Student Involvement in eSports and Clubs Help Students Feel Connected

Broadening the Student Experience

Healthcare administration students.

Earlier this year, ECPI University announced it would become the first school in Southeastern Virginia to field an intercollegiate eSports team. Competing as the Rams, the squad is well into its inaugural season and drawing rave reviews. “We have never seen the excitement and buzz around a student-based club or activity the way we have with the formation of a varsity eSports program,” says Athletic Director Mike Glover. “Although it’s still very early, we have already seen academic performance improve for those students who are involved. Being part of this program has become the driving force for academic success for some, and good motivation for the rest.”

For students who may not want to commit to the rigorous practice schedule of an intercollegiate sport, ECPI University also has a wide variety of clubs, many of which allow students to reinforce what they are learning in the classroom. Take the NOOB CR3W at the Virginia Beach campus, for instance. This club meets after class and practices a variety of hacking techniques, while also helping one another hone their skills in Linux.

NOOB CR3W is one of many clubs on campus and often competes in hackathons, often placing among the top performers. “ECPI University does an excellent job of providing platforms for our students to succeed in student-driven clubs, says Virginia Beach Campus Computer and Information Science Program Director Scott Gibson. “Being so involved in academic and club activities, they truly get engaged in their degree programs which leads to very high success and graduation rates.”

“Being so involved in academic and club activities, they truly get engaged in their degree programs which leads to very high success and graduation rates.”

~Scott Gibson, CIS Program Director

  Virginia Beach Campus

Next door at the health science campus, the Healthcare Administration Association has teamed up with the non-profit Senior Advocate to create the Senior Advocate Lifelong Learning Institute. Once a month, Healthcare Administration students deliver a presentation on subjects that range from social media and technology to safety and filling out forms for benefits. This is just the latest outgrowth of a long-term relationship between the campus and this community organization.

[Tweet ““They attend ‘lunch and learns’ and visit long-term care facilities, assisted living communities, funeral homes, and psych centers. This creates networking opportunities and also allows them to see healthcare administrators at work.”]

“The Senior Advocate Network Group has been an important resource for HCA students since the program launched in 2010,” says Dr. Dawn Campbell, Virginia Beach Campus Healthcare Administration Program Director. “They attend ‘lunch and learns’ and visit long-term care facilities, assisted living communities, funeral homes, and psych centers. This creates networking opportunities and also allows them to see healthcare administrators at work. Networking closely with community providers reinforces lessons learned in the classroom, and the presentations and volunteerism create real-world experiences for the students.”