Unfinished Business
Unfinished Business

Author: Matt Bergman

Publisher: IAP

Published: 2019-09-01

Total Pages: 235

ISBN-13: 1641138564

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For at least the last 100 years, more than 40% of all students who enrolled in American colleges and universities have not persisted to graduation at four-year institutions. Their stories are varied, but in every case, something got in the way of that pursuit. Life happened. They became one of the nearly 36 million Americans who have some college but no degree. For many, the stigma of not finishing college is a closely held secret that weighs heavily as they discuss, engage, and compete to meet the challenges of the workforce in the 21st century. Some weren’t ready at age 18 for the focus and commitment that academic studies require. Others found opportunities to create income and meet immediate familial needs or requirements. Many have excelled despite their lack of a college credential. Contrary to the deficit mindset that often permeates the retention and persistence discourse, this book highlights the stories of those who successfully returned to what was left unfinished. The stories here may challenge your assumptions. These are high-quality students who demonstrated a compelling and inspiring commitment to their education, begun long ago and now completed—in some cases decades later. As you read, don’t miss the role that engaged advisors, supportive family members, and well-designed programs such as prior learning assessment played in helping students to the finish line. These narratives also demonstrate that it is time for institutions of higher education to imagine and embrace new ways of serving these students well.

The Impact of a Sense of Belonging in College
The Impact of a Sense of Belonging in College

Author: Erin Bentrim

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2023-07-03

Total Pages: 311

ISBN-13: 1000980375

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Sense of belonging refers to the extent a student feels included, accepted, valued, and supported on their campus. The developmental process of belonging is interwoven with the social identity development of diverse college students. Moreover, belonging is influenced by the campus environment, relationships, and involvement opportunities as well as a need to master the student role and achieve academic success. Although the construct of sense of belonging is complex and multilayered, a consistent theme across the chapters in this book is that the relationship between sense of belonging and intersectionality of identity cannot be ignored, and must be integrated into any approach to fostering belonging.Over the last 10 years, colleges and universities have started grappling with the notion that their approaches to maintaining and increasing student retention, persistence, and graduation rates were no longer working. As focus shifted to uncovering barriers to student success while concurrently recognizing student success as more than solely academic factors, the term “student sense of belonging” gained traction in both academic and co-curricular settings. The editors noticed the lack of a consistent definition, or an overarching theoretical approach, as well as a struggle to connect disparate research. A compendium of research, applications, and approaches to sense of belonging did not exist, so they brought this book into being to serve as a single point of reference in an emerging and promising field of study.

Black Students' Perceptions
Black Students' Perceptions

Author: R. Deborah Davis

Publisher: Peter Lang

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 170

ISBN-13: 9780820455396

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Black Students' Perceptions documents and addresses what it means to be a black person getting an education in a predominantly white university."--Jacket.

Unfinished Business
Unfinished Business

Author: Matt J. Bergman

Publisher: Information Age Publishing

Published: 2020

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 9781641138550

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"For at least the last 100 years, more than 40% of all students who enrolled in American colleges and universities have not persisted to graduation at four-year institutions. Their stories are varied, but in every case, something got in the way of that pursuit. Life happened. They became one of the nearly 36 million Americans who have some college but no degree. For many, the stigma of not finishing college is a closely held secret that weighs heavily as they discuss, engage, and compete to meet the challenges of the workforce in the 21st century. Some weren't ready at age 18 for the focus and commitment that academic studies require. Others found opportunities to create income and meet immediate familial needs or requirements. Many have excelled despite their lack of a college credential. Contrary to the deficit mindset that often permeates the retention and persistence discourse, this book highlights the stories of those who successfully returned to what was left unfinished. The stories here may challenge your assumptions. These are high-quality students who demonstrated a compelling and inspiring commitment to their education, begun long ago and now completed-in some cases decades later. As you read, don't miss the role that engaged advisors, supportive family members, and well-designed programs such as prior learning assessment played in helping students to the finish line. These narratives also demonstrate that it is time for institutions of higher education to imagine and embrace new ways of serving these students well"--

Persisting to Graduation
Persisting to Graduation

Author: Stanley Dawayne Kirkman

Publisher:

Published: 2018

Total Pages: 222

ISBN-13:

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Although African-American males are enrolling in community colleges, their graduation rates are alarmingly low and there is a dearth of research about why this is the case. "Despite the high number of African American students enrolled in two-year institutions," argued Bush and Bush (2010), "there is a pronounced scarcity of educational literature and research about the community college system in general and African American students specifically" (p. 40). Harris and Wood (2013) also gave credence to the fact that it was not until after 2010 that scholars began researching men of color at community colleges. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to document and better understand the college-going experience of degree-seeking, first-generation, African-American males at an urban community college in the Midwest so that future African-American male students can be better supported in their quest for a higher education. Harper (2014) asked researchers to stop mischaracterizing young men of color and offer more than a one-sided narrative. This study aims to achieve that and also includes topics overlooked in the research: distinctive interventions for community colleges, personal reasons students drop out, the challenge of balancing academic and social pressures, and the need for qualitative research regarding the experiences of African-American males. In this study, major findings from 15 semi-structured interviews, demographic questionnaires, and support network diagrams are examined through an anti-deficit framing lens. Several themes emerged from the analysis process. Four of the major themes describe what contributes to associate degree completion for African-American males: importance of family and mentors, significance of believing in success, impact of community support, and influence of faculty connections. Four of the major themes are categorized as challenges to degree completion for African-American males. These are: complexities of being a first generation student, questioning the value of higher education, difficulties of college, and facing the reality of racism. Themes that emerged from this research indicate the ways faculty, student services professionals, and fellow students can best support African-American male students. This study also suggests that if community colleges truly want to see an increase in the number of African-American males graduating, there will need to be a college-wide strategy and implementation behind any social mobility objectives--not just words but action is needed. One participant offered a charge to readers that should persist beyond this dissertation regarding how instructors, staff, and students can best support African-American males at a community college: Just educate [yourself] about our experiences. Like you're doing. Talk to us, learn, see what they went through, see the challenges they went through to get where they are now, and what possible challenges they might face in the future.

Increasing Persistence
Increasing Persistence

Author: Wesley R. Habley

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2012-06-25

Total Pages: 513

ISBN-13: 1118234847

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INCREASING PERSISTENCE "Of all the books addressing the puzzle of student success and persistence, I found this one to be the most helpful and believe it will be extremely useful to faculty and staff attempting to promote student success. The authors solidly ground their work in empirical research, and do a brilliant job providing both an overview of the relevant literature as well as research-based recommendations for intervention." GAIL HACKETT, PH.D., provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs; professor, counseling and educational psychology, University of Missouri, Kansas City Research indicates that approximately forty percent of all college students never earn a degree anywhere, any time in their lives. This fact has not changed since the middle of the 20th century. Written for practitioners and those who lead retention and persistence initiatives at both the institutional and public policy levels, Increasing Persistence offers a compendium on college student persistence that integrates concept, theory, and research with successful practice. It is anchored by the ACT's What Works in Student Retention (WWISR) survey of 1,100 colleges and universities, an important resource that contains insights on the causes of attrition and identifies retention interventions that are most likely to enhance student persistence.?? The authors focus on three essential conditions for student success: students must learn; students must be motivated, committed, engaged, and self-regulating; and students must connect with educational programs consistent with their interests and abilities. The authors offer a detailed discussion of the four interventions that research shows are the most effective for helping students persist and succeed: assessment and course placement, developmental education initiatives, academic advising, and student transition programming. Finally, they urge broadening the current retention construct, providing guidance to policy makers, campus leaders, and individuals on the contributions they can make to student success.