Immigrant college student populations continue to grow, but the complexity of their unique needs and issues remain relatively unknown. To gain a better understanding of the multiple contextual factors impacting immigrant students from a systems-based approach, I applied Bronfenbrenner's (1977) human ecology framework to the study. Students…

It might seem axiomatic that the character of a university's academic experience would be reflected in the character of its admissions processes. Unfortunately, it is not--at least, not in the world of continuing and adult education. Universities that offer rich academic programs, high-quality student/faculty relationships, and top-quality…

Because Dominique (or D-Mon, as he liked to be called) had drill before class, he would sometimes come in late in the author's class, his army boots silently moving across the tile as though he were trying to sneak by a sentry. The army fatigues that he wore were supposed to help him blend into a desert landscape, a tan-and-brown world of sand. In…

In this keynote speech, the author talks a little bit in relation Brad Wuetherick's keynote presentation. Brad talked about various ways of involving students in research-type activities, or the various ways in which the student learning experience can be enhanced by involving students in research. The general theme of this conference, of course,…

In January of 2010, "Harvard Educational Review" editor Chantal Francois sat down at a Manhattan diner with three young black women, two of whom were her former students at a New York City high school. Chantal invited the women to come together and share their experiences as freshmen at predominantly white institutions along the East…

To get an inside view of campus life today, the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (whose purpose is to foster in college students an appreciation of the values that sustain a free society) was approached and asked to supply a list of their Collegiate Network editors--students who are active on their campuses, interested in the issues facing higher…

As regular attendees at the Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD) Conference, the authors enjoyed interacting with the highly relevant study by Diane Chapman and her colleagues (Chapman, Wiessner, Morton, Fire, Jones, & Majekodunmi, 2009). In the study, they use several theoretical tools to understand the learning experiences of doctoral…

For eight years, Kathleen Monahan taught English literature and composition at Saint Peter's College satellite campus at Newark Airport. Her students were Port Authority employees--police officers, mechanics, bridge painters--trying to wedge an education into lives criss-crossed by split shifts, swing shifts, and double overtime. On the first…

Leadership in education, particularly special education, implies both knowledge and application of professional behaviors, decisions, and ethics within the field. University students look for best practices in education to be modeled by faculty; this, in turn, underscores a fundamental belief in inclusionary principles. Such modeling is important…

Maintaining a distinctive Catholic identity is a challenge for Catholic schools today. Religious identity must be nurtured and it must be contextualized for the 21st century. This paper suggests marks of contemporary Catholic character. Also, it proposes looking at religious identity through the lens of student experience and graduate outcomes.…

Having just completed a BSc (Hons) Psychology degree, this author feels well placed to offer a student's perspective on John Radford's provocative article, "Psychology in its place". Although Radford discussed a number of relevant areas regarding psychology in higher education, Cartmell aims to discuss one main issue that many psychology…

Many disciplines in the social sciences and humanities can offer profound insights into what it means to be human. History, however, encompasses the totality of human experience: economics, politics, philosophy, art, ethics, sociology, science--all of it becomes part of history eventually. Therefore, the opportunities for incorporating…

Moving from young adulthood to her experiences as a nontraditional student at Pace University, Rivera chronicles her path to independence in this poignant essay about determination, support, and sacrifice. Evoking powerful images, she introduces the people and forces that served to inspire, recharge, and steady her resolve to succeed in her second…

One hundred years ago, Upton Sinclair, in "The Jungle," exposed the deplorable working conditions of eastern European immigrants in the meatpacking houses of Chicago. The backdrop of this article is the new Jungle of the 21st century--the hog plants of the rural Midwest. Here I speak to the lives of the Mexican workers they employ, and, more…

Historians of American education readily acknowledge that in the mid-19th century the German university and academic ideal rose in prominence among American academicians, who then worked diligently to replicate the German university model in the United States. During this same time, however, many more Americans were exposed to a different…