The available research on first-year college outcomes remains highly segmented (Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005) and surprisingly incomplete (Upcraft et al., 2005), particularly as it relates to psychosocial outcomes like social and personal competence. This study, based on data from nearly 6,700 students and 5,000 faculty members on 30 campuses…

Rising tuition has led many states to offer college prepaid tuition plans. These plans are consistent with the trend in higher education policy toward meeting the needs of wealthier households. The paper argues that the public interest in these plans is hard to find; moreover, median voter theory suggests that prepaid tuition plans may have the…

This study analyzes the equity of community college financing and demonstrates intrastate variations in appropriations to community colleges. The ratio of 90th to 10th percentile values ranges from 2.0 to 2.8 in half of the states analyzed, levels which are considered high in comparison to K-12 finance inequities. In 10 states with high revenue…

This paper uses panel data for the 100 colleges and universities at which the largest number of National Merit Scholarship (NMS) winners enrolled in 2003 to test whether an expansion in the number of institutionally funded NMS winners at an institution is associated with a decline in the number of Pell Grant recipients at the institution. Our…

This study examined the effects of tuition on enrollment in public colleges and universities. The causal model included competitors' tuition, the wage premium for possessing a college degree, financial aid, and unemployment rate as additional independent variables. The data included institution- and state-level data information over five academic…

The paper poses the following research question: Does the existence of statewide articulation agreements increase the probability of vertical transfers from two-year to four-year colleges? Stated differently, is there a difference in transfer rates between those states with statewide mandates versus those without such policies? Additionally, this…

Using national data from various sources, this study investigates the influence of financial aspects of state higher education policy on college completion. It found that college completion is positively associated with total state grants as a percentage of appropriations of state tax funds for operating expenses of higher education and state…

In the wake of paradigmatic and methodological wars, a post-paradigmatic time of epistemological and theoretical diversity in educational research calls for rethinking graduate education. The authors argue for an engaged pedagogy, which represents a shift in emphasis from instrumental training in research methods to an approach in which students…

Drawing on narrative theory, we propose a scenario-based approach to conducting discussions among junior and senior faculty about issues affecting job satisfaction. This study reports how discussions of fictional scenarios (based on data drawn from 123 faculty interviews) prompt open dialogue, foster greater consciousness, empathy, and empowerment…

Recent research and critiques of affirmative action in college admissions raise questions about popular approaches for enhancing learning outcomes, suggesting that a diverse student body is neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for experiencing diversity, creating supportive learning environments, or fostering desired outcomes of college.…

Despite the broad appeal of Tinto's (1993) theory, it is not well supported by empirical research, especially when applied to minority students. While prior critiques of the theory indicate the need to modify Tinto's concept of "breaking away" when applying the theory to diverse students, research suggests a need for additional refinements. In…

This article takes a critical look at the attempted institutionalization of service-learning in higher education. It asks whether service-learning can become deeply embedded within the academy; and if so, what exactly is becoming embedded. Specifically, this article suggests that there are substantial pedagogical, political, and institutional…

This study examines the effects of vocational focus of community colleges on students' educational attainment. By examining different aspects of vocational education and three distinct student outcomes, the results demonstrate variation in the extent to which institutional focus on vocational training influences students' progress through higher…

The impact of developmental mathematics programs on student success in college-level mathematics has been a controversial topic in higher education. One limitation of the current research is that scholars have been unable to isolate the causal impact of such participation on the student's success in college-level mathematics because it is…

This article examines how discourses of leadership reflect and produce particular perceptions about leaders and leadership in higher education. An analysis of 103 articles published by "The Chronicle of Higher Education" between 2002 and 2003 reveal four predominant discourses shaping images of leaders: autonomy, relatedness, masculinity, and…