Peter G. Northouse's "Leadership: Theory and Practice" defines leadership as an individual's influence on a group in order to reach a goal. This definition is good in that it is difficult to disagree with, but it is vague in that the creation of influence can happen in countless ways, some of which, such as the use of coercion, force, or unethical…

In the previous two issues of "About Campus," the author has described the national study of college-student thriving that she has conducted with her doctoral students at Azusa Pacific University over the past several years. Their validated and reliable 35-item Thriving Quotient has been administered to over 15,000 college students across more…

For centuries, issues of civil discourse only arose concerning written and oral communication. But now, new technologies for communication and social interaction, particularly social media, have dramatically expanded the potential for human interaction. They generate significant challenges for institutional policies and practices to encourage and…

An essential student competency for living and engaging with people's deepest differences is civility. Several recent articles in "About Campus" have suggested both the urgency and educational value of student dialogue and understanding--especially when it comes to religious and ideological differences on campus. More specifically, the way to…

Academic coaching can be a crucial step in helping students transition to college. Coaches work with students to be strategic in establishing and achieving their academic goals as well as becoming engaged on campus. At the University of South Carolina, academic coaching is defined as a one-on-one interaction with a student focusing on strengths,…

In this article, the author contends that to understand the concern over student mental health, one must first consider what students are reporting about themselves. Students with mental health issues are intellectually capable; rising numbers of accepted students with diagnosed psychological conditions confirm this. However, many conditions…

The goals of this essay are to shed light on the importance of faculty-student (or staff-student) relationships to student success and to describe the various faculty or staff roles that are available to help students succeed. Students rely on the support of faculty advisors and mentors to help them navigate their undergraduate experiences. Now a…

Research on college choice, like research on general college experiences, has focused mainly on the process for all students as well as on racial or ethnic minorities and economically disadvantaged students. Less is known about the potential concerns for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or queer (GLBTQ) college students. In this article, the…

In this article, the authors argue that campus communities must play a more active role in developing financial literacy than they currently do--and not just by providing counseling in moments of emergency. They argue that financial literacy, as a life skill, as a requisite to citizenship, and as a critical intellectual competency, is an essential…

In this article, the authors report on a successful collaboration between academic and student services that resulted in a Rutgers University Byrne Seminar on social entrepreneurship. The course, entitled "The Business of Doing Good: Combining Business Practices with Social Activism," was designed to inspire the next generation of change makers,…

Collegiate athletics has exploded into a multimillion-dollar enterprise that has brought with it a host of issues, including the exploitation of student athletes, concerns about student athletes' academic success and low graduation rates, cheating by student athletes and staff, and misbehavior and crimes committed by student athletes, coaches, and…

The term "helicopter parents" typically involves parents--most often, mothers--who "hover" over their children to shelter them from stress, resolve their problems, and offer unwavering, on-the-spot support and affirmation. The recipients of this attention are the generation who have had their play dates managed and have been fed a steady diet of…

In this article, the author reflects on the learning opportunities provided by the tragedy at Kent State University forty years ago for educators and learners. Four students were slain and nine students were wounded by the bullets of National Guardsmen who had been sent to quell anti-war demonstrations and vandalism. The events of May 4, 1970,…

Dana is a graduate assistant in the second year of a master's program in student personnel. In a class discussion of assistantship issues, Dana reveals that he has decided not to enforce the university's policy of "writing up" all underage students who are in a residence hall room where alcohol is present. He says that in his opinion the punitive…

Everyone at some point has asked the question "Why do bad things happen to good people? Even while asking it, most know that finding an answer to this question is not likely in their future. People's best responsible action, then, is to manage their risks to prevent future bad things from occurring, to the greatest extent possible. Risk…