As student retention, persistence, and degree completion become important to the survival of Christian higher education, research on the influence of academic advising continues to emerge. Little research exists, however, on faculty perceptions of faculty advising models, specifically at small, Christian institutions where employing professional…

In its recent white paper, "A Pivot Toward Clinical Practice," the American Association for Colleges of Teacher Education (AACTE) echoed the call heralded almost a decade ago by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education's (NCATE) Blue Ribbon Report that highlighted the need for the development of authentic settings in…

Internationally and domestically, depopulation and the decrease of student enrollment caused are becoming an issue of interest in higher education, especially in regions such as east Europe, south Europe, and East Asia. This article analyzes strategies of Japanese universities to tackle depopulation issues in Japan. The 18-year-old bracket…

Teach for America (TFA) collaborates primarily with universities in most of its 53 regions throughout the United States, yet there is little research that examines these partnerships. This qualitative interview study explored how TFA Corps Members (CMs) perceived their learning in a small college's graduate teacher education program and how…

The recruitment and retention of international students in academic institutions in the United States has become more complicated and more competitive than ever before given the current political climate and governmental policies. This article discusses some of the specific challenges international students face and what a small- to medium-sized…

Student employees fulfill an essential role at all academic libraries, but budget and staffing cuts have made student work even more imperative at small, public institutions. This article examines a reference service redesign at Adams State University through the lens of the student circulation employees. Student employee feedback was directly…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore what impact, if any, a spiritually-focused Living-Learning Community (LLC) had on the spiritual development of 16 student participants at a small, faith-based college. LLCs are considered a high impact practice (HIP) because they promote a high level of student engagement (Kuh, 2008). College in…

The purpose of this study was to gain essence of understanding of the phenomena of the influence of culture on the change process at small, private colleges. Research questions included cultural characteristics of a campus, the impact of policy and procedure on shaping culture, the role of leadership in shaping culture, and contextual conditions…

This study evaluated the impact of a First-Year Experience (FYE) program on student success at a small, private, faith-based distance learning university serving a predominantly nontraditional student population. Student data (N = 399) from two groups were compared to determine if the FYE made a difference in student success as measured by…

It looks like the fate of many small colleges is closure, "merger" (meaning effectively being swallowed up by a stronger institution) or even-subject to regulatory complexities-acquisition. That is not good news for the colleges, their staff, students, alumni, surrounding communities-nor for the higher education sector as a whole.…

Leah Schweitzer is the director of a de-centered writing center. A de-centered writing center is very much what it sounds like: quite literally, it has no actual location, no one space on campus that anyone can point to and say, "that's the writing center." It was an idea born out of necessity, but it's one that poses a challenge and an…

A participatory framework in conducting research and implementing decisions can engage multiple constituents throughout a college community. At a small college, it is especially relevant, because nonmajority groups are especially vulnerable because of a smaller critical mass.

Strong relationships with senior administrators, effective cross-campus collaboration, and efficient use of technology are central to impactful IR in small colleges.

Two years ago, Community College Research Center (CCRC) published a guide to help college leaders understand the costs involved in implementing guided pathways reforms. The guide was based on research at six community colleges, but only one of these was a smaller college. Small colleges lack economies of scale that can generate revenue to support…

This study examined the relative contributions of peer teasing, relational aggression, and body image disturbance on subclinical maladaptive eating patterns among female college students. One hundred and two female college students completed self-report online surveys on peer teasing, relational aggression, body image disturbance, and eating…