Food is the glue that holds society together. It connects those from differing cultures and backgrounds. Interacting over a shared cooking experience allows students to stay engaged and initiates interactions with people outside of their majors and friend circles. Din Din with Linden, in partnership with the Second-Year Transformational Experience Program, at Ohio State University does just that.

Din Din with Linden is a program initiated by Dr. Dan Linden at the Ohio State ATI/Wooster campus of the Ohio State University. It began as a way to increase student engagement and retention by giving a format for students to interact with faculty and staff outside of the classroom in a semi-structured environment. Many students are nervous to ask questions in the classroom; however, a low-stress non-classroom space is perfect for fostering deeper bonds and emotional attachments for all involved.

Since the initial event, student engagement has grown from a dozen students to over 100 in the second year. This is nearly 20% of the total campus being involved. Many involved students have said this activity has introduced them to many students that they would not have otherwise known and working around faculty and staff has given them a new appreciation for them as not just another name on a syllabus. Since this is the second year of the program, it is unclear the long-term effect on student retention. However, the Ohio State STEP program has shown to have greater 4-year and 6-year graduation rates when compared to student contemporaries. There is a trend that shows that students on the ATI Wooster campus have greater student and faculty interaction than contemporaries on regional campuses in the Ohio State system.