This article discusses how Purdue University is changing the academic behavior of struggling students. At Purdue, they've developed Signals as a means of helping students better understand where they stand gradewise early enough so that they can seek help and raise their grade or drop the course without the penalty of a failing grade. They knew…

Even as educators understand how their millennial students learn in such different ways than previous generations (watching how-to videos downloaded from YouTube or engaging in experiential learning adventures), colleges still rely heavily on in-the-classroom learning. The author can't offer an alternative to this classroom format, but she…

In this article, the author reflects on the learning opportunities provided by the tragedy at Kent State University forty years ago for educators and learners. Four students were slain and nine students were wounded by the bullets of National Guardsmen who had been sent to quell anti-war demonstrations and vandalism. The events of May 4, 1970,…

Dana is a graduate assistant in the second year of a master's program in student personnel. In a class discussion of assistantship issues, Dana reveals that he has decided not to enforce the university's policy of "writing up" all underage students who are in a residence hall room where alcohol is present. He says that in his opinion the punitive…

Everyone at some point has asked the question "Why do bad things happen to good people? Even while asking it, most know that finding an answer to this question is not likely in their future. People's best responsible action, then, is to manage their risks to prevent future bad things from occurring, to the greatest extent possible. Risk…

Over the last four years at Union College, the authors and their colleagues have developed a successful peer-mentoring program called Peer Assistants for Learning (PALs). Students are faced with many stressors and need help in addressing issues that may be troubling them, many of which are not academic issues. Students may perceive that faculty…

On a college campus, educators and students live on the edge of tragedy. They walk that edge everyday, aware that the possibility of death is always one misstep away. One careless move by any of the hundreds or thousands of them walking that edge, and their whole community falls into a canyon of grief from which they will climb only after weeks,…

Today's parents are involved in college students' lives more than those of any previous generation. The purpose of this article is to help institutions constructively manage their relationships with parents, for the benefit of students, the institution, and the parents themselves. The author seeks to offer guidance to institutions in developing a…

In this article, the author offers suggestions for effectively addressing disability in and outside the classroom. She believes that a new vision for disability education that moves away from a limitations model and toward humanizing disabilities is crucial for campus communities. Through an introduction to universal design of instruction,…

Kathleen Manning identifies seven philosophical positions in relation to the broad issue of difference. Recognizing and understanding where they stand in this matrix allows educators to work more effectively with students, faculty, and staff about the complex and sometimes contested issue of difference.

Georgetown University has developed an innovative approach to addressing student health and wellness issues through curriculum infusion--a collaborative pedagogy that introduces real-life health issues faced by college students into their academic courses.

The Serve America Act was signed into law in April 2009. The Act provides for many opportunities to serve and learn for pre-college youth, college students and graduates, and even baby boomers. It dramatically increases intensive service opportunities by setting AmeriCorps on a path from 75,000 positions annually to 250,000 by 2017, focusing that…

The academy plays a significant role in male students' experience of gender. In this article, the authors explore how educators can effectively support healthy and productive gender identity development among college men. Their goal is to provide insight into how campus cultures convey and reinforce lessons about what constitutes "normal"…

Violence prevention groups on college campuses, in schools, and in communities are increasingly aware that violence against women cannot end unless men take an active role in stopping it, and the failure of many men to take the issue of violence against women seriously cannot be overlooked. At the University of South Carolina (USC), collaboration…

Facilitating discussions about race can be challenging for even the most experienced educator. In this article, the author provides a framework for using multimedia resources to guide student reflection and discussion on race. He suggests three types of media resources that educators can use to engage students in dialogues on race. For each of…