Higher education has operated in silos of faculty in academic affairs and staff in student affairs for decades with little intentional integration. Initiatives aimed at collaboration tend to draw clear lines and reinforce the perceptions of faculty as "thinkers" and staff as "doers." In the headwinds facing higher education today, it is more important than ever that university employees come together in meaningful ways such as forming a bridge to support a new generation of college students. This phenomenological study followed-up with participants of a small group faculty and staff collaborative learning cohort centered on student development theory, which met weekly, in-person, in a flipped-classroom facilitation style over an academic year at Gannon University, a mid-sized, Catholic university in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Six participants were interviewed approximately one year after the conclusion of the learning cohort to understand how applicable they perceive student development theory to their work with college students. Results indicated that participants found student development theories applicable to each of the responsibilities of their diverse roles, that everything they do contributes to the student experience, and that more university employees should be educated on student development theories. Participants also found value in considering their personal lives through the lens of the theories learned. They also emphasized the importance of the cross-campus community they created in the learning cohort. Participants' reflections on the applicability of student development theory to the academic realm of teaching and advising fortifies the importance of the theories being used outside the classroom by student affairs staff. This lends itself to consideration as a resource within the newer, broader scope of scholarship of teaching and learning proposed by Neubauer et al. (2022). [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]