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This study was based on a multiple case study of two Predominantly White Institutions. Interviews were conducted with 61 individuals including undergraduate and graduate engineering and computer science majors and recent graduates, faculty, and administrators. This study focuses specifically on how students' experiences with corporate internships, undergraduate research, and their financial status informed their consideration of immediate workforce entry or graduate school. The findings from this study indicate that students who participated in corporate internships overwhelmingly intended to pursue the labor market immediately following completion of her/his bachelor's degree. Conversely, students who were engaged in undergraduate research tended to express a desire to pursue graduate school. Finances appeared to play a key consideration in participants' decision to enter the workforce or seek graduate school. [Note: The month range shown in the full text (January-March) is incorrect. The correct month range is January-May.]

As higher education professionals, we all wield power to shape the educational environment for our students. Conor P. McLaughlin and Christopher B. Newman use the metaphor of the superhero, whose power has the potential to be both democratic or fascist, to consider how we use our power as higher education professionals. More specifically, they challenge us to consider how we use our power with those who hold different perspectives and worldviews. They suggest that a dialogic approach is the most appropriate method for engaging with difference. This doesn't mean we must accept all perspectives as equal but, rather, that the humanity of the participants is the focus instead of a position or belief.

This research focuses on factors predicting faculty-student engagement for Black male collegians. In this study, the authors investigated whether students' perceptions of racial/gender stereotypes had a moderating effect on the determinants of engagement with faculty. The sample population was derived from 16 urban community colleges located across four states. A total of 340 Black men participated in the Community College Survey of Men. Degree utility and intrinsic interest were both found to be positive determinants of faculty-student engagement. The variable with the most significant contribution to the model was faculty validation.

Purpose: Underrepresented groups have fought for equal access to higher education, which spurred the development of "minority" initiatives. However, the assault on affirmative action and race-based initiatives have led many universities to retreat toward more all-encompassing "diversity" initiatives. Design/methodology/approach: In this study, the author examines two historically white public research universities. The data include 70 participants with voices of faculty, key administrators, students and recent alumni (within the past three-five years). Findings: Analyzed through a pattern matching technique, the findings from this study suggest important financial benefits for the "multicultural" engineering program and a sense of communal support for both the "multicultural" and "minority" engineering program. Originality/value: Given the international attention of raced-based initiatives, this study provides forward-looking insights based on the experiences and perspectives of key stakeholders.

The purpose of this study was to examine factors contributing to Black male students' sense of belonging with faculty members. Data from this study were derived from the Fall 2013 administration of the Community College Survey of Men (CCSM) and was analyzed using hierarchical linear regression. Findings from this study indicate that, after controlling for relevant extraneous variables, perceived racial-gender stereotypes held by faculty members, faculty validation, and faculty student engagement are significant predictors of respondents' perceptions of belonging with faculty members. Additionally, masculine identity (e.g., school as a feminine domain, breadwinner orientation and competitive ethos) moderated the effects of the perceptions of belonging with faculty members. Implications for policy, practice, and future research are provided.

In this article, the authors report on research that aims to understand diversity in STEM and the principles of good practice in undergraduate science education that will improve rates of degree attainment and advancement into graduate studies in related fields among underrepresented racial minorities (URMs). Although students' precollege characteristics are important determinants of degree completion, Seymour (1992) suggests that many talented students do not pursue scientific research careers. To better understand what factors influence URM students' success, the UCLA Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) selected a targeted sample of college students who are majoring in biomedical and behavioral sciences and other STEM fields. We use data obtained through the Cooperative Institutional Research Program's (CIRP) 2004 Freshman Survey (TFS) and the 2005 Your First College Year (YFCY) survey, which were administered during fall orientation and at the end of the freshman year. Using this national data set with the 2004 cohort as a baseline, the authors have sought to identify the conditions and practices within colleges and universities that increase retention in STEM and prepare students for graduate study and STEM-related careers. The authors summarize findings and offer implications from the first phase of this national longitudinal study.

Guided by Bean and Eaton's (2011) psychological model of college student retention, this study sought to determine whether math and English self-efficacy had an effect on several integration measures for Black male students in the community college. Specifically, this study focused on the integration experiences of these men during their first-year of college. Data employed in this study were derived from the Educational Longitudinal Study (ELS) of 2006/2012 and analyzed using multinomial logistic regression. Results indicated that math self-efficacy was significantly predictive of several academic integration measures, including talking with faculty about academic matters, meeting with advisors, and using the internet to access library resources. Interestingly, English efficacy had little to no effect on academic integration in most of the models., Extensive research has shown an integral relationship between self-efficacy and student success in college (Aguayo, Herman, Ojeda & Flores, 2011; Bong, 2001; Choi, 2005; Gore, 2006; Majer, 2009; Pajares & [...]

Background: Much has been written about Black undergraduate men's out-of-class engagement and social experiences, identity development, participation in intercollegiate athletics, and college enrollment and completion rates. Too little is known about their academic readiness and first-year college adjustment. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to understand Black male students' academic transition experiences in the first college year, with a particular emphasis on how they resolved academic challenges with which they were confronted. Setting: This study was conducted at 42 colleges and universities in 20 states across the United States. Six institution types were included: private liberal arts colleges, public research universities, highly selective private research universities, public and private Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and comprehensive state universities. Participants: The sample was comprised of 219 Black undergraduate men, mostly juniors and seniors, who maintained high cumulative grade point averages, were extraordinarily engaged in a range of student organizations, held multiple leadership roles on campus, cultivated meaningful relationships with faculty and administrators, participated in enriching educational experiences (e.g., study abroad programs), and earned numerous merit-based awards and honors for their college achievements. Research Design: Qualitative research methods were used in this study. Specifically, phenomenology was used to understand what Black male students experienced in the first college year and how they experienced the transition phenomenon. Data Collection and Analysis: Individual, face-to-face interviews were conducted with all 219 participants. Each interview was 2-3 hours. Moustakas' (1994) process for phenomenological data analysis and Harper's (2007) trajectory analysis technique were used to analyze data collected for this study. Findings: Two thematic categories of findings are presented in this article. First are reflections from students who experienced turbulence in their transitions from high school to higher education. Being underprepared for the academic rigors of college, the surprising mismatch between academic effort and first-year grades, the racial composition dissimilarities between their high schools and college campuses, and feelings of cultural misfit were factors to which participants attributed their initial adjustment challenges. The second category includes insights from achievers who transitioned seamlessly to college. They attributed their successful starts to strong academic preparation, prior experiences in demographically comparable educational environments, participation in summer bridge and college transition programs, and academically profitable relationships they cultivated in student organizations. Recommendations: This article ends with several suggestions for helping Black undergraduate men adjust more seamlessly and resolve surprising academic transition issues encountered in the first college year.

For first-year students who carry traditionally marginalized identities, comprehensive college transition programs (CCTPs) can offer key wraparound services to help address some of the major academic, social, and financial barriers they may encounter. This article looks at one such CCTP implemented at three public college campuses serving a range of students, including those from low-income, first-generation, and racial/ethnic minority backgrounds. More specifically, this study uses regression analyses to look at two cohorts of first-year students' experiences related to sense of belonging and mattering to their CCTP. The findings suggest that when considering students' experiences in the CCTP, staff care and support and perceptions of grade check meetings were experiences that were significantly related to both sense of belonging and mattering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]