The Latino and Adult Student Success (LASS) Academy is a multi-year initiative administered by CAEL (the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning) focused on supporting Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) in their efforts to improve outcomes for adult and Latino adult learners. In its first phase, from 2018 through 2021, the LASS Academy…

This program profile describes a restructure of the PhD exam intended to enhance graduate-level instruction and advisement within the Rhetoric and Composition program at Georgia State University. We explain how a mix of institutional constraints and mentorship opportunities drove revisions to our doctoral exams and processes of doctoral…

Capstones in professional masters-level programs serve a unique nexus of developing professional, industry-specific competencies within a graduate-level academic setting. Universities offering such degree programs must demonstrate the benefits of an academic approach to working professionals, while focusing on the development or enhancement of a…

Studies have shown that student engagement in undergraduate research experiences leads to considerable gains in a wide range of skills important for success in postsecondary education and career development. However, recent research suggests that high-impact practices like undergraduate research are disproportionately available to students from…

Would you like to help your students adjust to university life? Perhaps you are simply interested in allowing them to feel more integrated into a department right from the start of their first year? These were the types of issues that we were hoping to address when we founded the MySci Advisors Program, a peer-mentoring group for first year…

Peace education provides for the development of knowledge, skills, and dispositions appropriate to effective peacebuilding. Therefore, the development of curriculum in degree programs which builds bridges by which students in conflict resolution/peace studies classrooms may cross over to the field of conflict transformation and peacebuilding may…

This article describes the Transition Program implemented at a liberal arts college for newly enrolled students who have the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The diagnosis of ASD has risen dramatically; consequently, more students are arriving on college campuses with needs related to social pragmatic functioning. The Transition…

Many institutions wish to offer a path for students pursuing actuarial careers but lack the student demand to offer new courses or hire additional faculty. Fortunately, a program training students to enter the profession can often be constructed using existing courses and well-informed advising.

We describe the roles and duties of a director in developing an introductory actuarial program. Degree plan design, specialized exam courses, internship classes, coordination of efforts with Economics and Finance Departments, opportunities for creating a minor in actuarial mathematics, actuarial clubs, career advice, and interaction with actuarial…

In this article, Gwen Taylor describes the West Kentucky Community and Technical College (WKCTC) groundbreaking program, "Accelerating Opportunity" (AO), which targeted students who are deficient in math, reading, or writing. The program uses the Washington State Board for Community & Technical Colleges' (2013) Integrated Basic…

Data-informed decision making helps higher education institutions know whether they are achieving their missions, including expanding access to higher education and increasing student success. For three consecutive years, Montgomery County Community College (MCCC) has been ranked among the top community colleges in the country for its use of…

Increasing instructor-student interactions and improving support personnel interventions with students positively affects their academic performance, retention, and graduation rates. This article discusses the Grade Performance Status (GPS) which is Northern Arizona University's new online, academic early alert tool for increasing instructor…

Two Maryland colleges (one a four-year liberal arts college for women, and one a public community college) have worked to increase the number of graduates, especially women and other under-represented groups, in their computer science, computer information systems, engineering, and mathematics programs over a four-year period. In August 2004, they…

Because of concern to provide students with accurate, up-to-date academic information, computer-assisted advising has been on the agenda for computer development. The state of art of computer-assisted advising is reviewed, and characteristics of leading programs in the country are analyzed. (MLW)

Reviews trends in community college academic support services, focusing on exemplary outreach programs; early and midterm intervention programs; referral systems; coordination of support services and subject area courses; identification of high-risk courses; and new funding approaches. (DMM)