Newly licensed nurses may enter the profession without the tools to cope with morally distressing events in the workplace. Experiences of moral distress at work negatively affect physical, emotional, and psychological wellbeing, and effects of moral distress on new nurses may result in job dissatisfaction, burnout, and abandonment of the…

This study aims to understand better how undergraduate students become civically engaged graduates. Three Pennsylvania-based institutions were identified to be the focus of this research. These institutions each have less than 5,000 undergraduate students, are part of a small city with under 100,000 residents, and have a civic-engagement component…

College choice is one of the most significant decisions a family will make. Families with high socioeconomic status often hire independent educational consultants (IEC) to assist their family in college search activities. A review of the literature indicated a gap in the literature regarding IECs' understanding of the factors which influence their…

This qualitative study examined the perceptions of African American college graduates who defied the odds by graduating in four to six years from a Predominantly White Institution in Pennsylvania. Graduation rates are significantly lower for African American college students, so shedding light on these students' experiences is very important. The…

Faculty at Bucknell, similar to those at most colleges and universities worldwide, have traditionally begun their careers with a limited understanding of the teaching practices available to them and for what purposes those various practices were considered useful. Though many faculty have done their own research into teaching activities and become…

Scholars and professionals alike contend our nation's competitive position and economic growth depends considerably on the acumen of its science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) talent pool. In spite of current economic conditions and high national unemployment, there is an increasing demand for those skilled in technology and…

This study intended to identify commonalities of fine arts programs at selected private liberal arts colleges and universities in order to ultimately develop an exemplary fine arts program in a similar setting. This study searched for answers to three research questions within the context of art, music, dance, and theatre. The first research…

Jazz education has been a part of school music programs in the United States in both extracurricular and curricular settings since the 1920's. An enormous growth in the popularity of stage bands and jazz ensembles was experienced between the 1940's and 1980's resulting in a vibrant, widespread acceptance of jazz in the music curriculum (Luty,…

The Two Cultures phenomenon, first given its name by C. P. Snow in 1956, consists of a conflict between participants in the academic communities of the natural sciences and the humanities; it also mirrors the methodological debate in the social sciences. This phenomenon also occurs in undergraduates in an interdisciplinary research fellowship at…

This study sought to ascertain the specific motivations behind doctoral alumni giving. Most U.S. colleges and universities depend on alumni giving to supplement revenues from tuition and governmental support; however, relatively little alumni giving is generated from PhD graduates. The result is untapped revenue for doctoral-granting institutions.…