Our preliminary experiment examined a potential pain point with ASSIST, California's database of articulation agreements. That pain point is cross-referencing multiple articulation agreements to manually develop an "optimal" academic plan. Optimal is defined as the minimal set of community college courses that satisfy all transfer…

First-generation college students' degree attainment is far below their continuing generation peers (Whitely et al., 2018). This study aims to offer institutions of higher education better insight into how to provide support to be more effective in retaining first-generation college students. This explanatory sequential mixed methods study…

While the value of mentoring has long been presumed in the literature as well as in practices, little is known about the success of formal, and informal mentoring practices (Crisp, 2010; Crisp & Cruz, 2009; & Ward & Ball, 2016). In addition, there is a lack of research on community college student mentoring in higher education…

This qualitative study highlights how the use of several interpretative-methods helps to better capture the journey of the participants' transition from low-income, immigrant households to first-generation college students of color at a top-tier research university. I examine a wide range of interpretive practices, from traditional to innovative…

The study explores the faculty, staff, and student perceptions of how leadership decisions impacted Odessa College, a Texas community college, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Community colleges in Texas have experienced a decrease in enrollment in recent years. The pandemic exacerbated the problem, as evidenced by the further drop in enrollment in…

In the past few decades, the cost of college has risen significantly, while federal, state, and institutional financial aid and family income have remained stagnant or declined (Goldrick-Rab, 2018). As a result, many college students struggle to afford the full cost of college attendance and may experience basic needs insecurity, including the…

While residents of Los Angeles County appear to have access to seemingly endless postsecondary opportunities within their proximity, the geography of opportunity for accessible options of higher education leading to bachelor's degrees in the area requires further exploration. This case study explores the spatial contexts and 3-year transfer…

Community colleges offer students points of entry to a better way of life, and one of the most significant ways they do so is through low-cost accrual of college credit that can be applied to a bachelor's degree upon transfer to a four-year college or university. Most students who attend community college intend to transfer; in fact, in a 2022…

This article focuses on integrating topics of emotional intelligence in curricular and co-curricular collegiate leadership education. The authors spotlight one institution's use of emotionally intelligent leadership as a framework across a variety of leadership programs, courses, and trainings. Critiques, considerations, and resources to inform…

Students who are unable to reliably commute to their college campus stand to fall behind in school or drop out altogether. For many students, the cost of transportation presents a barrier to higher education entry and completion. In 2020-2021, transportation costs accounted for nearly 20 percent of the cost of attending college for commuting…

Thousands of students and hundreds of institutions participate in intercollegiate forensics competitions each year. Previous research has discovered instances of plagiarism by competitors on multiple occasions, despite this being against the rules of competition and a violation of academic norms. The purpose of this pragmatic qualitative research…

This article examines the lives and family relationships of young women of Moroccan descent in Catalonia, Spain. Based on ethnographic research and life stories, we have found that access to Higher Education has led these young women to a feminist interpretation of the "Qur'an." This interpretation allows them to identify as Muslim women…

Despite the potential for mutual learning, improvement of service provision, and the advancement of policy, research on first-generation migrant students and research on international students have remained stubbornly separate. This paper makes the case that education research would benefit from leveraging data on international students and that…

University counseling centers (UCCs) are an important resource for sexual and gender minority (SM/GM) students as they navigate their college experience. This study investigated the mental health needs of SM/GM collegiate clients in 2020-2021 as compared to the mental health needs of SM/GM collegiate clients in 2012-2015. The analyses also…

The 2011 Budget Control Act eliminated the in-school interest subsidy for graduate and professional students borrowing under the Stafford Loan Program. As a result, starting on July 1, 2012, graduate and professional students borrowing Stafford Loans became responsible for the interest accruing during their in-school deferment period. This study…