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 COMMUNITY & COLLABORATION BY DESIGN Elliot Felix's Vision for a Connected College Written by Sonja Montiel Narrated by Elliot Felix The story of Elliot Felix began in a middle school art room filled with scraps of cardboard, the hum of creativity, and the steady encouragement of a teacher who saw possibility everywhere. As a sixth grader, Elliot took an elective course taught by Mr. Bida, an art teacher who taught his students as if they were budding architects. He pushed his students to see the structure and purpose of spaces, where others saw only shapes. Elliot remembers one assignment where they brought in board games, analyzed their underlying logic, and rebuilt them in three dimensions. On another occasion, Elliot remembers the day Mr. Bida sliced open a flower just to show the beauty of its structure inside. Of all the incredible memories Elliot had as a middle schooler, he remembers the feeling of an art room that was more like a clubhouse. A place where curiosity was a shared language, and everyone exercised the freedom to explore. Elliot likes to say his work today as a student success author, speaker, and consultant, is really about helping students find the place, their people, and their path. Over the years he’s worked with more than a hundred colleges and universities, nudging a million students toward success by reshaping the environments around them. Whether it’s the spaces they live in, the services that support them , or the technology that connects them, the foundation for all of Elliot’s work was planted when he was a young student himself. During his college days at the University of Virginia, Elliot experienced the same spirit of curiosity and exploration as part of the architecture program. The program was designed to nurture a tight-knit community with opportunities to work side-by-side in the studio, visit real sites, and learn from professors who practiced what they taught. It wasn’t until after college that something shifted. When Elliot began working for an architecture firm, he realized that architects were often asked to solve problems that weren’t fully defined, or worse, problems that miss the point entirely. Architects were proposing solutions before truly understanding the culture, curriculum, and campus. He saw inspiring buildings being placed in the wrong locations and designs for today that missed opportunities to rethink how people live, learn, and work. He knew what was missing: conversations to understand the people and the purpose behind the spaces. That realization sent Elliot to graduate school at MIT, where the focus of his work moved from buildings to the people inside them. He also served in student government, surveying peers, hosting town halls, benchmarking other departments, and proposing changes that improved life for entire cohorts on campus in work that foreshadowed the consulting work he's done since. They reorganized the academic schedule, doubled TA pay, and better supported and celebrated thesis projects. By blending human-centered design with opportunities to reshape policies and places, Elliot gained the proof he needed that meaningful change happens when a community designs solutions together.  Through Elliot’s work as a consultant, he has seen that most people in higher education are deeply committed, hardworking, and student-focused. “The challenge is rarely a lack of passion or good ideas. It’s the weight of structure and tradition, or the systems built long ago that shape habits without anyone realizing it. If I can help clear those pathways to help colleges and universities improve what they offer, how they operate, and the way they are organized, then my work can make a real difference for students and society.” That belief eventually led to his book, The Connected College. He wrote it to reach more people within and beyond the profession of architecture. To offer a playbook grounded in evidence, example, and lived experiences, Elliot knew he could ignite curiosity that would help learning institutions imagine something better for their students. At the heart of the book are five essential connections that must be considered in design: Connection to Community (Belonging) Connection to Holistic Support Connection between Courses and Careers Connection Through Internal Collaboration Connection Through External Partnerships Elliot believes these connections can be seen in the focus of a strategic plan, the design of a first-year experience, the structure of a student services hub, and even the interface of a next-generation digital portal. To invest in a thoughtful process of design will lead to success measured by not only stronger retention and graduation rates, but also in how students take initiative, explore identities, and work on projects that stretch them and their peers. When he reflects on the future of higher education, he returns to a sentiment reminiscent of Churchill's idea that democracy is the worst system of government – except for all the others: “Higher education may be imperfect but it remains the best system we have to help people discover opportunity, purpose, community, and identity. If colleges and universities can rise to the challenge to become more affordable, supportive, and career-ready, then the future will be bright.” What excites Elliot most is the idea of applying design thinking not just to solve problems for people but as a way for students to find their paths. Seen this way, every experience – from the class project to the club activity to the internship – is a way for students to prototype their future. College becomes a kind of sandbox where students can explore before committing, play before defining, and ask questions before choosing a path. It’s no wonder his favorite line from the Kirkus review of his book highlights his optimism: “The author’s enthusiasm for his subject is evident throughout, making it easy for readers to believe it’s possible to overcome institutional inertia for the benefit of everyone – especially the students.” In many ways, The Connected College is a tribute to the belief that he inherited from a middle school teacher who turned an art room into a world of possibility. May this be a reminder that when we design environments with intention and heart, learning becomes a place where students discover who they are meant to be. ∎
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