Have you ever wondered if you truly belong to a group or a community? There’s something you should know. Belonging uncertainty is normal, especially in college. To belong is to feel a deep connection to the people and groups around us. It’s hard to achieve when we live busy lives, feel like others don’t accept us, or when we find things to be unfair or biased. At 麻豆传媒在线, we want to learn about all barriers you might face to a fuller sense of belonging. Research shows that belonging leads to greater confidence, persistence and success in education, and that’s exactly what we want for all students.

So If you are asked to complete our Belonging Survey, we hope you will say YES!

Who gets surveyed?

About 3,000 students will be surveyed randomly based on the classes they are attending. You might be asked to do the survey in class or by email If you get chosen, we will ask questions about support from your peers and faculty, your work and activities, academic goals and other factors in student success. Read the agreement form carefully. If you don’t want to do the survey, you can just say, no thanks. Professors are not permitted to offer grade incentives for participation or penalties for non-participation.

What difference does it make?

Belonging makes a big difference. A strong sense of belonging is connected to many positive outcomes in college like academic performance, persistence, and timely graduation. But we know you can’t do it all by yourself. It’s our role to provide an equitable and inclusive experience that enables all students to accomplish their goals.

The Raffle

All students that complete the survey have an equal chance to win a gift card. Winners will be announced near the end of the Spring 2024 semester. Further details are explained on the agreement form.

Contact Us

This project has been approved by 麻豆传媒在线’s Institutional Review Board (IRB study #22-23-2896). For any questions or to report a problem, email Dr. Christopher Donoghue, Professor of Sociology.

Visit to get your free ticket!
The full schedule can be found at

Email us at research-analysis@montclair.edu and follow our social media on , , and !

Designed to meet the growing need for professionals in the field of customer experience (CX) and user experience (UX), the 13.5-credit, five-course program builds student expertise in understanding the needs of customers and the users of technological devices and services. The flexible, short-term online certificate provides an accelerated path to develop this highly specialized skill set.

鈥淭he program is very empowering because it trains students to listen and respond effectively to customer needs, and to help their organizations improve the products and services we use every day,鈥� says Christopher Donoghue, associate professor and graduate program coordinator of the certificate.

In just 10 months, new students can gain the technical skills and software competencies needed to carry out customer surveys, focus groups and usability tests. They can also use the credits they acquire toward the Master of Arts in Social Research and Analysis.

Individuals with bachelor鈥檚 degrees in fields such as sociology, psychology and anthropology are highly valued in this industry because of their interest in people and human behavior. Those with specialized skills in business, computer science and mathematics also possess advantages. The certificate in Customer Experience and User Experience Research gives them a clear advantage in this field, especially because there are so few other opportunities like it.

鈥淐ompetitors in the job market with training in both customer and user experience are sometimes called 鈥榰nicorns鈥� because they can fill a job opening with a multifaceted skill set. UX researchers are more valuable when they understand survey methods, as are CX researchers when they understand what goes into the testing of an app,鈥� explains Donoghue.

The new program joins 麻豆传媒在线鈥檚 growing number of online certificates that can be paired with the MA in Social Research and Analysis, such as Data Collection and Management, and Business Analytics.

All of these programs are now accepting applications.

For more information on 麻豆传媒在线鈥檚 online graduate programs, visit montclair.edu/online.

The ceremony for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences was one of 18 planned small ceremonies for June 7 through June 13 for a Class of 2021 remarkable for its resilience and perseverance during the pandemic.

Lavone and Tiiera Broxton earned degrees in Sociology, and now their home in Newark, New Jersey, is brimming with Red Hawk pride: Lavone鈥檚 spouse and Tiiera鈥檚 mother, Rhonda Robinson-Broxton, earned two graduate degrees from 麻豆传媒在线, a Master of Arts in Teaching in 2013 and a Master of Education in 2019.

Two older daughters, Siiera and Kiiera, hold master鈥檚 degrees and Kiiera is currently a doctoral candidate at Columbia University.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want to be the only person in a family who didn鈥檛 go to school,鈥� Lavone says.

Lavone Broxton is the associate director of Postal and Warehouse Services at 麻豆传媒在线 and took advantage of the University鈥檚 employee tuition waiver program to finish up what he originally started in 2007.

鈥淥nce I saw that I could have the opportunity to graduate at the same time as Tiiera, that was the push that inspired me,鈥� he says.

They鈥檙e not done yet. In the fall, Lavone will begin graduate work in 麻豆传媒在线鈥檚 new聽Master of Arts in Higher Education聽program, and Tiiera will begin a master鈥檚 program in social work at Rutgers University.

Asked about her father鈥檚 achievement, Tiiera, who worked on campus in a student position in fire safety, says her dad is 鈥渁 walking example that age is nothing but a number and you can achieve any goal you put your mind to.鈥�

Story by Staff Writer聽Marilyn Joyce Lehren

Photo Galleries:聽See the and check back as more photos are added.

Join this career building event for Undergraduates, Graduates, Alumni and others on Zoom on Monday April 19 and Wednesday April 21, 2021. Sessions are held throughout the day, allowing participants to come and go on their own schedule.

The Conference
The program includes sessions with Tamour Kousha (CFO of Liberty Science Center), Annalee Kelly (Director of Survey Research at Mathematica) and Hannah Soar (VP of Strategic Growth at Kantar Research).

Other speakers include professionals in Public Policy, Education & Human Services, Social Services and Market Research. Alumni & current students in professional settings from the Master鈥檚 in Social Research & Analysis will also offer career advice.

Undergraduates will have the opportunity to pair up with graduate student mentors. All students will be invited to an informal gathering after the event.

A full program of sessions and events will be available on the Creating Spaces website in early April.

For more information, email聽research-analysis@montclair.edu听补苍诲 follow our social media on聽,,听补苍诲!

These two graduate programs trains students to harness the power of data to improve programs, change social policies, market a product, execute an advertising campaign and inform business decision making. Read more about them on our Graduate Programs Page.

Or visit our Meet Our Students page to read their bios or ask them about their experiences.