Concerns about the rising cost of college and growing student loan debt have intensified in recent years, with 85% of non-enrolled adults citing affordability as a key barrier (Gallup & Lumina Foundation, 2024) and a third of currently enrolled college students agreeing that their "institution charges too much for an undergraduate…

Alternative break programs have long supported student growth, community engagement, and civic learning, yet Gen Z students--many who are deeply invested in justice and activism--tend to find these programs misaligned with their values. This chapter reimagines alternative breaks through seven strategies that center justice, reciprocity, and…

Institutional Members of the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) are increasingly offering graduate programs. A decade ago, in 2013-2014, only 45 percent were classified as Carnegie Masters or Doctoral. In 2023-2024, 55 percent fall in these categories. To better understand how independent colleges build, support, and sustain graduate programs…

Higher education leaders face growing pressure to demonstrate the return on investment (ROI) of not only their institution but also each academic program offering. With increasing accountability and limited time for meaningful reflection on student learning and development, now is the time to rethink how a quasi-annual academic program review…

Work-integrated learning (WIL) has been suggested as a potentially beneficial addition to modern doctoral education. However, there is little research outlining the specificities of WIL aimed at PhD students. This paper explores the range of WIL opportunities available to PhD students through a review of secondary data. The findings indicate that…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate graduate students' perceptions of online field experiences. Responses to pre- and post-survey items provided data to examine whether online field experiences provided an authentic learning experience for graduate students enrolled in a Master of Arts in teaching program. Additionally, student reflections…

Athena Swan was established in 2005 with the goal of advancing the careers of women in STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine) subjects in higher education. Since then, it has expanded its remit in various ways and has generated some controversy. This paper explains how Athena Swan operates as a policy-scoring scheme,…

Recent research finds that a longer clinical experience may be one of the most substantial distinguishing features of teacher residency programs. We need to understand much more about how these field experiences are designed, paced, and scaffolded to contribute to teacher learning and identity development and to center equity. Drawing from case…

Most universities run outreach camps that bring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander school students onto university campuses to demystify university and build and sustain student engagement with university. However, there are varying perspectives on how 'success' should be defined and measured in relation to these programs. The staff who run…

Leadership preparation is essential in developing critical skills of effective school leaders. Educational leadership preparation programs vary greatly in terms of program features, it is important to identify which specific elements are likely associated with program quality. Using multiple years of Initiative for Systemic Program Improvement…

Solar eclipses are a rare phenomenon that everyone should have the opportunity to explore in depth. This article describes two programs developed by a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) outreach center with the goal of bringing the excitement of eclipses to all learners. The STEM outreach center collaborated with local…

The purpose of this study was to explore the nature of postgraduate leadership courses and programs offered by Australian Higher Education Institutions for leaders and potential leaders in the Health & Human Service (H&HS) sector including structure, content, and teaching practices from the perspective of educators. Ten educators from a…

University of Denver (DU) is a private, research university in Colorado. Located in Denver, DU enrolls approximately 14,000 students across 10 colleges. About 41% of full-time faculty at DU are in non-tenure track positions, which they refer to as Term and Professional Faculty (TPF). DU has expanded promotion opportunities for TPF that mirror…

The young thousand talents (YTT) program has been the largest among various global diasporas attraction programs in China, and its impact assessment has generated mixed results. Using the first five groups of YTT program members as the treatment group, this study constructed a control group using a local and focal matching strategy and enhanced…

The present study explores the specific outlines and implementation characteristics of teacher training programs for teaching as a second career. These programs stand out for being socio-educational, aiming to foster leadership and generate a social value-based change through education. The study is based on a qualitative approach using case study…