Adjuncts continue to be an integral part of higher education; however, they are rarely onboarded at higher education institutions. Onboarding involves systematically introducing a new employee to an organization's values, processes, and procedures. For adjuncts, they also need formalized training in pedagogy. Without onboarding adjuncts, higher…

A considerable gap exists in understanding the educational and career trajectories of Latina students attending rural postsecondary institutions. Although the number of rural students entering college has increased, their experiences and the factors influencing their academic success and future careers have been largely overlooked. Research on…

Women now comprise the majority of the higher education workforce; yet they still experience workplace aggression at alarming rates. The purpose of this action research study was to investigate workplace aggression among women colleagues at a small, rural community college. The study also sought to create a more supportive work environment for…

Inclusive postsecondary education programs (IPSE) for students with intellectual disabilities (ID) are relatively new, having their formal beginning in the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA; P.L. 110-315) of 2008. These programs vary greatly and are found in urban, suburban, and rural areas of the United States. Those programs in rural areas…

This quantitative study analyzed more than 240 first-year freshmen from Generation Z at a rural, Midwest, four-year public higher education institution. The data included first-year college students and were categorized by domestic underrepresented or domestic non-underrepresented, first generation or non-first generation, and male or female.…

A qualitative research study was conducted to explore leadership competencies of presidents of public universities with enrollments of less than 7,000, located in small rural communities and distant locations in the Upper Midwest. The context of higher education is constantly evolving. Internal pressures from faculty and students, as well as…

The COVID-19 pandemic and the move to fully remote education required higher education practitioners to place extra focus on low socioeconomic students and those considered most at risk due to the disruption in learning (Goldrick-Rab, 2020; Kerr, 2020; Lustig, 2020; Miller, 2020; Zenter, 2020). Davis (2020) discovered that rural first-generation…

The gap between the matriculation rates of Hispanic undergraduate students and their graduation rates warrants a closer look, as the degree attainment of Hispanics is necessary for the nation's academic and economic health (Freeman & Martinez, 2015). Rural four-year Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) are an important piece of this puzzle as…

The researcher conducted a qualitative interview study that identified barriers to higher education experienced by African-American women living in the rural South. The research questions were (1) What is the role of social capital in the accessibility of higher education for African-American females in the rural South? (2) How does social context…

This qualitative study explores the educational experiences of African American students from the rural region of Alabama commonly known at the Black Belt and how the resources they received helped them prepare and gain access to higher education. The purpose of this study was to examine how factors such as rurality, race and class impact rural…

Academic performance in American high schools has historically been lower for children with particular demographics such as low-socioeconomic status, membership in certain minorities, first-generation college enrollment, or other traditionally underrepresented on college campuses (Berger, 2015). This gap in academic performance between students of…

This qualitative single descriptive case study addressed the perspectives of how minority women perceived higher education institutions support or lack of support in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. The problem was that there is a disproportionately small number of minority women being prepared to fill STEM jobs.…

Two concerns served the impetus for this study. Limited literature has created a research gap exploring why Latinas earn baccalaureate degrees from extended universities, and the community central to the study has been lagging behind state and national baccalaureate degree attainment. The researcher employed mixed-methods to describe motivating…

Student enrollment in online classes has witnessed a significant growth over the past decade. Higher education institutions, in particular, rural community colleges recognize both the need and demand for online classes and have taken great strides to incorporate them into their course curriculum. However, with the growth of online courses there…

Change is indeed the watchword for this millennial generation and the inherent responsibility of educating our youth places our country's education system in the epicenter of that evolutionary experience. Such a clarion call for academic excellence requires an educational paradigm, which fosters a school's continuous capacity for improvement. The…