This study investigated stress levels and the sources of stress upon students enrolled at American River College (California), a community college of 20,000 students. Participants responded to a questionnaire measuring degrees of stress experienced in 43 life events within the past 12 months. Each individual's stress weights were then summed to…

The purpose of this study was to determine the contributions of student effort, campus environments and institutional culture to student learning in three types of institutions: small residential colleges; large residential universities; and universities located in metropolitan areas. Data sources were qualitative assessments of 13 campus cultures…

This paper describes an effort to find ways to respond to the challenges of supporting student and faculty diversity by providing data about the experiences of Latino undergraduates at the University of Michigan. Data were collected from a random sample of 73 Latino undergraduates and a comparison group of 24 non-Latinos. The Latino group…

The issue of alcohol use, with occasional reference to other drug use, by college students is reviewed in this report: which (1) summarizes what is known about the influence of collegiate environments on college student use of alcohol; and (2) suggests how campus policies and practices can be modified to create environmental conditions that have a…

A study compared perceptions of institutional climate among four categories of female education students at the University of Utah: traditional age students (age 24 and under) who are Latter Day Saints (Mormons) or non-Latter Day Saints (non-LDS); and older students (age 25 and over) who are LDS or non-LDS. It was hypothesized that older students…

How the nature of the campus culture helps determine the levels of enrollment and retention of African-American students is examined in this study conducted at Oberlin College, Ohio, a college that has shown relative success in enrolling and retaining African-American students. The study provides excerpts from numerous interviews with students,…

In 1988, a survey was conducted at Compton Community College to ascertain whether the needs and priorities of its students were primarily campus-related or external. The study was also structured to identify students who planned to transfer to another college before completing their degree requirements. The survey solicited information on…

A design for improving the quality of information available for continuous operational study of student retention at the University of Hartford in Connecticut was examined involving a microcomputer based decision support system for student retention research. The system, an interactive modeling approach to conduct longitudinal and comparative…

Five hundred incoming students attending Mount Saint Vincent University (Nova Scotia) were selected to participate in a study designed to compare the expectations and experiences of traditional students (who entered immediately after high school or transferred from another university or college) and nontraditional students (who entered part-time…

A hands-on study for executives, researchers, and students who want to better understand how organizational culture can support or impede decision making strategies in a complex changing collegiate environment is provided. Leadership strategies and institutional problems are described. Seven different collegiate cultures are explored via case…

The relationship between the structure of decision-making in a college or university and the consensus on values within the university was studied, based on the field of organization theory where cultures and values are helpful in understanding the operations of an organization. Based on a larger study of the academic profession, a qualitative…

As part of a multi-phase, multi-method study of the House Plan at Cypress College in California, this study surveyed three student populations as to various House Plan aspects. Questionnaires were given or mailed to 135 students attending graduation rehearsal in June 1976, 256 students eligible for graduation, and 280 alumni who graduated in June…

For the past four years, Indiana University-Bloomington has used an ecosystems approach to environmental assessment to evaluate the programs, services, and personnel of its residence halls. In October 1981, undergraduates (N=710) living in residence halls completed a questionnaire about the residence hall environment. The questionnaire included an…

A causal model to explain student attrition was tested at a major midwestern land-grant university with a sample of 1,513 full-time, unmarried freshmen who were 21 years old or younger. The causal model was reduced from 23 to 10 variables: an intent variable, three attitudinal variables, and two each of organizational, personal, and environmental…

A study of admission and retention problems for black undergraduate students in seven predominantly white universities was commissioned to identify the principal problems, propose program alternatives to promote retention and graduation, and make recommendations about the responsibilities of the institutions in assuring access and graduation…