Higher education may once again be at a crossroad with the racial climate in the United States and what that means for college campuses. Consequently, institutions of higher education must commit to ensuring a supportive organizational structure for the social and psychosocial wellbeing of Black students and guaranteeing support resources for the…

The dearth of retention scholarship that centers (or includes) queer and trans (QT) students has resulted in inadequately capturing the nuanced dimensions of student retention. As a scholarly community, we are at a critical juncture where it is academically, administratively, and morally necessary to reexamine assumptions about retention to better…

There are growing debates over removing the names of racist historical figures from public schools and university campus buildings, streets, and other public spaces. This article develops a pedagogical framework for transforming the classroom into a "toponymic workspace," where students can understand and possibly make interventions in…

Gameful pedagogy is "an approach that takes inspiration from well-designed games to create learning environments that support student motivation" (Holman, 2018, p. 1). According to Self-Determination Theory (Ryan & Deci, 2000), students are intrinsically motivated when their basic psychological needs for autonomy (the need to make…

The reasons a student may choose a particular institution when seeking a postsecondary education are many. However, campus visitation--more specifically, the campus tour--is frequently cited as the most important aspect of the college recruitment process. Correspondingly, in a hypercompetitive and fiscally afflicted higher education market,…

Heterotopias are counter-sites of enacted utopias through which reality is simultaneously represented, contested and inverted. They are physical or mental spaces where, although norms of behaviours are suspended, there are connections with a plethora of other spaces. This article constructs a collective biography as a heterotopology of the…

This article looks at the Black Lives Matter Movement and Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) continue to play an important role in society. However, what the Black Lives Matter movement shows consistently is that predominantly White institutions need to change, to step up and embrace…

The author discusses how Museus' (2014) Culturally Engaging Campus Environment Model (CECE) can be used to re-envision campus multicultural centers, and programs and services that traditionally employ single-axis identity interventions when striving to support student growth and success.

In this article, we present a newly developed undergraduate module that is taught in the Humanities Department of the University of Roehampton. Campus and university themselves are the topics of the module. The module provides an opportunity for the students to engage academically with their environment. They study not only many interesting…

This essay discusses the benefits of promoting social justice through the scholarship of teaching and learning. We start by highlighting the prevalence of injustices and discrimination (racism, sexism, homophobia, heteronormativity) experienced on college campuses in the US. We go on to highlight the (1) outcomes associated with social justice…

This guide offers basic considerations for starting the college search, as well as helpful tips. It also includes key questions to ask staff from college programs, covering topics such as academics, employment and student supports, housing, financial aid, and the overall campus and community experience, with room to add questions of your own.

As campuses become increasingly diverse, it is important that faculties maintain inclusive classrooms. Students of underrepresented ethnic/racial groups are more likely to experience disengagement in an academic setting (Nagasawa & Wong, 1999), which can lead to underperformance (Major et al., 1998). Students with LGBTQA+ (lesbian, gay,…

Since 2011, Bridgewater State University (BSU) has received funds through the Massachusetts Inclusive Concurrent Enrollment Initiative (MAICEI) to support students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to attend college. This BSU-MAICEI partnership, named EXCEL (Extraordinary Expectations for Career, Education and Life), offers up…

When professor Johnny Eric Williams at Trinity College (CT) sent out a racially charged tweet in the wake of last year's shooting at a congressional baseball practice, it thrust the institution into the media spotlight over how it responded. The tweet was portrayed in some media outlets as a racial remark against white people in general, although…

University life is widely publicized as an adventure--a chance to engage with new ideas, people, and opportunities. While these vibrant interactions can be part of the college experience, participation in a competitive, high-stakes academic environment like University of Michigan (U-M) can pose very real challenges. Students must learn to navigate…