Student affairs organizations are at a crossroads. They face expanding enrollments; a concomitant increase need for often more complex services; changing demographics; a growing cohort of non-traditional and first-generation students; shifting and more demanding responsibilities; and increased expectations from the greater campus community,…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of single college women who had an unplanned pregnancy while attending a small private four-year university in the upper midwest. The conceptual framework used to provide direction for this study was social constructivism. A phenomenological approach was used to seek the reality…

Chief academic officers (CAOs) of independent colleges and universities are the principal leaders and managers of the academic programs of the institutions they serve. The core functions of higher education--teaching students, conducting scholarly research, and service to the academic community--usually fall under their purview. Despite these…

Small universities deal with two primary issues when beginning to use the Professional Development School model: Adequate Funding and Faculty Support. Possible solutions are discussed, including ways to provide adequate funding through grants, enrichment/tutoring programs, reallocation of existing funds, and university priority money, as well as…

A larger scale context for power teaching includes ideas from Duane Elgin, Lester Brown, Al Gore and many others. Collectively, they say the convergence of systems level global problems without national borders place before humankind a choice the species has never encountered in 195,000 years of life on "Spaceship Earth." In Elgin's…

Colleges and universities have spent significant financial and human resources deploying and promoting educational technologies, including Learning Management Systems (LMS). A large body of research now exists on the impact of technology on student learning, including the roles of blended learning, hybrid classes, and distance learning. Yet,…

In recent years the perceived value and interest in participating in study abroad programs among college students has been increasing. Faculty who endeavor to develop study abroad programs face many challenges, particularly at smaller universities where resources may be very limited. This article offers recommendations to help faculty of regional…

Scope and Method of Study: The purpose of this study was to examine an instructional strategy intended to enhance engagement in the college classroom. The effects of the pause procedure on classroom engagement and cognitive load were studied. The relationships between levels of classroom engagement and near-term learning outcomes, as well as…

The study examined the transformation of Mercer University from a small liberal arts school into a comprehensive institution. The purpose of the study was to explore the historical transformation of Mercer University and the role of leadership throughout the process. The qualitative study was a historical case study of Mercer University based on…

This report provides an early indication of fall 2010 enrollments in higher education by documenting changes in the numbers of deposited/confirmed students at four-year colleges and universities as of May 1, 2010, versus May 1, 2009, along with changes in admitted students, applicants, and projected summer melt. The report is based on a Web-based…

This research explores the factors that affect persistence decisions of undergraduate students at a small, private, liberal arts college. Pre-institutional commitment, the commitment to a specific higher education institution by a student prior to arriving on campus for the first academic term, is examined for its effect on student persistence…

Despite healthy growth in past decades, in a time of national and global economic instability small, private Christian colleges now find themselves in a precarious position. Leading effectively in such colleges and universities in a time of external and/or internal crisis is a great challenge. This research is about a small, Christian college with…

As higher education moves increasingly to blended and fully online environments, smaller institutions often ask whether this is a desirable trend. They face many challenges in transforming their largely face- to-face didactic teaching traditions to the technology mediated learning environments. Learning effectiveness and student satisfaction are…

"Even the Janitor Is White" addresses challenges faced by teacher educators who are committed to diversity education. The chapters in this volume invite readers to reflect on their own practice as teacher educators as well as consider ways in which that practice might be improved. More than forty percent of students in U.S. schools are…

Leadership scholar Margaret Wheatley (2006) observed that "Each of us seeks to discover a meaning to our life that is wholly and uniquely our own. We experience a deepening confidence that purpose has shaped our lives even as it moved invisibly in us. Whether we believe that we create this meaning for ourselves in a senseless world, or that…