Ray Black shares the story of creating the Black Male Think Tank, an informal community for black men at his historically white institution. He tells how black male students turned to him in confusion after charges of sexual misconduct by Bill Cosby and various police killings of young black men. The students needed a safe place in which to…

In this interview, Beverly Daniel Tatum, President Emerita of Spelman College, shares her views of higher education. She notes the historical importance of historically black colleges and universities to our current leadership in all areas of society, their importance in rural areas or other places with limited educational options, and their need…

Penny Rue summarizes the research on Gen Z, the current generation of college-age students, and shares what the trends mean to educators. Members of Gen Z tend to be pragmatic about higher education and expect meaningful learning experiences supported by technology. They are highly tuned in to social media sites and may need support in…

Shelly L. Francis posits that we will need collective courage to truly embrace cultural diversity. So what is courage and can we cultivate it in ourselves and our students? First, we need more people with the skills to foster trust, especially with others who are different. Perhaps not surprisingly, these people will also need a strong sense of…

Alan Mueller explores the tension between helping students reach their career aspirations and being true to his personal and professional values of justice and equity. He identifies this as "inhabiting the gap," that is, remaining in the discomfort of the ethical or moral dilemma. One way he does this is by practicing unconditional…

Every institution is different, so educators should explore the concept of spatial cues at their institutions. Without serious consideration of space, many students' needs (and desires) will remain unknown and unaddressed. More than any time before, campuses must develop strategies to better understand students' diverse experiences and…

Society can be obsessed with the concept of intelligence, according to the author. Parents want to know if their children are smart. Schools try to detect the intelligence of children so that they can separate them into "gifted and talented" programs on one end of the spectrum and remedial programs on the other. Employers want to know if…

In this interview, Rogan Kersh describes his evolution from a lecturer behind a podium to a facilitator of hands-on exercises and role-playing. Instead of resisting generational change, Kersh has embraced the charge to evolve to meet current students' needs by asking his students how they experience his classes, and really listening to their…

When Case Willoughby took his first community college job, he started by applying student development and student engagement theory to advising. He refocused advising to support students in exploring academic and career goals and teach them the intellectual and practical skills they need to learn. This experience led Willoughby to notice that…

In a response to an article in the March 2017 issue of "About Campus" (see EJ1166502, "Shifting to Curricular Approaches to Learning beyond the Classroom"), John Hannah and Tesni Ellis challenge a rigid curricular approach to student affairs. They recognize the appeal and benefits of such an approach but are wary that any…

Author Alexis Brooke Redding is an advanced doctoral student and instructor in education at Harvard University. In the spring of 2015 she spent six weeks interviewing administrators and students about the myriad pathways that bring students to Hampshire College. More than simply understanding the nature of this singular campus, her study focused…

Everybody on campus is responsible for recognizing and responding to students in crisis. Sometimes the difficulty is knowing when to intervene. Being alert to students' mental health and wellness needs is an essential part of work life on today's campuses--even when it means stepping out of one's own narrow professional roles or risking leaving…

This article was written by Christopher Kilmartin to share some of what he has learned in his career as Emeritus college professor, author, actor, playwright, consultant, and professional psychologist about the needs of campus males and what is believed to work when addressing and intervening to keep men from hurting themselves and others.…

In an age of accountability, numbers matter. Therefore, the accountability movement has led to the assessment movement. Higher education should be held accountable, and colleges themselves should take the lead in making sure colleges are meeting goals. Assessment was originally meant to improve higher education. Instead, assessment quickly became…

The author met Jerome when he was a senior in a psychology class taught by the author. He stood out from the rest of the class not only in his academic performance, but also in the ways he approached class--always prepared, asking good questions, going above and beyond in his assignments. He was the dream student--hard working, curious, passionate…