Lourdes College is a small, private, coeducational commuter college located in northwest Ohio. In early 2009, the Lourdes College Board of Trustees ratified a new strategic plan promoting institutional strength and sustainability over the next six years. The desired outcome was to make Lourdes College a stronger, more vibrant, even more socially…

One of the greatest difficulties facing learning community programs at urban non-residential colleges and universities is the challenge of promoting communication and collaboration among faculty from different disciplines. In this article, the authors, a learning communities coordinator and a learning communities faculty team member, describe and…

This study determined the influence of an academic workshop on appropriate declaration of a major for students who graduated, but were previously undeclared, at one small, private, urban, coeducational, religiously-affiliated, four-year, commuter college in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. A posttest only control group design revealed…

Past research has identified several institutional and individual antecedents that lead to greater intent to support an organization. This paper takes an organizational identification approach in developing an Alumni Relationship Model (ARM) that can be used by universities to generate greater support for their Alumni services activities. This…

The University of Texas at El Paso offers over seventy learning communities to first-year students from extremely diverse socioeconomic and educational backgrounds. Ninety percent are Hispanic, 54 percent are first-generation college students, and 59 percent must participate in developmental classes before moving forward with college-level…

During a research study conducted over four semesters, students enrolled in an introductory programming class at a commuter campus used the pair-programming approach for both in-class labs and out-of-class programming assignments. This study was a comprehensive assessment of pair-programming using multiple measures of both quantitative and…

Describes evolution of alcohol awareness project at urban commuter college which used university exhibit cases to display information on alcohol's physical, social, historical, and legal impact; a problem drinking assessment instrument; decision-making scenarios; and attitudinal questionnaire. Makes suggestions for content, timing, and location of…

Compares the outcomes of connected developmental mathematics and writing to those of nonconnected sections at a regional commuter campus at a Midwestern public university, proving that students enrolled in the two connected developmental classes had the highest retention rates. Recommends a holistic approach for institutions that teaches basic…

Examined extent and pattern of stopping out at one university. Data from the fall 1983 new first-year cohort (n=2,434) revealed that one-fifth of the group had stopped out at some point in their academic careers and that the majority were readmitted. Concludes that stopping out delays but does not greatly change educational outcomes for these…

The work of helping students succeed on urban commuter campuses may be some of the most complicated in higher education. Even in understanding their tasks, educators at city-based institutions must typically draw on research and practice from an amalgam of other types of institutions, including community colleges, metropolitan universities, urban…

Fraternities and sororities on commuter campuses challenge our traditional views in terms of size, number of chapters represented, housing, recruitment, and achievement of a team feeling to build brotherhood or sisterhood. Alternative models need to be developed to address the commuter-related issues. (KS)

Findings from 470 students at 1 urban commuter university revealed that sizable percentage of respondents reported consuming alcohol 10 or more times within last 30 days, drinking to intoxication 3 or more times within last 2 weeks, having family history of alcoholism, driving while using alcohol, missing class because of drinking, and receiving…

Discusses the needs of refugees--English language competency, development of self esteem, acceptance by other students, realistic goals--and how administrators of commuter colleges can help. (CT)

Reports on experiences of eight private Long Island (New York) colleges that compete for similar students. Discussion centers on Dowling College and Adelphi University; and Hofstra, a possible exception with a $100 million endowment, which aspires to become a comprehensive regional university. However, most institutions have scaled down grandiose…

Describes teaching literature to non-English majors (primarily working adults) at Golden Gate University. Discusses how the authors create a classroom environment in which students are given permission to engage in literary works in the context of their own lives as well as to consider texts historically and stylistically. (RS)