The shift to massified higher education has resulted in surges in the recruitment of staff and students from more diverse backgrounds, without ensuring the necessary concomitant changes in institutional and pedagogical cultures. Providing a genuinely inclusive and 'safer' higher education experience in this context requires a paradigm shift in our…

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to examine the role of a debt mitigation program as an incentive for adult student reengagement and to ascertain students' perceptions of the institution after reenrolling in college via the program. The debt mitigation program was the first in the nation to forgive past-due student institutional debt,…

This study utilized focus groups with Latinx students at a private, Midwestern university to explore the complexities inherent in the process of becoming a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). The purpose of the study was: (a) to better understand Latinx students' experiences at an "emerging" HSI, and (b) to understand how students…

Purpose: Research shows that family is influential to African Americans in college choice (Chapman "et al.," 2018; Chapman "et al.," 2020; Freeman, 2005; Hines "et al.," 2019; Lowry, 2017; Williams, 2018). However, it often overlooks unique, African-rooted characteristics of African American families and culture. This…

High teacher attrition rates suggest the need for new methods of STEM teacher education to prepare teachers for fulfilling professional and personal lives. This design research study explores an approach to teacher learning within a US university-based teacher education course which centres projective agency as a key aspect of teacher learning,…

Globally, there are political, social, and financial obstacles to providing high quality, inclusive early childhood education to young children with disabilities and their families. Many teachers are able to identify the systemic issues that negatively impact their work; however, many early childhood special education (ECSE) teachers do not have…

Objective: This study examined rates of positive screens for depression and posttraumatic stress and their comorbidity among undergraduate (N = 77) and graduate (N = 136) students who participated in on-campus Spiritual-Mind-Body (SMB) wellness interventions. Methods: Participants completed the PHQ-9 and the PCL-C before starting an 8-week…

This dissertation focuses on identifying essential characteristics of initiatives that build cooperative relationships and solidarity to advance democratically engaged community-campus partnerships. As such, it involves understanding the conditions that undermine these relationships, the critical practices that strengthen them, and the role of…

With the advent of the knowledge era, academia has begun to play new roles in society. As a result, requirements for the design of universities may also change. Milieus of lively and flourishing urban life that foster encounters and unforeseen collaborations within academia -- as well as between academia and society at large -- have been called…

There is broad recognition that anchor institutions--universities, hospitals, and other locally embedded organizations--can leverage their economic and human resources to revitalize and empower distressed neighborhoods. In Milwaukee, five anchor institutions, including Marquette University, collaborated with residents, city officials, and other…

Interest in universities as anchor institutions within their communities and cities is growing as civic leaders search for ways to build local wealth. Systematic analysis of the effects of anchor institution initiatives remains difficult due to the disparate nature of anchor initiatives and a relative lack of a shared language describing the work.…

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) serve a disproportionate number of first-generation students who are less likely than their counterparts to persist to graduation. One way they are working to retain first-generation students is through social engagement. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the social…

Background: Initial teacher education (ITE) research in South Africa shows gaps in preservice teachers' (PSTs) primary mathematics knowledge. Aim: We study the mental mathematics understandings and teaching experiences of three PSTs who achieved high gains for learners they taught mental mathematics to using the Mental Starters Assessment Project…

Food insecurity is a growing concern among college students. This narrative inquiry provides a greater understanding of food insecurity's impact on the college-going experience for urban students. Interviews were conducted with five college students who attend a large public urban university in the mid-Atlantic and use the on-campus food pantry.…

Alcohol and other drug (AOD) use problems among college students continue to represent a public health epidemic. In 2019, historically high rates of binge-drinking and marijuana use were reported among college-age adults, and the detrimental effects of excessive AOD use in college, such as poorer academic performance, sexual assault, injury or…