In the United States, postsecondary educational attainment positively correlates to the probability of a person being employed and the amount of money they earn (U.S. Department of Labor, 2018). Financial aid programs attempt to help students afford, remain in, and finish their postsecondary pursuits, but Levin (1989) asserted some forms of…

Learning communities for college students have been shown to improve first-year student outcomes and narrow equity gaps, but longer-term data to evaluate whether these benefits persist through multi-year retention and graduation are rare. This is especially important for students in science, technology, engineering and math, who often confront…

In the higher education landscape, community colleges have served to help many under-resourced populations gain access to post-secondary education and a chance to pursue their dreams (Bailey, Jaggers, & Jenkins, 2015; Schudde & Goldrick-Rab, 2015). As with many under-resourced populations of students, the stakes are high for incarcerated…

The current study examined the relationship between faculty gender diversity (GD) and college and university level outcomes and the role that diversity climate (DC) plays in these relationships in a sample of N = 282 4-year, public and private, non-profit, degree granting institutions in the U.S. Based on social categorization and signaling…

This case study analyzed a unique doctoral program in education at Dowling College, Long Island, New York that had an 88% graduation rate within seven years that included 60% of students of color in contrast with doctoral graduation rates in the United States that are an average of 38% within seven years with only 24% students of color graduating.…

Online higher education has been a success in part because it is less costly to students and governments than conventional education, so both students and governments receive higher returns on their investment than in conventional higher education. However, many online institutions appear to have considerably lower graduation rates than…

This Educational Leadership Portfolio (ELP) examines the implementation of targeted interventions to increase the recruitment and retention of members with varying diverse identities within Delta Phi Epsilon International Sorority. Sorority membership benefits students through higher level academic performance and ultimately increased retention…

Colleges and universities continue to experience growth in their online programs, yet retention, persistence, and graduation rates of adult online learners remain problematic. However, only some higher education institutions offer professional development specifically on teaching adult learners online to address the long-standing issue. This…

This mixed methods case study examined the intervention strategy of a veteran transfer success course (TS 250) offered at West University. The study examined the TS 250 course and how it contributes to student success by creating a sense of belonging and easing the transition from service to university. The mixed methods study utilized student…

Since the 2016 U.S. presidential election, increasing attention has been paid to rural communities. For our study, we used a multicase study approach that included five states to study the difference between the rhetoric about the need to focus more attention on rural communities soon after the 2016 election and the practiced reality of state…

As institutions look to improve student retention through first-year experience (FYE) courses, some have implemented courses targeted specifically to the international population. A quantitative comparison of international students who took an FYE course with international students who did not take an FYE course was completed to analyze the…

Postsecondary co-enrollment, or simultaneous enrollment at multiple institutions, is becoming increasingly common among U.S. college students. This descriptive analysis documented the characteristics and co-enrollment patterns of Latinx/a/o students in the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (12/17). Findings of the study revealed…

This research study analyzed the experiences of Black engineering students at a predominantly white institution (PWI) for the purpose of discovering the configurations of conditions that explain these students' decisions to stay or leave their engineering majors at this PWI. This study includes a descriptive analysis of quantitative data related…

Arizona State University's (ASU) Bridging Success program, launched in 2015, is a campus-based support program for students with a background in foster care, also known as Foster Care Alumni (FCA). The program is housed within ASU's School of Social Work, which is part of the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions. The program…

The Biomedical Freshman Research Initiative (BFRI) is a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), a hispanic-serving institution. Our analysis showed that BFRI participation was associated with retention in the BS in Biomedical Science program and at UTRGV. No significant difference…