It is exceedingly important for student affairs professionals to have an understanding of the types of students living, working and learning on our campuses in order to strategically enhance their experiences. One group on college campuses that is often overlooked is the transgender population of students; the lack of focus on the "T" in…

The author states that, at the liberal arts college where he used to work, he would step out of his office each fall to teach an undergraduate course on higher education. What better opportunity for reflection and critical engagement, he thought, than to investigate the enterprise to which the students and he had each made some serious…

This article examines the challenges facing the pool of global applicants to US colleges and evaluates the practices of the internationaI IECs who currently fill the void that exists between applicants and admission officers. The author, is a doctoral student at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she researches ethical issues in…

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are courses offered for free for any students with an internet connection. Many institutions now offer free MOOCs, including prestigious state universities and private schools. MOOCs are differentiated from ordinary online classes in several ways. Some MOOCs may have as many 50,000 students enrolled in a course…

This article advocates for increased attention on the college admission letter to strengthen conditionally admitted students' academic self-efficacy as they begin the college experience. Although first communications are often considered perfunctory, the language of admission materials has strong potential to help at-risk students begin…

As human services professionals, we in higher education value helping people and often get personally invested in their stories. The people we serve, primarily students, face challenges in applying and paying for college, completing coursework and degrees, and finding employment after graduation. Along the way, college administrators strive to…

This article investigates gender inequity in the National Merit Scholarship Competition. Results suggest the competition favors males due to their higher mean score on the mathematics section and greater variability on all sections of the PSAT, which shares differential validity concerns with the SAT in terms of gender. These instruments are…

Online learning is revolutionizing the way colleges do business. Study via the Internet makes more knowledge more easily obtainable for more students than ever before. Along with expanded access to higher education, many people are optimistic about an accompanying benefit--a lower price tag. Basic economic factors make the prospect appear…

A focus group of undergraduates at a university in the western US were asked how they were coping with the digital revolution, the tidal wave of new apps, devices, and communication choices. One student seemingly glibly dismissed the questions, saying, "It's only technology if it happens after you are born." In this regard,…

At many of the colleges and universities that attract the most applicants, the high-school course of study is a critical component of the evaluation. Many schools advise their candidates that they must take the most difficult course of study available at their high schools to have a chance of earning admission. Students can feel intense pressure…

Nationally, state funding to higher education has significantly decreased. Ironically, the trend of state divestment in higher education coincides with federal and state policies geared toward increasing degree completion rates. Through an analysis of qualitative data gathered at California higher education institutions, this paper highlights how…

It will come as no surprise to most admission professionals that enrollment pressures related to the economic downturn of the last five years have placed American postsecondary education in the middle of a spinning plate, slipping and sliding as it tries to accommodate more students with fewer financial resources from federal and state…

Over the past several years, the admissions officer has been confronted with a situation that does not fit into the scheme of his normal operations--namely, the admission of foreign students. Often, because it has not been in the order of things, he has delegated this "irksome" problem to some "lowly" assistant or to the interested professor who…

Since the publication of Dremuk's article 45 years ago, the landscape of international educational exchange has changed significantly. Some of the most notable trends distinguishing the past from the present are highlighted. Forty-five years ago, Dremuk's article emphasized the importance of institutional commitment to international educational…

In this article, the author talks about the cultural bind on the American male. The process starts with conception. If the spermatozoid that fertilizes the egg contains only X chromosomes a girl will be produced. If a single Y chromosome out of the 24 produced by the father is included, the baby will be a boy. From this point on the girls have a…