The traveling salesman problem (TSP) is a combinatorial optimization problem that requires finding the shortest path through a set of points ("cities") that returns to the starting point. Because humans provide heuristic near-optimal solutions to Euclidean versions of the problem, it has sometimes been used to investigate human visual…

The purpose of the present study was to examine application materials for assistant professor positions in 3 academic disciplines. Applicants were asked to write a diversity statement describing how they would advance diversity through their research, teaching, and service. The sample included application materials submitted by 191 candidates for…

Military children encounter unique stressors that can affect their social and emotional well-being. These challenges can serve as a risk to the military child's successful academic performance. This study fills a much-needed research gap by examining the training and implementation of a public school-based intervention, Families OverComing Under…

The Washington Student Achievement Council is charged with setting educational attainment goals to meet the needs of Washington's residents and its workforce. The Council is also charged with developing a ten-year Roadmap to identify key strategies for meeting those goals. In 2013, the Council created the first Ten-year Roadmap, including two…

Hundreds of thousands of current and former service members enter college each year, and their ranks are expected to swell as several major US military engagements overseas wind down. This article presents the following questions: (1) What is the overall success rate for student service members and veterans attending US colleges and universities;…

Projections estimated that nontraditional student enrollment in post-secondary education would increase by 19% as compared to traditional student enrollments of 10% from 2006 through 2017. Adult students were less likely to complete a college degree compared to traditional students, and drop-outs cost taxpayers billions of dollars in lost taxes.…

The Carl Perkins Act provides federal support for rigorous career and technical education (CTE) programs that provide students with knowledge and skills to keep the United States competitive. States are provided with funds which are in turn distributed to eligible recipients such as local educational agencies (LEAs) and postsecondary institutions.…

Colleges, universities, and the communities they serve have always been concerned about students' abilities to pay and the systems of aid to support students' learning. This article reviews the history of aiding student in higher education. Early student- and institutionally-led programs are discussed along with initial philanthropic and…

The role of a graduate-level academic advisor is essential to all levels of higher education. With the introduction of the Post 9/11 GI Bill, there has been an influx of military and student veterans enrolling in postsecondary and graduate-level education programs. The role of the academic advisor has increased significantly with the influx of…

This dissertation comprises three essays that empirically examine the educational outcomes of for-profit college students, military enlistees and immigrant youth. All of these are groups of "non-average" students that, in different contexts, pose challenges to the traditional provision of education. Therefore, their outcomes need to be…

Increasingly more service members are separating from the military as the United States draws down the force and moves towards a post-war era. Tens of thousands of these veterans will leverage their GI Bill tuition and housing benefits in an attempt to access Southern California community colleges and bolster their transition into mainstream…

With the introduction of the Post 9/11 GI Bill in August 2009, Veterans Affairs anticipated a 25% increase in the number of service members who would enroll in higher education (Student Affairs Leadership Council, 2009). Between fall 2005 and spring 2010 semesters, Western Michigan University (WMU; Kalamazoo, MI) experienced a 43% boom, from just…

This study used a convenience sample military officers from the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps enrolled in an undergraduate pilot training course but awaiting the start of their program. All participants were 4-year college graduates with a median age of 23. Of the 114 participants, 87% were male and 13% were female. Participants were…

Evidence-based assessment in intimate partner violence (IPV) is critical to the accurate understanding of risk and to the development of interventions that increase safety. In this study standardized clients (actors) were used to train Army civilian social workers in evidence-based assessment of IPV and in the evaluation of the curriculum's…

This testimony discusses the Department of Defense's (DOD) oversight of its Military Tuition Assistance (TA) Program. In fiscal year 2010, the TA Program provided $531 million in tuition assistance to approximately 302,000 service members who elected to pursue off-duty postsecondary education. DOD offers these benefits to service members in order…