Freshman seminar courses aim to address dropout rates, college achievement, increase persistence rates, and student adjustment in approximately 94% of colleges and universities in America. First-generation college students make up nearly a third of higher education students and are likelier to drop out of college within the first 2-years of…

This study examined differences in reported campus criminality on selected community college campuses in the years between 2005 and 2016 representing the years preceding and succeeding the implementation of Mississippi's 2011 concealed carry legislation. Each campus included in this study is a public-funded community college in Mississippi. Using…

This phenomenological study addressed the factors of an institutionalized peer to peer mentoring program that fostered academic success and persistence among Black male students graduating from a predominantly White four-year public university in Tennessee through the lens of the critical race theory. Data was gathered through face-to-face,…

This phenomenological study addressed the factors of an institutionalized peer to peer mentoring program that fostered academic success and persistence among Black male students graduating from a predominantly White four-year public university in Tennessee through the lens of the critical race theory. Data was gathered through face-to-face,…

Teachers of color often work in schools with few colleagues from the same racial or ethnic background. This racial isolation may affect their work experiences and important job outcomes, including retention. Using longitudinal administrative and survey data, we investigate the degree to which Tennessee teachers who are more racially isolated are…

The lack of women in elected leadership roles trickles down to student governance at colleges and universities (American Student Government Association, 2016). The researcher sought to understand how women student leaders made meaning of their experiences as a leader and how their understanding influences their actions and motivations. Through the…

Utilizing narrative inquiry and thematic analysis, this study followed up with adult students who initially participated in a qualitative project, Understanding How Students Reconnect: A Longitudinal Study (Collom et al., 2021). Five participants shared their experiences as adult students during COVID-19, which included their experiences shifting…

Based on 12 in-depth interviews with Latino college graduates in West Tennessee, this study explores the effects of college experiences and cultural factors on Latino persistence. The study highlights on-campus and off-campus influences important to matriculation of the student toward graduation. Findings highlight how acquiring familial support,…

The reasons a student may choose to enroll and matriculate at a particular postsecondary institution are many. Yet a sense of belonging and a strong emotional connection often supply all the incentive students need. Campus environments play a central role in the college choice process as the ecology, climate, and culture of an institution…

The numbers of African American males and females entering higher education continue to soar. Research shows that African American women are the most educated group within the United States; however, compared to their European and Hispanic male counterparts, African American males report the lowest outcomes in higher education. Educational…

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga recently updated their general education curriculum with an eye toward the essential learning outcomes identified by the Association of American Colleges and Universities through its Liberal Education and America's Promise (LEAP) initiative. Like many other campuses across the country, money is tight,…

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…

The purpose of this study was to discover factors about first-time freshmen that began at one of the six 4-year universities in the former Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) system, transferred to any other institution after their first year, and graduated with a degree or certificate. These factors would be used with predictive models to identify…

The Department of Computing at East Tennessee State University provides students exposure to the enterprise application SAP as a part of the Information Systems curriculum. Over the past two years, the use of SAP has expanded beyond the Department of Computing into the Management Information Systems course offered by the Department of Management…

This article reports on a case of participatory self-directed online learning within the context of a graduate-level instructional technology course. The course was about online learning environments and relied on both asynchronous and synchronous technologies. In this case, the instructor and students engaged in collaborative course design…