Over the last two decades higher education has experienced continuous growth in online education, with students and faculty enjoying the flexibility. With that flexibility came new pedagogies, new course preps, and a new era of teaching, learning, and academic planning. Just as those in the classroom had to modify behaviors and strategies,…

This study demonstrates a holistic view into the structure of the Student Athlete Study Room Program, collecting and analyzing data from the student athletes who participated in the program, the peer tutors who facilitated the program, the athletic coaches who engaged with the program support, and the professional staff administrative oversight…

The purpose of this study was to examine academic commitments in Division I specially and regularly admitted student-athletes. Division I student-athletes completed questionnaires assessing academic and athletic identity, perceived academic support, degree commitment, institutional commitment, and intent to withdraw. Structural equation modeling…

Higher education institutions need to be responsible for understanding the characteristics and qualities of learners who decide to take courses with them; online vs. on-campus and what it takes to keep them learning at an institution. Taking heed and modifying structures, communications, and services will help learners and institutions in this…

Providing students with effective retention strategies allows nursing schools to help as many struggling students as possible, leading to an increased number of graduates. A nationwide nursing shortage has forced schools to try to keep up with the demands. However, many obstacles prevent students from being successful. This qualitative study…

The connections we establish in college are transformative and redirect our lives to make lasting impacts on others around us and in the world. Student affairs and academic support services can make the difference in whether students drop out, fail academically or succeed in their college and career aspirations and realize a personal vision for…

This study examined how mentoring services offered at a predominately White university (PWI) aid its African American students in achieving academic success. The low success rate of African American students at PWIs is well documented. African Americans face many socio-cultural challenges, such as family structure, cultural deprivation,…

Peer coaching is a formal program whereby successful students support their peers in attaining academic and social goals. Survey results unveiled that 90 percent of coachees felt peer coaches enhanced learning, and 100 percent felt peer coaches engendered a sense of community and belonging. More than 85 percent of coachees planned to persist in…

As demand for college graduates grows (Times Higher Education, 2023) persistence rates for first-generation students continue to lag (Toutkoushain et al., 2018, 2021). Complicating our understanding of this opportunity gap is the diversity of how first-generation student status is defined (Jo Peralta & Klonowski, 2017). We argue that while…

An Engineering Success Centre was formed with the long-term goals of providing targeted first-year support, increasing retention, and developing leaders. The novelty of the Centre is that the priorities and activities were defined by the students that were employed to run it in a shared leadership model. Student leaders were in various years of…

Although students with specific learning disabilities are graduating from high school and being accepted into college at higher rates, research shows that the majority of these students are unsuccessful at the collegiate level (Alvarez-Perez et al., 2012; Connor, 2009; Gil, 2007; Lightfoot et al., 2018; Newman et al., 2011). This study is…

This qualitative phenomenological study aimed to explore community college graduate lived experience as it relates to retention and persistence. Data was collected from 15 California community college graduates from multiple community colleges who earned an associate's degree and were 18 years of age or older. Collecting participant data provided…

The purpose of this study is to explore the perceptions of academic student support program leadership regarding best practices, experiences, and behaviors that influence their work toward retention and graduation efforts. Three research questions resulted from the study's purpose: (a) What are program directors' perceptions regarding their…

As higher education faces challenges in low enrollment, soaring prices, and individuals who question the need for a degree, these institutions must transform into flexible-minded and innovative centers of excellence. The purpose of this study is to explore how empathetic and collaborative practices inherent in design thinking methodologies can…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive research was to explore how students described their experiences within a semester-long, new-student orientation program as contributing to their year-to-year re-enrollment at a community college in Arizona. Two research questions guided the stud. Exhaustive review of prior research indicated the…