This paper describes the creation of a comprehensive First-Year Experience program for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and ally (LGBTQA) students. Background information on First-Year Experience programs, LGBTQA populations, and the benefits of providing this program are described. The authors discuss how to plan and implement this…

During a time of growing parental involvement in the lives of college-going students, this study examines how interactions with parents relate to students' sense of emotional well-being and how this varies by gender. Using longitudinal data on first-year college students at one institution, the study reveals the importance of both quality and…

Interacting with faculty has several benefits for students; however, little research has explored faculty-student interactions that are neither academic nor social, but occur within the context of students' work. This interpretive study reviews experiences of 73 resident advisors whose work responsibilities require interaction with faculty.…

Using longitudinal data from the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education, this study measured the impact of first-year seminars on college students' life-long learning orientations. The findings suggest that first-year seminars enhance students' life-long learning orientations and that the effect of first-year seminars is…

This investigation examined the effect of a health communication intervention on the alcohol consumption patterns of first-year college students. Researchers employed a quasi-experimental design consisting of students in three residence halls at two Midwestern universities. Between-group comparisons revealed students receiving the intervention…

Analyzing data from the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education, this study explored gender differences in the development and learning of college students' leadership capacities as framed with the Social Change Leadership Model (SCM). The results show that female students reported higher scores on six out of eight SCM values, and…

This study explored the effects of fraternity and sorority membership on first-year college students' development of socially responsible leadership at 24 colleges and universities. The institutions varied in terms of public versus private, size, region, and student residential patterns. Results showed that fraternity members demonstrated…

There is limited research about the validity and reliability of civic engagement indicators. This study examines the measurement invariance of a Civic Values construct based on students' responses on the 2000 Freshman Survey and 2004 College Senior Survey, which are both part of the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP). Results show…

This study explored the impact of students' interactions with student affairs professionals and growth on cognitive outcomes in the first year of college. Interactions with student affairs professionals were associated positively with growth on measures of need for cognition, attitude toward literacy, and academic motivation. A small, negative…

This study examined the relationships among academic and psychological attitudes and academic achievement of first-year students. The College Resilience Scale, the Academic Motivation Scale, the College Self-Efficacy Inventory, and the University Environment Scale were administered to 164 first-year undergraduate students enrolled at a large RU/VH…