There is a need to ensure graduates are prepared to succeed in a professional environment. The purpose of this study was to describe students' participation in professional development (PD) experiences at Oklahoma State University in the Ferguson College of Agriculture. The theory of planned behavior (TPB) and student involvement theory guided the…

This dissertation explores the impact of student organizations on the persistence of women in STEM programs at the associate degree level. The findings reveal that participation in SkillsUSA provides students with valuable opportunities for hands-on learning, skill development, and career exploration, all of which contribute to the persistence of…

Leaders are needed to address the agriculture industry's increasingly complex and interconnected problems. Colleges of agriculture who offer leadership development coursework and degree programs often support student organizations to provide critical everyday opportunities for students to practice leadership in an authentic environment. This…

This study examines the hazing motivations and anti-hazing training needs of fraternal chapter advisors at two, large, public institutions in the Midwest of the United States. Research has found that when hazing is happening with undergraduates, advisors and coaches are in the room over 40% of the time (Allan & Madden, 2008) and a new state…

Students in large cities across the United States can better understand agriculture through their involvement in School-Based Agricultural Education (SBAE). Since the passage of the Smith-Hughes Act in 1917, Agricultural Education has been a pathway that encourages students to continue schooling and connect with future careers. We conducted a…

This qualitative phenomenological research study sought to explore African American male students' perception of the Successful Teaching Relative to Overcoming Negative Generalities (S.T.R.O.N.G.) MENtoring program's influence on their academic and social integration. As African American male students continue to experience lower graduation rates…

Student academic representation is a staple feature in UK and international higher education. It provides a vital quality function whereby students, who are elected representatives of their programme, canvas the opinions of peers to inform quality assurance processes. In the UK, there is increasing regulatory pressure for universities and student…

For rural students, finding one's voice and identity on a college campus and developing a sense of belonging are important for engagement and degree persistence. Rural affinity groups can create a feeling of comfort or connection that affirms students' place identity and can lead to a more successful college experience. Additionally, an organized…

Higher education outreach and engagement often occurs through student volunteering. Student organizations are one understudied and undertapped mechanism that facilitates such connections. We examined the experience of student leaders of student organizations that promoted volunteerism among their members. The mixed-methods study included a survey…

This qualitative case study aims to understand the ways in which students identifying as Native American, American Indian, and Indigenous navigate attending a university informed by their identities. Through semi-structured interviews with Indigenous students and participant observation with a Native American student organization, this study…

This study examines documents from 23 Pagan college student organizations recognized at universities across the United States. These documents were analyzed for information they contained about the explicit missions and purposes for Pagan college student clubs, and how those articulations align with in-group or out-group foci in accordance with…

Despite the warnings given to young Christian students about hedonistic college campuses, many of these students arrive at Stanford to instead find a plethora of lively Christian organizations and their nonreligious classmates often more curious than hostile. While Stanford by no means espouses Christian values, hedonism does not rule campus…

International students in a Japanese university struggled with issues of loneliness, lack of belonging, and feelings of not mattering. These issues inhibited their ability to form friendships with domestic students. This study sought to investigate causes and find actionable solutions to international student social networking issues. Participants…

The post-October 7th period has been a period of redefinition for many Jewish American undergraduates and particularly for those who identify as politically left-of-center and who found themselves encountering anti-Israel and antisemitic attitudes among peers and organizations they had been part of previously. Via in-depth interviews with Jewish…

The Cosmopolitan Club Movement began at the University of Wisconsin in 1903. By 1907, eight universities joined the Wisconsin club to form a national association called the Association of Cosmopolitan Clubs (ACC). In 1908, at the State University of Iowa (SUI) a cohort of engineering students from the Philippines and Mexico began the State…