This study examined the academic and social experiences of first-year female and visible minority group science students at "Big U," a large multi-racial and multi-cultural commuter university, located in a central Canadian city. In 1992, a total of 498 incoming science students were surveyed in September, November, and February-March of…

The most widely accepted classification system of institutions of higher education, the Carnegie system, does not provide any sub-groupings for the category of two-year institutions. This lack of precision has inhibited the understanding of the diversity among and between community colleges, their missions, functions, curricula, students, and…

The influence of family background, including parental education, on college student attrition was evaluated with first- and second-generation American students. A total of 701 enrolled students and those who left before graduation were surveyed at a primarily residential private liberal arts college and at a primarily commuter state-supported…

The needs and characteristics of urban students at 10 urban U.S. colleges and universities were surveyed in 1983. Attention was directed to students' personal characteristics and educational and financial background, why students select and attend the institutions, and how students view programs and services. The campuses were primarily…

With its rapidly increasing enrollment and its large population of evening students, the University of Missouri, St. Louis (UMSL) has its share of the special problems of student and faculty involvement which a commuter college often develops. This paper focuses on the programs and activities established to encourage and provide opportunities for…

Demographic characteristics, interpersonal and academic problems, underlying motives and needs, and ultimate goals of nontraditional students at a four-year liberal arts college were evaluated based on survey responses. The students were enrolled in the spring semester 1981 at a suburban publicly-supported, commuter college, located in the…

Needs of off-campus students in Southern West Virginia, and specifically students enrolled at Bluefield State College, are considered. The computer college has several off-campus locations, including one 60 miles away, and it serves a population that tends to have low educational attainment levels. One environmental factor that influences student…

The use of an expectancy-value model, common to consumer marketing studies, in analyzing the market position of Cleveland State University was investigated. Attention was focused on showing how consumer attitude concepts and methodologies can be used in developing a strategic marketing plan. Six populations were identified as groups important to…

Results of a recent study of attrition, retention, and transfer within the system of public higher education in Kentucky are summarized. Attrition, retention, and transfer rates are presented by class level and institution for 1979-80. For first-time full-time freshmen, the university system had an attrition rate of 27.9 percent, ranging from 20.6…

The extent to which Tinto's model of college withdrawal has predictive validity in different types of postsecondary institutions was tested during the 1978-79 and 1979-80 academic years. Secondary analyses were conducted on a sample of 2,326 freshman students from 11 diverse institutions participating in project CHOICE (to better inform…

This personal report of classroom experiences at an urban commuter college relates the experiences of a teacher and a group of working-class students studying the book "Utopia," which is also the metaphor for the hoped-for learning experience. The book, illustrated by excerpts from student-submitted work, shows how pedagogical theory leads to…

Fundamental changes that will affect American higher education during the next 20 years are discussed with specific reference to residential colleges. It is suggested that many traditional residential colleges will have difficulty meeting the challenges of a changing society and will be forced to close their doors. The development and adoption of…

Information about and excerpts from the 1981 "Commuter Institution Index," an annual publication on research on commuter institutions of higher education are presented. The Index provides an overview of the demographic characteristics of responding institutions and the functions most frequently performed by these institutions for commuters. It…

In an effort to identify the motivational factors contributing to student retention or attrition, 487 students at the Mansfield Campus of Ohio State University (MC-OSU), a two-year, commuter campus, were surveyed to determine their characteristics and reasons for choosing MC-OSU and to assess the variances between their perceptions of the real and…