Despite accounting for a majority of college students in the United States, women fill a minority of professional leadership positions often associated with collegiate success. This suggests that educational access alone does not guarantee equitable societal outcomes after graduation, but rather remains shaped by a patriarchal social order. The…

Meeting with an academic advisor may be one of the few, if not the only, one-on-one interactions an undergraduate student has with faculty or staff outside of classroom matters. This interaction connects students to the curriculum of their selected major and campus resources but, most importantly, the academic advisor provides a direct connection…

Despite a multitude of possible explanations for racial and ethnic group differences in collegiate achievement, scholars have continued to call for new research and theories to better explain this ongoing phenomenon. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to investigate the relationship between grit, racialized campus experiences, and college…

Substance use in America remains a public health crisis, especially given the ongoing opioid epidemic and an alarming spike in overdose related deaths. Institutions of higher education have a unique opportunity to provide realistic measures of sustained substance use disorder (SUD) recovery through collegiate recovery programs (CRP) that employ…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate how Latinx students perceive the campus climate in curricular and cocurricular settings at a four-year public Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) in Texas. In addition, the study examined Latinx students' understanding of the HSI designation and how their expectations of institutional…

Despite more than four decades of extensive research on student engagement and campus climate, researchers still do not know how to create undergraduate learning environments that promote student persistence. Undergraduate student graduation rate in the US has consistently hovered at around the 50 percent mark. In fact, the field of student…

Many previous studies have focused on the aggressive homophobic discrimination and harassment that LGBTQ students face on college campuses, as well as measures taken to improve their situation. However, few studies have explored the unique forms of sexual and racial discrimination encountered by Black male homosexual and bisexual college students…

Supporting student success in introductory mathematics courses is a growing national imperative in order to both diversify and increase the number of well-prepared Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) graduates. Efforts to diversify STEM fields have focused on broadening participation, addressing equitable outcomes, and…

For this research, I employed a qualitative research design using a critical paradigm to explore the racialized experiences of current and former Polynesian college football players at a university in the Intermountain West region of the United States. Participants were identified using a purposeful sampling technique. I specifically sought to…

American higher education scholars found that college students' spirituality and religiosity significantly impact their college experiences and outcomes (Astin et al., 2011a, 2011b; Astin & Lindholm, 2011; Kuh & Gonyea, 2006). While attention on the importance of spirituality and religiosity has increased, international students'…

The lived and collegiate experiences of adult learners, who are among the fastest growing student population in 21st century higher education, is the essence of this study. The study was conducted using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Fifteen baccalaureate level degree-seeking study participants consented to share their respective…

This qualitative descriptive study aimed to explore how nineteen Latina college students described their unique challenges as Hispanic women and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) students while attending a STEM program at three Hispanic Serving Institutions in southern California. Women, particularly Latinas, remain vastly…

In response to research pointing to a growing executive leadership crisis in community colleges (CCs), with too few strong candidates entering the leadership pipeline for the presidency, I focused this study on individuals already in that pipeline. My goal was to develop an understanding of their perceptions of their own roles in the pipeline and…

Texas community colleges are facing new challenges every day from outside forces. One of the latest forces is the Texas state legislature. The state legislature has allowed the carrying of conceal weapons on community college campuses with the passing of Senate Bill 11 (Handgun Laws, 2018). Historically, community colleges have been safe places…

Institutional Title IX processes fail to adequately address harms and needs which result from campus sexual misconduct, leaving many students dissatisfied. The purpose of this action research study was to investigate this problem within a specific university community and consider how to aim for improvement. Through surveys, interviews, and a…