The impact of work-life balance is imposing a significant strain on faculty in higher education. Much of the literature suggests faculty are not satisfied with their jobs and do not feel a sense of belonging, and the results show negative impacts on faculty well-being. Results from a 2015 Gallup survey of faculty workplace engagement showed…

Getting and keeping accreditation is critical for almost all colleges in the United States. Accreditation is third-party validation that a college meets minimum standards. Not only is institutional accreditation required for participation in federal student loan programs, but without accreditation, it is hard (if not impossible) to be authorized…

Two-year public colleges educate more than 50% of all U.S. undergraduates, yet graduation rates (29%) fall far below their 4-year counterparts (63%). It is critical for students of 2-year public institutions that their faculty have the appropriate knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) to effectively guide students toward graduation. This study…

Transfer stigma refers to a type of stigma associated with students' transfer status and/or their community college background. It plays a significant role in post-transfer adjustment and may negatively impact post-transfer outcomes such as retention and obtaining a baccalaureate degree. This study focused on quantitatively measuring transfer…

In December 2023, TICAS published new research on the College Affordability Gap--the gap between students' total cost of attendance and non-loan aid available to them--in California, Michigan, and New York, with a focus on students eligible for Pell Grants. Our new report builds on this research with data from nine additional states (Colorado,…

Department chairs in higher education are leaders charged with the daily administrative functions, visioning, and managing academic units and programs. The purpose of this study was to assess the moderating role of transformational leadership in predicting the relationship between department chairs' personal and positional power on faculty job…

Tuition discounting has been a long-standing practice among colleges and universities. Its roots can be traced to the beginnings of the 1970s, and its use has continued to increase and expand in the decades following. However, despite its widespread use, the research is inconclusive whether tuition discounting has been an effective strategy to…

One of the most impacted areas in higher education is the field of student affairs (Lynch, 2017). While job satisfaction is problematic in higher education; only 1% of professionals are "extremely satisfied" with their job, giving the field a much lower overall satisfaction level than many other occupations (Kinman & Wray, 2014).…

In the 1980s, leaders recognized a small set of institutions enrolled a large percentage of Latino students but had limited resources to educate these students. The classification of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) formally recognized these institutions for capacity-building and other support. Federal law defines HSIs as accredited,…

Louisiana's performance-based funding (PBF) policy is one of the most recent implementations of performance funding established by a state for accountability purposes. Instead of examining direct academic outcomes, this study focuses on tuition increase as an (un)intended outcome of PBF implementation. We use data from multiple sources to create a…

This study utilized a phenomenological qualitative research design to assess job satisfaction of women student affairs professionals in Louisiana at entry, mid, and senior levels positions. The purpose of this research was to examine perceptions of women student affairs professionals in Louisiana higher education institutions regarding: (1) job…

Online course enrollment is increasing but online course completion and retention rates are decreasing in public community colleges and this study suggests more increases in online course enrollment are underway. Student affairs professionals are met with adversity to provide adequate support to online students due to substandard administrative…

The Pell Grant is the foundational need-based student aid program in the United States, providing students of lower socio-economic status a pathway to afford college costs and educational expenses. Currently, over one-third of all U.S. undergraduate students receive Pell. This paper examines federal Pell assistance and institutional costs for…

College students who reside in campus dormitories at public universities have a reasonable expectation of privacy in their dorm rooms that is protected by the fourth amendment; and officials cannot search these rooms for law enforcement purposes without a valid warrant. Non-students, however, have no such reasonable expectation of privacy in…

This study tested the Bennett hypothesis by examining whether four-year colleges changed listed tuition and fees, the amount of institutional grants per student, and room and board charges after their states implemented statewide merit-based aid programs. According to the Bennett hypothesis, increases in government financial aid make it easier for…