A sense of belonging is at the root of educational success for students, staff and faculty, and institutions alike. The authors must consider these layers (student, faculty/staff, institution) in coordination with each other, taking a systems view, to support long-term, sustainable success. The authors provide a framework for thinking about belonging (as mechanism, object, and organizing principle) and note how belonging serves as a key tool to address the many challenges that face institutions of higher education. Cultivating belonging can produce a self-reinforcing cycle of development, yielding higher retention of students, faculty, and staff; greater confidence in the institutions; and improved capacities to achieve core missions and values.