Institutions of higher learning are located within the context of neighborhoods. But to what degree do they see themselves as neighbors? What does it mean to be an engaged institutional neighbor? Inspired by this question, I utilize place-based community engagement principles, combined with self-study research methods, to trace the development of…

Transition pedagogy has had a major impact on the first year experience for higher education students in Australia. Similarly, there has been a significant focus on transitioning students from their final year of study to employment. Considerably fewer studies have sought to understand the "middle child"; the years in between the first…

In a state where most higher education institutions are working to address financial and enrollment challenges, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) faces some of the greatest difficulties of all. UWM's steep enrollment drop has exacerbated the effects of an eight-year tuition freeze and lagging state funding, forcing cuts to faculty,…

Senior Black faculty make a valuable contribution to the professorate by serving intentionally and vicariously as mentors to junior Black faculty and doctoral students. The authors of this research discuss the outcomes of a project consisting of two panel seminars that were provided to junior Black faculty and doctoral students at a Research I…

Mentoring and diversity are disparate elements of interest within universities. We used a descriptive case study to provide an understanding of the interaction between diversity and the academic mentoring process. The conceptual framework is two-fold: (a) that mentoring relationships progressed through four phases: Initiation, Cultivation,…

Ensuring success in public higher education among underrepresented students is integral to social equity in the United States today. The current research contextualizes proximal and structural characteristics shaping the opportunities of underrepresented students by drawing on multidisciplinary theoretical frameworks to consider the influence of…

Prior to the COVID-19 emergency, some faculty resisted the move to digital learning formats due to concerns for student equity or that engagement would suffer. The purpose of this study was to understand how faculty adapted their courses during the rapid shift to remote and online learning in the spring of 2020, and to understand the role of…

As the largest university in the state's biggest city, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) plays a crucial role in providing higher education to disadvantaged students. It also serves as the third-largest research institution in the state, behind only UW-Madison and the Medical College of Wisconsin. In 2013, an estimated $1.5 billion in…

This issue of "Assessment Update" presents the following articles: (1) University of North Carolina at Charlotte: Using the EIA [Excellence in Assessment] Application as a Catalyst for Intentional Improvement (Christine Robinson and associates); (2) Editor's Notes (Stephen P. Hundley); (3) Northern Arizona University's Journey to…

Mezirow (1991) defines transformative learning as a theory about constructing meaning, not just about knowledge acquisition, and the construction of meaning is about learning through critical reflection, rather than mindlessly or unquestioningly acquiring frames of reference through life experiences. Mezirow (1997) emphasizes that transformative…

This study investigated online faculty familiarity, course design use, and professional development interest regarding universal design for learning (UDL) guidelines. The researchers surveyed all 2017 to 2018 online faculty at a large university in the southeastern United States. Findings included 71.6% of faculty reporting familiarity with at…

Based on the job demand-resources framework, the present study investigates the association between teacher-researcher role conflict and burnout (including emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment) among Chinese university teachers by testing the moderating effects of perceived organizational support (POS) and…

Once an institution has chosen to recognize and reward community-engaged scholarship in its university-wide promotion and tenure policy, what are some strategies for aligning unit and department policies as well? This chapter describes the path followed at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro to align policies across all units and…

Purpose: This research is situated at a metropolitan university in Melbourne (Australia) where the authors work in initial teacher education programs within the same faculty. The purpose of this study is to raise awareness that collegial, collaborative and "co-caring" environments can foster an improved sense of belonging, acceptance and…

Internationalisation is a cross-cutting theme in the strategic plans of many universities, and an increased international profile is a core goal for many cities. At the same time, even the leaders of some of Europe's most avowedly outward-facing, 'global' universities have begun to prioritise relations with their city counterparts in recent years.…