The partnership model in which universities collaborate with community colleges for the prelicensure Bachelor of Science (BSN) education has been identified by the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) as one of five viable academic progression models for nursing. The current literature lacks evidence on the success of these academic progression…

For more than 25 years, thousands of colleges and universities have used the Ruffalo Noel Levitz (RNL) Satisfaction-Priorities Surveys to assess their students, strengthen the student experience, increase student success and completion, and prioritize campus planning initiatives. The surveys are valued so highly because they reveal where…

This dissertation consists of three independent chapters in applied microeconomics. In the first chapter, I study the causal effect impact of early life circumstances on adult psychological well-being using the property reform in China as a positive and policy driven change in economic resources in early life. Exploiting the staggered adoption of…

Objective: This study of higher education governance had three questions: (a) How does higher education attainment policy vary in type, quantity, and focus across state governance arrangements? (b) How do per capita income, population, educational development, and higher education regional compact combine with state-level higher education…

Students in undergraduate and graduate programs offered by community colleges, universities, and colleges of education are generally expected to have basic writing competencies at the outset of their studies based on completion of a high school curriculum and core college composition classes. With more programs and courses online or having a…

This study examined the differences between a multi-campus sample of university students who reported consistent participation in formal leadership development programs (n=414) and a comparison sample (n=153) with no prior experience across three diverse post-secondary institutions in the United States. Both samples were matched with regard to…

The goal of the current descriptive and comparative study is to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the employment realities of recent junior/community college and university graduates and premature leavers (i.e., those who drop out before completing their program of study) with disabilities. We investigate the following research…

Objective: Recent studies have shown that community college transfer students are just as likely to graduate with a bachelor's degree as students who directly enroll in a 4-year institution. However, these studies do not typically examine whether there is a penalty for community college students in terms of the length of time it takes to complete…

Despite the fact that online education continues to grow, the vast majority of faculty remain skeptical that online courses can yield the same student learning outcomes as traditional face-to-face courses. In an effort to determine if online graduate courses can be effective, in this study we explore the extent to which qualities commonly found in…

Gainful employment and earnings to support a family living are significant policy goals of the applied baccalaureate program. Therefore, employment is an important metric to study; however, there are limitations in the data and process used in past reports that make understanding the true impact of applied baccalaureate programs on an individuals'…

This project study sought to evaluate the effects of implementing quarterly predictive testing and remediation on National Certification and Licensure Examination-Registered Nurse (NCLEX-RN) pass rates of an associate's degree nursing program at a small Midwestern community college. The college's pass rate on the NCLEX-RN has been below both the…

A substantive amount of research has been conducted on how work influences persistence and completion, for those who decide to leave we know little about where they go to work and how much they earn. The purpose of this study was to explore the work behaviors of a cohort of students who began their postsecondary experience at a community college…

Washington's community and technical colleges (CTCs) play an important role in producing baccalaureate degree graduates in the state. They expand opportunities for both graduates and employers, build upon professional-technical associate degrees, and provide a clear pathway for students who may be place bound or have difficulty finding a transfer…

Objective: To examine cigarette smoking among young adults based on education status. Participants: Community-based sample of 2,694 young adults in the United States Methods: The authors compared 3 groups--those not in college with no college degree, 2-year college students/graduates, 4-year college students/graduates--on various smoking measures:…

The purpose of this study was to investigate selected variables among community college transfer students with or without associate's degrees and native students at a 4-year university to determine the impact of the articulation and transfer process on baccalaureate attainment. More specifically, the study examined the differences in demographic…