This phenomenological study explored current perceptions of the personal safety of gender and sexual minority (GSM) college students in college campus settings through the application of queer theory. By collecting the personal experiences, perspectives, and feelings of GSM college students, the study identified coherent themes and suggested…

Investigating crimes on college campuses is a prevalent phenomenon that often requires student cooperation with campus police. Using the procedural justice theory's process-based approach, this applied research examined the likelihood of students reporting campus crime based on their perceived legitimacy of campus police and whether the student's…

Numbers of online postgraduate coursework students are increasing within higher education and this raises questions of identity - what being a student means to this more mature cohort. This in-depth qualitative investigation explores postgraduate student identities within online learning. We conducted interviews (14) and collected completed…

The article explored the modern global educational space and university environment with its structure and functioning. It presents key tasks of US university education in a global context, offers the definition of the university environment, and describes core features of the US university setting. The university campus is considered as a main…

One of the most challenging times for campus communities is when a crisis occurs. It often causes higher education to question their policies, missions, and values. Additionally, the crisis managers and those affected by it may experience trauma as they navigate the crisis (Bataille & Cordova, 2014; Lynch 2023). Despite the research on crisis…

Collaboration between academic and student affairs fosters meaningful student engagement, supports academic achievement, and facilitates a robust campus community. Although these partnerships can be challenging to develop, small institutions occupy a unique position in higher education, as these collaborations are highly valued as fundamental to…

The landscape of higher education campus environments continues to change as student populations diversify (Parsons, 2023; Renn & Reason, 2013) and campus spaces extend into the digital realm. This critical phenomenological study examined organizational features that racialize digital campus ecology by examining the phenomena of interest,…

Many students come to higher education with a history of trauma. College life may also expose students to traumatizing events. While the past decade has witnessed greater discussion of trauma-informed frameworks, it has not regularly been applied to the college environment. We advance the concept of a trauma-informed campus, where administrators,…

This dissertation explores the impact of physical campus spaces on the sense of belonging among commuter students. Drawing on qualitative data collected through photography, videos, interviews, observations, and campus materials, this study investigates how the physical campus environment shape students' perceptions of connection, inclusion, and…

This article puts into complicated conversation three intellectual discourses: academic disciplinarity, postcolonial theorizing, and curriculum theorizing. The author harnesses Pinar's (2007) conceptualizing the important role of "studying" academic disciplines; Singh's (2018) critique and challenge to postcolonial theorists, most aptly…

Many in higher education are calling for a re-think of teaching and learning principles. The global pandemic de-stabilized foundational assumptions that guided pedagogy for many higher education practitioners. One such assumption is the value of the physical classroom for student engagement. Advances in educational technology and online learning…

Digitalization of (higher) education has been an increasingly important subject in the recent years, spiking especially due to pandemic lockdowns. While many scholars and third parties consider this process to be an improvement or even an inevitability, I argue that there is much to understand about it beyond 'attending to the materialities of…

This study investigated the factors that students feel can lead to improved student experience at the University of the South Pacific (USP). Framed on Astin's theory of involvement, our study used two methods to collect data. The first was through the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) process, a consensus-building tool, with 9 students in a half-day…

There is a need to fully understand why Hispanic students are not as successful as other cohorts of students are when completing college. In past research, the focus has been on persistence and retention, but understanding the need for connection and feelings of campus immersion have been absent. The research questions investigated the barriers…

The COVID-19 pandemic ushered in changes to higher education, including how campus spaces are used and defined. Institutional pivots to meet health and safety protections impacted the way we think about public and private spaces in lasting ways. The end of the acute emergency presents an opportunity for colleges and universities to reflect about…