This phenomenological study explored how students who were thriving at mission-driven institutions founded by female religious orders perceive and experience mission integration throughout their student experience. Participants for this study were Generation Z junior students attending institutions founded by the Sisters of Saint Joseph in the…

The research study aims to explore the perceptions of lived experiences of college students who regularly use an on-campus food pantry, with a particular focus on those attending Veritas University. Further, the study examines the central research question: What are students' perceptions of a newly implemented food pantry at a Catholic…

The purpose of this Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis was to understand the extent to which hegemonic masculinity inhibits self-authorship among male undergraduate students at Saint Somewhere College, a small, liberal arts, and Catholic institution of postsecondary education in the northeastern United States. Utilizing Baxter Magolda's…

This study examined the perceptions of students related to determinants of service quality experienced within both academic and non-academic areas of their respective institutions. As competition increases among higher education institutions so does the need to implement organizational strategies comparable to that of industries outside academia.…

This qualitative research study used an interpretivist approach to examine the following research questions: (a) Do Black students experience intersectionality between their racial and academic identities in Catholic institutions of higher education? (b) Do student academic pathways promote their racial identity? (c) For Black students, do racial…

On average 66% of high school graduates in the United States enroll in some form of post-secondary education after high school graduation. However, less than half of students sitting for the ACT in 2019 were deemed college ready in evidence-based reading, writing and math and as many of two thirds of first year college students enroll in at least…

In a Midwestern nonprofit, predominantly White, Catholic university, the problem was low retention of African American students after completing a first-year seminar (FYS) course. The purpose of this instrumental case study was to explore perceptions and challenges of African American college students and faculty about the required FYS course.…

Homesickness is a complex phenomenon that operates on a spectrum and impacts individuals' psychological, cognitive, and physical functioning. Sufferers experience a preoccupation of home and a strong desire to return home. In higher education, homesickness among first-year students has been linked to a higher risk of dropping out of school,…

Teachers at St. Scholastica School, a pseudonym, an all-girls Catholic high school, varied in approaches to discipline creating an unequal distribution of student citations and negatively impacting student experience. An Improvement Science approach identified two potential drivers of change: inconsistency in disciplinary policy and variation in…

This study applied a mixed-methods, social-justice approach to explore how Chinese international students interpret their success and/or challenges influenced by their Chinese forms of community cultural wealth in their academic learning at a predominately White Catholic university in the Midwest of the United States for over one year. I adopted a…

This study examined the way Black student leaders perceived, experienced and navigated the campus racial climate at a Catholic predominantly White institution (PWI). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight self-identified Black student leaders enrolled at a Catholic PWI. Data collected in this study was analyzed using Interpretive…

Women student-athletes' perspectives were explored through interviews in this qualitative, interpretive, multiple case study to examine how academic, athletic, peer-social, and spiritual development pathways influence their well-being. The perspectives of their coaches were also collected. Since women student-athletes may have different…

Students with disabilities are arriving in higher education without adequate self-advocacy skills nor were they feeling prepared for the transition from high school to college. The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate the self-advocacy skills of college students with disabilities. There are two research questions addressed in this…

The purpose of this narrative study was to understand the stories of low-income nontraditional students at a small Catholic college in Upstate New York, as they describe their persistence experiences in earning a college credential. The study employed a narrative research design and utilized Bandura's self-efficacy theory as the theoretical…

Black and Latinx male students' college completion rates are much lower than their White male peers. Mentoring is essential as it helps to cultivate students' college aspirations, prepare them for a successful transition from high school to college, and connect them to academic and social supports once on campus. Mentoring programs are a useful…