Over the last two decades, there has been a high prevalence of Substance Use Disorder (SUD) among college students in the United States. The purpose of this quantitative study is to examine the social and psychological factors that impact academic and recovery outcomes of students enrolled in an on-campus recovery program. The summary data were collected over 10 years by a Collegiate Recovery Program (CRP)/Collegiate Recovery Community (CRC) in the southern region of the United States. Key findings of the study include that among students enrolled in a CRP/CRC: a) a significant relationship exists between relapse rates and mental health disorders; b) having an additional mental health disorder is associated with lower graduation rates; c) females students relapsed more than male students; d) female students had higher graduation rates than male students. It is recommended that higher education institutions integrate mental and behavioral health programs such as CRPs/CRCs to help increase student outcomes such as retention rates, graduation rates, and decrease depression, substance abuse use rates on campus.
This dissertation investigated the degree to which economic trends in the United States, since the publication of A Nation at Risk in 1983, have influenced subsequent education policy from 1983 to 2010. It aimed to examine the interrelatedness of economic trends within American society, as defined by employment, earning power, and the gap between the rich and poor; how corporate and private philanthropy have created the economic impetus for educational foundations; and how corporate needs, as dictated by economic trends, influence educational policy. This influence effectuated the inception of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), an educational reform movement that has resulted in the expansion of government, the advancement of a nationalized curriculum whose primary concern is developing “college and career readiness” skills, and the establishment of new industries driven by the demands of markets associated with a nationalized curriculum.