A qualitative research study was conducted to explore leadership competencies of presidents of public universities with enrollments of less than 7,000, located in small rural communities and distant locations in the Upper Midwest. The context of higher education is constantly evolving. Internal pressures from faculty and students, as well as…

The purpose of this qualitative comparative case study is to explore the similarities and differences of the lived experiences and satisfaction of undergraduate business management majors attending a small, private, liberal arts institution and those attending a large, public, research university. Through the utilization of document analysis and…

Nationally, 20% of college students suffer from an eating disorder. Support for eating disorders on college campuses is essential to student health. The purpose of this study was to examine web-based eating disorder resources and differences between resources content for Division 1 and 2 institutions. The concept of awareness to action developed…

With high school populations declining throughout New England and in several other regions of the country, it's only natural to be concerned about the fiscal challenges confronting the nation's private colleges and universities. Forecasts by prominent higher education experts increasingly suggest that many, if not most, small private institutions…

Institutions of higher education have faced many challenges over the last few decades. Though many large institutions have the resources needed to respond to these challenges, small institutions have had to be innovative in the ways in which they are adapting. There are similarities between the external challenges that institutions face today and…

We describe a research-based mentoring program for new full-time faculty at a small residential college, which emphasizes the empowerment of the new faculty themselves to identify and obtain the resources they need for success. In our model, the mentor takes on a role of primarily providing accountability, easing the burden on mentors, thereby…

This article describes the course design and teaching methodology for a polymer chemistry and applications lecture class specifically aimed at small college and university instruction.

Little is known about the extent to which higher-education faculty members required help and resources transitioning back to face-to-face teaching and learning both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Problems have included (a) determining the best resources and technologies for faculty members to use in the classroom in order to ensure that…

Community colleges provide postsecondary education to millions of students in the United States each year, but their graduation rates are low. Many community colleges have implemented interventions to help students persist in college and earn degrees. MDRC has studied many such interventions; several of them improved students' academic outcomes,…

While research has shown class attendance is important for undergraduate student success, few studies have examined why students choose to not attend class. What is more, existing research has focused on absenteeism among undergraduates at land-grant institutions and professional schools. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine…

First-generation students are faced with different challenges when joining the institutions of higher learning. Some of the experiences encountered by these students when entering these institutions can disorient them in a manner that affects their learning abilities. For this reason, it is necessary to come up with an approach that enhances their…

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the mass shutdown of universities across the United States in the spring of 2020. As the pandemic progressed, regional regulations resulted in a broad range of teaching modalities for the 2020-2021 academic year. While some regions remained tightly locked down (resulting in online-only instruction), others allowed…

This study explored the training needs of small colleges and universities to adopt cloud computing securely. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to determine what training would allow the small colleges and universities to deploy cloud computing solutions securely. The research interviewed 10 IT leaders from small colleges…

Contrary to the narrative of collapse that attends much of the discussion of the humanities today, recent data suggest that for many programs in the United States, at least, stagnation is the real challenge. Committed to teaching models that support faculty rather than student needs, graduate programs, in particular, are struggling to extend their…

This quasi-experimental study investigated the role of prior psychology knowledge and in-class retrieval activity in the testing effect. Undergraduate introductory psychology students (N = 53) from two classes at a small liberal arts college practiced retrieving information in class with multiple-choice quizzing and concept mapping. Prior…