Self-reported positive effects of peer mentoring for mentors and mentees have included enhanced academic performance, greater sense of belonging, and retention, among other widely accepted benefits of the intervention. However, minimal quantitative or mixed methods research has focused on mentoring staff who design, implement, and therefore…

Technology and data have become integral components of the higher education landscape. These tools and stores of information are readily available to staff, administrators, and faculty. Despite this permeation of technology and data, there remains opportunities for growth and gaps in usage, particularly in the critical work of academic advising.…

The idea of "threshold concepts" has been used to identify discipline-based concepts that are critical to that academic area. Threshold concepts are often difficult for students to assimilate in a meaningful way but, once done, can be powerful for the learner. In general, threshold concepts are 1) transformative to learner thinking; 2)…

With 23 campuses serving nearly 500,000 students, the California State University (CSU) is the largest and most diverse university system in the country. Annually, 3,500 service-learning (SL) courses are offered to more than 67,000 students, 17% of whom are science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors. However, there is little…

A number of social and ecological justice educators have long recognized the need for educational institutions to foster the development of a critical interest in civic engagement. They also have recognized the lack of appropriate education for students who are already civically engaged. One popular way to address this context in higher education…

This study of implementing California Assembly Bill 1460, or mandatory Ethnic Studies (ES) in the California State University System (CSU), investigates the leadership decisions made within a set of self-governing campuses with varied institutional resources and responsibilities. This research uses an Oral History methodology, which situates…

The purpose of this mixed methods research study was to explore the practice of academic advising and the challenges associated with virtual advising in California higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Advising is a retention practice recognized as critical to student success because advisors are one of few personnel interactions students…

Graduation from a college or university has important individual benefits, including higher rates of employment, earnings, and better health and wellness outcomes. Historically, college enrollment and degree attainment has been unequal, with higher enrollments among white and more affluent students. Even as access and enrollment have increased…

This 2-phased instrumental case study explored how student affairs educators in the California State University system experience values congruence in their work environments, specifically in the context of neoliberalism. It also examined how position descriptions convey the values of the student affairs profession and job duties related to…

The phenomenon of embedding Science Faculty with Education Specialties (SFES) in science departments is well documented. However, the perspectives of academic leaders have not been systematically studied. To investigate these perspectives, we conducted an interview study of college of science deans in the California State University system, which…

This article presents new quasi-experimental evidence regarding the effectiveness of teaching-oriented faculty with tenure-track appointment, a model pioneered at the University of California (UC) system. Using data from six cohorts of students at a UC campus, we examine the impact of initial course-taking with three distinct types of…

The COVID-19 pandemic has wrought changes to the landscape of education abroad. This paper reviews some of the operational gaps exposed by the pandemic circumstances and then advocates for enhanced notions of communication, collaboration, and community needed to embrace change and close prior gaps. The paper concludes that developing a nuanced…

This is the technical appendices to "Destination Integration: Perspectives of Students and Advisors about Improving Academic Advising. Part 2 of a Series on Academic Advising from the CSU Student Success Network." This research explores advising practices on five CSU campuses, expands on the previous report by bringing in the voices of…

Settler colonialism relies on land seizure and the erasure of Indigenous peoples and culture, and has not ended, despite common belief (Arvin et al., 2013; Patel, 2021). As settler colonialism continues to function, so does its oppressive structures. This study identified dual phenomena requiring investigation. First, the presence of settler…

This article presents an exploration of diverse adults' motivations for action to promote social and environmental change at a California public university. Semi-structured interviews with current or graduated university students reveal how they navigate their own identities and intersectionalities in developing an activist orientation and their…