This study explored the perceived stress level of international students who faced barriers to employment upon graduation from an American post-secondary institution. The Barriers to Employment Success Inventory (BESI) was used to assess employment barriers and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) assessed the perceived level of stress experienced by…

Current literature on school leadership has shifted away from the traditional and hierarchical top-down model of leadership to a form of leadership that is collaborative and shared. Policymakers, researchers and educators are now calling for practicing teachers to assume leadership positions in schools. The goal is for these teacher leaders to…

The purpose of this research effort was to examine the Rutgers University pre-health students' advising utilization and the association of advising to medical school admission, for 2012-2016. A variety of variables allied with the Social Cognitive Career Theory and advising practice shaped the examination framework. Specifically, the researcher…

This qualitative study utilizing grounded theory examined sense of place for a group of 15 urban students at a small, rural college. The setting is a traditional campus in New England with academic, residential, administrative, and support buildings that sit in a town of 3,500 residents. The area is mountainous and wooded with wetlands, and the…

The 1st-year retention rate of the Structured Education Program (SEP) is 90%, yet the 6-year graduation rate of SEP students is 29%. The gap between SEP 1st-year retention and graduation rates is the problem that this study addressed. The low graduation rate of SEP students is an important issue because graduation rates are used to measure the…

It is estimated that about 1.8 million undocumented young adults are eligible for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). With DACA, undocumented young adults can work legally in the U.S. with a two-year work authorization subject to renewal and are considered low priority for deportation. In addition, with an external application (advanced…

There is scarce literature explaining how leaders leverage the influence necessary to change universities. This study aimed to illuminate leadership practices that seek to make universities more responsive to, and responsible for, the needs and success of students. In doing so, this research explored practices that leaders used to align a…

Undocumented Latinx students are currently one of the most disenfranchised racial/ethnic groups in the United States. As demography reaches critical mass levels in many states, visibility has triggered new economic and policy imperatives. The Latinx populations in many states have created a sense of urgency regarding socioeconomic concerns. This…

Branding and brand equity, both as theoretical constructs and as a critical part of applied marketing, have received considerable attention in the academic and practitioner literature. Brand equity, generally considered to be the differential in positive brand image and loyalty enjoyed by one brand as compared to that of a lesser known brand, is…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the different factors that empower young adults that were in foster care to be successful in a college environment. It has been documented that foster youth have significant challenges during secondary education (Conger & Rebeck, 2001; Geenen & Powers, 2006). Due to these challenges,…

Currently cyberbullying is a behavior that is discussed worldwide. Within the discussion, there is a need to know about the lived experiences of college students subjected to cyberbullying. The purpose of this hermeneutic (interpretive) phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of ten college students subjected to bullying in…

Students and families, lawmakers, and the general public have become increasingly concerned about the quality of U.S. higher education. Given the competitive higher education landscape, private, tuition-driven colleges and universities are particularly vulnerable to concerns about quality. This study investigates how faculty and administrative…

In higher music education, there remains a tendency toward instruction that places the teacher at the center and keeps the role of students as recipients of knowledge bestowed upon them by the instructor. And while there are innovations in education that challenge this paradigm, the research on these innovative techniques, particularly in higher…

From April 2010 to March 2011, the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) underwent a two-phase strike sequence against neoliberal austerity measures. Altogether, that process resulted in the eventual concession of all of the students' main demands, an unprecedented feat at the UPR, and a rare one in Puerto Rican history in general. In this dissertation…

The purpose of this study was to explore developmental reading students' abilities and attitudes in reading, as well as the role literacy played in their lives. As higher education is funded based on student performance, it is in all college stakeholders' interest to help all students, including developmental learners, succeed. Learning from…