CONNECTIONS ARE EVERYTHING BOOK CLUB

About the P3's Connections Are Everything Book Club (Spring 2026 Course)

The research is clear that positive relationships in college contribute to students' success, sense of belonging, and personal well-being. They do this in part by providing students with a support system of friends, advisors, and mentors who enhance the college experience in a variety of ways - including academic, emotional, and practical. Students with strong relationships also experience more joy and less stress in their daily lives. 

Still, many students struggle to make connections with peers, faculty, and staff during their college years. This course offers undergraduate students the opportunity to assess their existing connections, reflect on how to grow or deepen their web of relationships, and provides concrete strategies for developing relational skills that will serve them well in their college years and beyond. The sole text for this 1-credit course is Connections are Everything by Peter Felten, Leo M. Lambert, Isis Artze-Vega, and Oscar R. Miranda Tapia.

This title is available FOR FREE in a digital format via Rutgers Libraries and Project Muse. Students will spend class meeting times 1) discussing the content of the book; 2) actively exploring and implementing some of the book’s strategies; and 3) engaging with guest speakers from the Rutgers-Newark community who will share how relational or interpersonal work features in their lives and campus roles.

This course meets on:

• Wednesday, March 11, 2:30 PM - 3:50 PM (free period) on Part 1 of Connections are Everything

• Wednesday, March 25, 2:30 PM - 3:50 PM (free period) on Part 2 of Connections are Everything

• Wednesday, April 8, 2:30 PM - 3:50 PM (free period) on Part 3 of Connections are Everything

• Optional: Tuesday 4/21/26, Small Group Meeting and Welcome Reception for author, Peter Felten (In-Person, Time & Location TBA) 

• Wednesday, April 22: Anchoring Higher Ed Conference (All Day, In-Person @ PRCC)

  • Students should plan to attend some part of the AHE Conference, preferably Peter Felten’s keynote address from 11:00 AM - Noon. Students are also welcome to stay for lunch immediately after the keynote (Noon - 1:00 PM). 

  • All students are required to attend part of the AHE Conference, and an attendance sign-in sheet will be available at the Registration Desk.

Note: This course is especially beneficial for First-Year, First-Generation, and/or New Transfer Students.

Space is limited! Interested students should email cc1819@rutgers.edu to request a SPN.

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