Caitlyn 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 Student and Campus Event Centers, she manages event spaces for much of the Georgia Tech campus, including the 232,350 square feet of space in Georgia Tech’s John Lewis Student Center and surrounding buildings. 

Along the way, she wondered about the data and strategy behind building these spaces for students.  

“I’ve worked in both recreation and student centers, and we are always changing the spaces,” she said. “Student 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’t much data showing how those physical changes affect students’ 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.” 

That idea came to her nine years ago while working at the University of Georgia. Since then, she’s 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. 

To fund her education, she used the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), which is available to full-time, benefits-eligible employees within the University System of Georgia.   

“At the time I applied, I had some free time, and TAP is money on the table,” she said. “Most of the people I worked with had a Ph.D. or Ed.D. degree, so that felt like the path I should take.”  

The 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. 

“You have to make it a priority,” she said. When she picked back up, she carved out weekly time to write. Five years later, she is proudly completing the program. 

Building Belonging 

Wine 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.  

“The biggest finding was that those without a sense of community are looking for it at the student center,” Wine said. “So 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’re looking for a place to belong.”  

Wine 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.  

“I developed a passion for data analytics through this program,” she said. “I always appreciated qualitative data, but am now very passionate about quantitative as well.”  

‘Just Do It’ 

For those thinking of continuing their education and who have access to the TAP/STRAP programs, she says, just do it. 

“It’s such a great and underutilized resource. You have so many options. It doesn’t have to be at the institution you work at, but you should make sure it is covered,” 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.   

Wine holds a bachelor’s degree in social work from Central Michigan University and a master’s in educational leadership from Florida Atlantic University. She’ll celebrate her third degree at Georgia Southern’s Commencement in Statesboro next week with her parents, sister, husband, and children.