The existing literature offers little insight into the participation of commuter, adult, and part-time students in the myriad civic engagement initiatives of higher education institutions. The landscape related to both the foci of this article has become more complex over time, and the issues have become more acute. This article describes the…

Theory helps us understand commuter students and develop environments, policies, and practices that enhance their educational experience.

Although students who live off-campus comprise over 85% of today's college enrollments (Horn & Nevill, 2006), the body of research on this group is far smaller than that on residential students. Researchers regularly treat commuter students as a homogenous group and largely ignore the significant within-group differences that characterize the…

Identifies five key issues to be addressed by college programs attempting to involve commuter students in learning: (1) development of a more commuter-friendly campus environment; (2) support of institutional mission and goals; (3) demonstration of the effectiveness of involving commuter students in learning; (4) cross-functional collaboration;…

This introductory essay reviews the literature on commuter students' needs and experiences and compares several theoretical models that can be used to create environments, cultures, and structures that enable commuter students to become deeply involved in learning. Reports data that indicate the importance of increasing students' involvement to…

This article describes how to use what we know about commuter students to design and implement strategies that enhance their retention. It includes a discussion of the extraordinary diversity of the commuter student population and their common needs and concerns and offers several theoretical frameworks that have proven to be useful in…

A preview is given of ASHE-ERIC report no. 7 which focuses on commuting students at colleges and universities and how institutions of higher education can begin to respond to these students' special circumstances that are greatly affecting their educational experience. The diversity of commuter students and their educational goals requires the use…

Describes organizations which serve as resources to professionals who work with commuter students and related issues: National Association of Student Personnel Administrators Commuter Task Force, National Clearinghouse for Commuter Programs, American College Personnel Association Commission XVII (Commuter Programs), National Association for Campus…

The Council for the Advancement of Standards (CAS) has put forth uniform national criteria for assessing educational effectiveness through the publication of "Standards and Guidelines for Student Services/Development Programs." This document is described briefly, and guidelines for interpretation are offered. (KS)

Discusses the special needs of commuter students and provides suggestions for improving student services and programs for them. Suggestions are incorporated into an improvement model based on four general categories: services, programs, advocacy, and research. (RC)

The proportion of college students commuting to campus grows steadily. Nonetheless, many colleges still think in terms of the residential tradition. A model of institutional adaptation can be used to assess and change college environments for this population. The model focuses on access to institutional programs, basic services, and support. (MSE)

Several major studies have identified student commuters as being at particularly high risk for attrition from higher educational institutions. This report reviews the knowledge that exists about students-as-commuters in depth. Among the implications for educational policy makers is the need for commuter institutions to provide opportunities to…