The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the proven strategies used by faculty to increase retention and recruitment at two-year colleges. The theory guiding this study is van Manen's theory on hermeneutical phenomenology, as it focuses on the lived experiences of the participants and interpreting their told stories. The setting…

This qualitative narrative inquiry study explored students' perceptions of intervention strategies used in the early alert program at an Arkansas two-year college. The problem addressed in this study was that student perceptions do not inform early alert program designs. By assessing the student's perceptions of intervention strategies,…

Objectives: Responding to Tinto's call for studies of retention that center on "the students' view of their experience" (p. 11), this research project reports findings from telephone interviews of 131 students who stopped out at our home institution, a large open admissions community college in the northeast. Our objective was to find…

Everett Community College (EvCC) made numerous changes to retain and support students enrolled in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education during the coronavirus pandemic. Drawing on insights from EvCC faculty and staff affiliated with a National Science Foundation (NSF) S-STEM scholarship grant called the "EvCC STEM…

Imagine being one of the most nationally visible, yet highly invisible student population in America. That is the reality for Arab American students on college campuses. How can visibility be created to support Arab American students on college campuses? Educators need to look at the way this minority is invisible in the curriculum. Educators are…

The value of a college degree has grown significantly for both society and individuals over the last decades. Research shows a large earning gap between individuals with a high school diploma or GED and higher education levels. Many individuals start their postsecondary journey with a public institution. Community colleges must design academic…

Given growing awareness of the high prevalence of food insecurity among college students, higher education leaders are implementing various food interventions on their campuses. However, there is little research on the efficacy and impact of these initiatives. Using data from a field randomized control trial, we find that a relatively modest…

The problem this study addressed is that undergraduate, female, single parent students are less likely than other groups of women to complete college. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore perceived challenges of persistence to degree completion of undergraduate, female, single parent students in a Southern state, at a…

Guided pathways, a program that aims to improve college completion and student success through remodeling of the student journey, supports learners in choosing a program of study, ideally resulting in transfer to a four-year school or the start of a lucrative career with a two-year degree. Colleges that employ a guided pathways model are seeing…

"I want to understand how they do this, and how can I?!" exclaimed a non-traditional aged student attempting to navigate a balance of her roles as a full-time employee and college student. Her exasperation was poignant. As her psychology instructor, I suggested that she may find some answers by conducting research with non-traditional…

The "on-time" degree completion crisis within the community college system is alarming. Only 5% of students graduate in two years (Complete College America [CCA], n.d.-a). Many community college students are low-income and racially and ethnically minoritized, and their graduation rates are low (CCA, n.d.-a). Community colleges around the…

The State Need Grant (SNG) has been Washington state's largest need-based financial aid program for low-income students. The year 2007-08 was the last year in which it was funded sufficiently to serve nearly all (98 percent) of eligible students. From 2010-2018, up to 30 percent of eligible students were unserved. In 2013, the Washington State…

To improve community college success, we need to consider the lived realities of students. Our nation's community colleges are facing a completion crisis. The college-going experience of too many students is interrupted, lengthening their time to completing a degree--or worse, causing many to drop out altogether. In "The Costs of…

This nonexperimental, longitudinal panel study was designed to test the predictive capacity of a grit intervention within a first-year seminar course that targeted academically underprepared students at a Mississippi community college. Extant pre- and post-grit scores for developmental students enrolled in the first-year seminar were analyzed for…

The strength of alignment between Student Housing and its functions with Student Life may impact its ability to promote the retention and persistence of first-generation and historically excluded students who live on campus. The purpose of this action research study was to investigate the role of Student Housing, as a Public-Private Partnership,…