The nursing shortage has accelerated the need for nursing programs to discover program components related to success on the NCLEX-RN. As the demand for nurses is growing, nursing programs have been called upon to help find solutions to the problem. This study attempted to contribute to the resolution of the shortage and provide nursing educators…

With projections of the decline of the Texas economic base, graduation rates and percentages of Hispanic students at Texas community colleges were examined to determine whether statistically significant increases were present from the years 2000 to 2008. In 2010, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board modified the major initiative Closing…

John Pulley begins this article by sharing the story of Richard Quiroga, a shining example of what can happen when an at-risk student in an economically disadvantaged region gets the right training at the right time. As a young man, Quiroga was living on his own and at risk of getting sucked into the whirlpool of poverty and despair that often…

Lower division preparation for the university has been an important mission of community colleges since their inception, creating an essential pathway to baccalaureate degree attainment for many students who may not have access to higher education. The transfer pathway is complex and often difficult for students to navigate. This study examined…

Southern Cross University (SCU) has established a pathways college to increase access to and widen participation in higher education for people in regional areas of Australia. While many Australian universities have preparatory colleges associated with them, SCU College has been designed to make it unique in the sector. SCU College will operate…

This quantitative, causal-comparative research study investigated the effectiveness of a strategy to address concerns in nursing education about the high attrition rates and poor retention rates of pre-licensure nursing students, particularly in the first semester of nursing school. Two research questions guided this study and focused on the…

Producing sufficient numbers of graduates who are prepared for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) occupations has become a national priority in the United States. To attain this goal, some policymakers have targeted reducing STEM attrition in college, arguing that retaining more students in STEM fields in college is a…

Objective: Research on labor market outcomes for individuals who enroll in technical colleges is limited, with even less attention to the effects of short-term certificates than associate degrees. Also, despite the importance of manufacturing programs, there is a lack of research on employment outcomes for individuals who enroll in these programs…

Washington's community and technical colleges (CTCs) play an important role in producing baccalaureate degree graduates in the state. They expand opportunities for both graduates and employers, build upon professional-technical associate degrees, and provide a clear pathway for students who may be place bound or have difficulty finding a transfer…

The 2015 Minnesota Legislature enacted a state postsecondary educational attainment goal: 70 percent of Minnesota adults (age 25 to 44) will have attained a postsecondary certificate or degree by 2025 ("Minnesota Laws 2015 Chapter 69, Article 3, Section 6"). To achieve this goal, Minnesota must address disparities across the educational…

The 2016 Examples of "Excelencia" recognizes selected programs in higher education at the Associate, Baccalaureate, Graduate levels as well as at Community-Based Organizations (CBOs). The compendium contains one-page program summary of the 4 Examples of "Excelencia" and the 16 finalist programs making a positive difference in…

Although the United States is touted as a country where anyone could be successful regardless of social class or national background, upward social mobility is hard to attain. Less than one in 10 children born into poverty will reach the top of the income distribution. For many individuals, postsecondary education has historically been a way out…

Drawing on a literature and program review, analysis of publicly available data, and consultations with experts in the field, this report examines opportunities for women and student parents to pursue and succeed in STEM fields at community colleges. Findings include the following: (1) Women with associate's degrees earn only 77 percent of what…

Previous studies have examined the curricula of information systems technology (IST) programs, and some have noted a discrepancy between the stated needs of industry and the skills and attributes of graduates of 4-year programs. In addition, gaps between the 2-year curricula and the perceived needs of employers have been noted. The purpose of this…

In this study academic outcomes for Associate of Applied Science and Associate of Applied Arts degree students who transferred to a large public midwestern research university were examined. A group with transcripted technical credits of 16 hours at transfer were compared and contrasted with a peer group of college-parallel associate's degree…