Identifies five key issues to be addressed by college programs attempting to involve commuter students in learning: (1) development of a more commuter-friendly campus environment; (2) support of institutional mission and goals; (3) demonstration of the effectiveness of involving commuter students in learning; (4) cross-functional collaboration;…

This introductory essay reviews the literature on commuter students' needs and experiences and compares several theoretical models that can be used to create environments, cultures, and structures that enable commuter students to become deeply involved in learning. Reports data that indicate the importance of increasing students' involvement to…

Suggests the salience of the "commuter perspective" attitude toward higher education, since the majority of students commute. Advocacy is urged to overcome the historical and predominantly exclusive residential perspective. The role of the commuter advocate is delineated, and necessary skills defined. Services, facilities and issues of equal…

Student affairs professionals at smaller institutions are encouraged to research their commuter students' characteristics and needs and to create or enhance services and programs to improve the college experience for commuters based on their findings. (KS)

Discusses commuter college students; presents a model to help librarians offering bibliographic instruction better accommodate commuter students that includes services for students, programs to interact with students, advocacy for students, and appropriate research; and considers faculty impact on commuter students. (LRW)

Commuter students are often left out of college programs because their needs and schedules differ substantially from the traditional student for whom the programs are planned. Once the basic educational needs of the commuter student are being met, planners can focus on developing programs geared to other needs of the commuter such as personal…

The proportion of college students commuting to campus grows steadily. Nonetheless, many colleges still think in terms of the residential tradition. A model of institutional adaptation can be used to assess and change college environments for this population. The model focuses on access to institutional programs, basic services, and support. (MSE)

Four areas of concern to older students who commute are examined: mobility, integrating support systems, multiple life roles, and involvement in campus life. Implications for advising are discussed, and four roles for advisors are proposed. Three illustrative case studies based on interviews are provided. (Author/MSE)

Discusses ways that experiential and service learning can contribute to a sense of community for both resident and commuter college students. Considers the theory and practice of experiential education and ways in which experiential learning can involve commuter students with other students, faculty, and the community. (DB)

This paper addresses information technology's potential to change the nature of the commuter student experience. Drawing on research on distance learning, community colleges, and adult student development, it offers suggestions for using technology to create academic community and to foster student learning outside the curriculum, and also…

The higher education system is seen as having deteriorated in the 1970s due to change in academic schedules, increased size of institutions, impaired effectiveness of faculties, inability of institutions to adjust to increased percentage of disadvantaged students, increase in part-time and nonresidential students, and excessive market orientation…

Argues that freshman seminar class reunions increase the benefits of freshman seminars for urban commuter college students, and reports results of a study testing effectiveness of class reunions in reducing attrition for high-risk students (n=40). Findings support hypothesis that freshmen seminar groups with class reunions show greater student…

Diversity is welcomed at the Jefferson Davis Campus, Mississippi Gulf Coast Junior College, where the commuting students include teenagers, retired military personnel, displaced homemakers, the foreign-born, blacks, the full-time employed, and senior citizens. The students are counseled to take a reading and study skills class if their reading…

Needs of off-campus students in Southern West Virginia, and specifically students enrolled at Bluefield State College, are considered. The computer college has several off-campus locations, including one 60 miles away, and it serves a population that tends to have low educational attainment levels. One environmental factor that influences student…

Critical areas of undergraduate education are discussed, and creative suggestions for maintaining excellence in Pennsylvania education are offered by the Student Committee on Undergraduate Education (SCUE) at the University of Pennsylvania. Specific topics include: the curriculum, advising, teaching, residential life, and admissions. The…