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…

Describes the common needs and concerns of commuter students that impact on programming efforts, identifies the goals of programs designed to promote involvement by students who commute, and highlights examples of programs being sponsored at colleges and universities which have been effective in encouraging involvement of commuter students. (KS)

Suggests the task of each institution is to differentiate accurately its commuter subpopulations in order to develop programs and services that meet their needs. Support services need to take into account the heterogeneity of the population in terms of who they are and why they want to attend. (KS)

Student affairs professionals at smaller institutions are encouraged to research their commuter students' characteristics and needs and to create or enhance services and programs to improve the college experience for commuters based on their findings. (KS)

Presents the Campus Ecology Model which advocates an ecological perspective on commuting. Suggests that campus ecology should infer the ecology of the student, so that the physical/social environment residing outside of the university's property boundaries is of great importance. An ecosystem design process, its application to commuter…

At Fordham University's Lincoln Center campus in New York City, the large population of nontraditional students, primarily adults, is being encouraged to participate in the career planning process through existing programs, new scheduling, and new programing in four areas: freshman orientation; student activities; the career center; and academic…