In the 21st century, the exponential growth of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education and the corresponding critical need for STEM graduates in the profession have both outpaced the number of STEM graduates joining the workforce. This is a global problem, one to which the U.S. can relate. A literature review of research…

The concept of service-learning combines academic studies with real-world community issues. It aims to help students develop themselves through reflection and critical thinking while also making a positive impact on the community. Integrating service-learning into foreign language and culture education can fulfill the need for practical language…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences and perceptions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) students as they engage in services offered at a Maryland community college and the effect of participation and engagement in those services on their overall success while enrolled at the community…

A growing body of research has focused on Black and Latino males in community colleges, but the research has stopped short of exploring how they experience the academic language of the community college. The purpose of this qualitative, narrative study was to explore the stories of Black and Latino males at a community college in Maryland to…

Despite the rising number of African American community college women executives that have joined the ranks in higher education, understandings factors that impact their career advancement is inadequate. Consistent case studies that examined the perception of African American women leaders in community colleges are limited. The purpose of this…

Primary research questions: What stories do student parents at Maryland Community College (MCC) tell about their intersecting identities? How do student parents speak about the institutional context of MCC in these stories? What are the implications of these stories in supporting student parents at MCC? Nearly 3.8 million student parents are…

Teacher attrition is increasing (Torpey, 2018), and approximately 100,000 teachers will leave this field annually from 2016 to 2026. Addressing wellbeing constructs retain more employees and decrease presenteeism (Hemp, 2014). Teachers cite a lack of job satisfaction and burnout as their main reasons for attrition (Brasfield et al., 2019; Fisher,…

This action research study followed a sample of first-generation, first-year college students through the summer 2021 orientation process at Towson University (TU), a large public institution in Maryland. Little recent research has been conducted to understand the student experience of the orientation process. First-generation college students are…

Legislation and litigation to end desegregation in higher education and improve college choice to HBCUs abound while academic programs continue to impact college choice. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the influence of Maryland's dual system of public higher education on college choice, specifically through community college…

Cohorts have a positive influence on doctoral students, providing support and contributing to student success. Many of these benefits are attributed to the sense of community a cohort develops. Despite the importance of a sense of community in doctoral cohorts, few studies have addressed how it develops. The purpose of this study was to examine,…

Transgender and gender non-conforming (trans*) students are growing in visibility and advocacy in the higher education landscape, yet students must navigate a collegiate environment not historically structured to meet their needs (Herman et al., 2022; Nicolazzo, 2017). This mixed-methods research study examined the higher education institutional…

Over the course of the last few decades, there has been a push to diversify the field of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) through the recruitment of underrepresented minorities (URM) to pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in STEM. A body of research has demonstrated that graduates of the Meyerhoff Scholars Program…

The landscape of higher education is dynamic and continually changing due to cultural shifts, student demography, the influence of technology, and pressures from external constituents. The changing landscape of higher education requires good governance. Community colleges are called upon to rethink their existing governance structures (Crellin,…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore the attitudes, subjective norms, and behavioral intentions of Maryland state legislators regarding a tuition-free community college education in the State of Maryland. All members of the Maryland House of Delegates and the Maryland State Senate were surveyed. The theoretical lens, which guides…

The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the buffering effect of subjective well-being (SWB) between community college students' levels of daily life hassles (DLH) and their grade point average (GPA) during the fall semester. The problem addressed looked at DLH having an effect on academics such as lowering GPAs, data…