This study examined Virginia community college students' perceptions of campus safety. A survey of 11,161 students revealed the crimes students most feared being a victim of while on the community college campus and the areas in which they felt the most and least safe. The research also demonstrated the effect of certain variables had on…

Using data collected via the Campus Religious and Spiritual Climate Survey (CRSCS), we examined how dimensions of the campus spiritual climate shape student satisfaction. The findings reveal that structural worldview diversity, space for support and spiritual expression, and provocative experiences with worldview diversity positively relate to…

This study focused on the dispositions of entering first-year students, their perceptions of classroom and institutional environments, and their subsequent academic engagement. Total variance explained by variables included in the path model for academic engagement was 30%. The results of this study found evidence to support the theoretical model…

Transitioning away from the comforts of home to the independent nature of the college environment can be stressful for students and thus is and has been a major focus of student affairs personnel. Perceived loneliness in college student populations has been found to be related to myriad mental health constructs. Thus, much attention has been given…

This study focused on the impact of college environments on the spiritual development of African American students. Using the Armstrong Measure of Spirituality (AMOS) survey administered to 125 African American college students, the study sought to ascertain whether or not there were differences in spirituality as reported by African American…

Race is a difficult topic to discuss openly within college and university settings. Postsecondary educators who wish to facilitate dialogues about race and racism among students must take necessary steps to prepare for these discussions. Using data from a qualitative case study, this article discusses the strategies that educators employed to…

For this study, 1,884 adjudicated college students provided their impressions of the educational value and procedural fairness of their disciplinary experiences. Results indicated that a strong correlation exists between perceived fairness and educational value. Differences in students' perceptions emerged in regards to age, gender, and GPA, among…

This study examined the contributions of campus racial climate perceptions and other college environments to overall sense of belonging among racially diverse women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors. The sample included 1,722 women from the 2004 National Study of Living-Learning Programs. Using a conceptual…

Honors programs at colleges and universities are one way to provide additional learning opportunities to enhance the undergraduate experience for students. Honors programs provide students academically enriching activities through small classes, research, internships, and community service (National Collegiate Honors Council, n.d.). To further the…

The purpose of this study was to derive an empirically based understanding of campus violence. Grounded in a communication paradigm offered by sociolinguistic scholars, we adopted a phenomenological approach for conducting and analyzing 23 interviews from campus community stakeholders, including students, staff, faculty, administrators, and…

This longitudinal study investigated to what extent noncognitive variables (e.g., expectations for college) and the college environment (i.e., academically based living-learning communities) influence students' college experience. This research goes beyond grouping all living-learning students into one category, which has dominated much of the…

Writing a comprehensive review of research on student persistence is a Herculean task. The publications that feature persistence as a primary outcome measure are almost innumerable. Moreover, literature reviews of persistence research have been published periodically in the higher education literature. The author uses these existing reviews as the…

Established theories and constructs long associated with student success, including involvement, engagement, and integration, provide common language and a body of knowledge to inform understanding of the challenges currently facing higher education. This paper examines how the theories and terms have evolved, explores how the terms are currently…

This study used focus group interviews to explore 22 students' definitions of and strategies for college success. Students' narratives revealed their definitions of success were multifaceted and encompassed how they were doing academically, their degree of social integration, and their perceived ability to navigate the college environment. In…

Using a longitudinal sample of 146 Latino students' in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics majors, the purpose of the study was to examine factors that affect their academic performance. The main premise supporting this study suggested that Latino students perform better academically when they have cultural congruity within their…