First-generation college students are underrepresented within honors programs and colleges, and their retention and persistence rates lag far behind their continuing-generation peers. Students in honors programs and colleges have higher retention and persistence rates than non-honors students. The best practices within honors have shown to include…

Earning a college degree requires a standard measure of academic success. Institutionally, this measure is calculated in earned credits and cumulative grade point averages known together as satisfactory academic progress. This qualitative study explores the relationship of students' academic progress and their perceived sense of belonging after…

This qualitative case study explored the perceptions of college students at Cooper University, a large state university in the Northeastern United States, regarding connectedness, sense of belonging, and campus climate. Data were collected through a student questionnaire (n=104), interviews (n=6), and digital journals (n=6). Four major themes…

Climates inside and outside the classroom on community college campuses affect the sense of belonging for queer and trans students. The purpose of this interpretive inquiry was to understand how LGBTQ+ community college students described their sense of belonging at their respective institutions. Drawing upon Strayhorn's (2019) sense of belonging…

Social group disparities persist in who chooses to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields in higher education. Goal congruity theory has highlighted how perceptions of other-oriented opportunities in STEM can spur interest among underrepresented students. The present work extends this framework by considering how…

Black women student affairs professionals are essential figures and play a vital role in the development and learning of students attending college (Jackson, 2003; Turrentine & Conley, 2001). While the presence of Black women students continues to rise on campus, Black women student affairs professionals continue to be disproportionately…

The purpose of the study is to understand how Latina community college students perceive and experience academic advising that has been redesigned within the guided pathways framework. Critical Race Theory (CRT) is used to frame the research study from a racialized lens and to problematize the race-neutral framework of guided pathways. I utilized…

Student affairs educators and administrators at institutions of higher education aim to facilitate student learning, provide support, and offer opportunities for meaningful connection, ultimately hoping to retain students. One potential way to meet these goals is the implementation of a curricular approach that fosters inclusive learning…

The problem this study addressed is low participation from African Americans in science occupations. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to identify strategies that encourage participation from African Americans in science. The expectancy-value and critical race theories were the theoretical frameworks for this study.…

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…

This qualitative case study explored self-efficacy and sense of belonging among African American males who participated in Men of Vision and their perception of community college. Ten students of the community college participated in the study through individual, in-depth interviews with the participants addressing three primary research…

The purpose of this collective case study was to examine the experiences of six, first-generation Latinx students in the university symphony orchestra regarding their preparation for the audition, level of academic kinship with music mentors, and sense of community membership (McMillan & Chavis, 1986). First-generation Latinx college students…

The study of sense of belonging in college among community college students has been limited in the literature. This cross-sectional quantitative study sought to address that gap by identifying factors that influenced community college students' sense of belonging in college at eight Ohio community colleges through an electronic questionnaire…

The purpose of this study was to illuminate the experiences of undergraduate students who participated in academic community-engaged learning, specifically as those experiences related to student mental health and wellness. Student mental health is a growing priority for higher education institutions, and the number of students who are struggling…

Integrating Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) into introductory STEM courses at the university level has been recognized as important in increasing persistence in STEM. A significant area of attrition from the STEM pathway, however, occurs during secondary school when student interest in STEM rapidly declines. In this study,…