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 study examines the impact of grit (Duckworth et al., 2007), demographic characteristics, and environmental pull factors on academic outcomes for nursing students at an urban commuter institution. Undergraduate baccalaureate nursing students (N = 243) completed a survey that collected demographic information, assessed environmental pull factors, and determined their grit score. Academic outcomes, cumulative grade point average, and average credit accumulation, were gathered from the student’s academic records. A series of multiple regressions were used to determine the significance of these variables in predicting academic outcomes. Findings indicated that age, number of children, and grit were predictive of average credit accumulation. These results provide suggestions on how institutions can support students and future research on the role of grit in academic success.
The U.S. . higher education system faces unprecedented challenges that command considerable attention, scrutiny, and public debate. . Colleges and universities have struggled to respond to a complex and volatile institutional landscape, with senior college leaders facing competing and often conflicting pressures to reduce costs, absorb reductions in government support, and improve outcomes. Resolving these challenges requires faculty, staff, and administrators to work together.
Over the past 20 years, employee engagement has gained prominence as a measurement of worker experience related to achieving desirable organizational outcomes. Numerous private organizations have developed engagement programs. They have begun measuring engagement levels and identifying factors that contribute to higher levels of employee engagement in efforts to boost morale, performance, retention, and institutional reputation, and to build better work environments. Yet, research has shown that only about one third of employees are actually engaged, and the rift between employees and employers may be even greater in higher education institutions.
The purpose of this study was to explore the extent to which senior leadership can positively influence faculty and staff work engagement and performance-motivation efforts at colleges and universities. The study involved examining agreement levels of responses to six questions assessing the perceptions of senior leaders; these questions are part of the “Great Colleges to Work For” program, administered by ModernThink on behalf of the Chronicle of Higher Education. College representatives answer a 60-question survey and compete for their respective institution to be recognized as a Great College to Work For based on overall survey responses. Six questions serve as prompts for key engagement factors that the literature has shown to be related to engagement and leadership such as vision, communication, employee well-being, trust, and value congruence.
Two research questions guided this study: What is the relationship between high degrees of affinity and positive attitudes expressed by faculty and staff toward campus senior leaders, and workplace engagement? How do faculty and staff perceptions of senior leaders vary based upon demographic traits of campus employees and characteristics of the campuses themselves?
The study offers an overview of engagement, including its various definitions, constructs, and conceptual/theoretical frameworks. It also explores relevant studies that have examined the status of engagement in the workplace, the factors that drive it, its correlation with leadership, the link between engagement and performance, and the difference between engagement and other related concepts. Cross-tabulated results are examined to determine agreement levels of respondents by position type (i.e., faculty vs. non faculty), institution type, age, gender, length of service, and whether respondents were from a Recognized or non-Recognized Great College to Work For school. The impact of leadership perceptions, as suggested by the survey results, is discussed in the context of correlations between leadership and engagement supported by the literature. The study concludes with a discussion of implications, observations, and recommendations for further study, which can help broaden understandings of how leaders can better identify and harness engagement drivers to motivate employees and help institutions overcome current and future challenges.
Black Greek Letter Organizations [BGLOs] have been dealing with the stigma created by poor media representation. Research into this matter has indicated that these groups often only receive coverage that is stimulated by their entertainment or hazing incidents. This study aims to determine if there is any connection between said stigma and Black students' effects. This study was constructed to explore the question: Does the stigma of BGLOs affect the student life experience of black students?
The review of literature focused on BGLO founding, BGLO stigma, and the black student life experience. Combined with the African American Identity Development and Reflective Judgment models, interview questions were used to ask participants about how they verify information and their perception of self (and others). Analysis of responses demonstrated that participants are aware of the stigma surrounding these groups. However, they do not allow it to stop them from interacting or pursuing membership. The study results indicated that the stigma concerning BGLO isn't an accurate representation of these groups as BGLOs are seen to create a sense of community where students feel supported and safe by the participants. The other result of this study was that the participants disagree with the media representation of these groups. It is recommended that to combat the stigma connected to BGLOs, the national leadership for these groups needs to come together to protest these depictions. Additionally, higher education leaders and those who advised these groups need to take the proper time to educate themselves on the history of these organizations and motivations of its members. Further research can be done to identify if said stigma affects students on a micro-scale, which offers a more in-depth look at perspectives for a particular school or on a macro scale that explores these ideas for a large number of schools.