uid":"27469","created_gmt":"2025-05-09 14:40:14","changed_gmt":"2025-05-09 15:08:03","author":"Kristen Bailey","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-05-09T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2025-05-09T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"677025":{"id":"677025","type":"image","title":"Caitlyn Wine outside the John Lewis Student Center","body":"\u003Cp\u003ECaitlyn Wine outside the John Lewis Student Center. Photo by Joya Chapman\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1746198859","gmt_created":"2025-05-02 15:14:19","changed":"1746198859","gmt_changed":"2025-05-02 15:14:19","alt":"Caitlyn Wine outside the John Lewis Student Center","file":{"fid":"260885","name":"DSC_0579-web.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/05\/02\/DSC_0579-web.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/05\/02\/DSC_0579-web.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1428820,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/05\/02\/DSC_0579-web.jpg?itok=fAl-EbG0"}},"677026":{"id":"677026","type":"image","title":"Caitlyn Wine outside the John Lewis Student Center","body":"\u003Cp\u003ECaitlyn Wine outside the John Lewis Student Center. Photo by Joya Chapman\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1746198894","gmt_created":"2025-05-02 15:14:54","changed":"1746198894","gmt_changed":"2025-05-02 15:14:54","alt":"Caitlyn Wine outside the John Lewis Student Center","file":{"fid":"260886","name":"DSC_1720-web.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/05\/02\/DSC_1720-web.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/05\/02\/DSC_1720-web.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1441000,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/05\/02\/DSC_1720-web.jpg?itok=rBuVP-Qt"}},"677024":{"id":"677024","type":"image","title":"Caitlyn Wine with her program cohort in 2019","body":"\u003Cp\u003ECaitlyn Wine with her program cohort in 2019\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1746198787","gmt_created":"2025-05-02 15:13:07","changed":"1746198787","gmt_changed":"2025-05-02 15:13:07","alt":"Caitlyn Wine with her program cohort in 2019","file":{"fid":"260884","name":"EDLD-9535-Sp19-3.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/05\/02\/EDLD-9535-Sp19-3.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/05\/02\/EDLD-9535-Sp19-3.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":4457345,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/05\/02\/EDLD-9535-Sp19-3.jpg?itok=CNNSWSlr"}}},"media_ids":["677025","677026","677024"],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:kristen.bailey@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EKristen Bailey\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}