Background: Prior to the early 1990s, most counselor preparation programs did not have multicultural competencies. Therefore, a call was made for the use of multicultural competencies in counselor preparation programs. Yet, the popularization of multicultural competencies of this time in education had a Eurocentric bent, a kind of colorblindness More recently, scholars confirmed that these Eurocentric multicultural competencies had become the primary template from which counselor preparation programs taught culturally responsive and relevant pedagogy. Therefore, a call was made for the use of critical race theory (CRT) in counselor preparation programs to challenge and change Eurocentric cultural competence. Purpose: This study explored the presence of CRT and culturally relevant pedagogy in an educational counseling master’s program preparing community college counselors. Methodology: This content analysis explored an educational counseling master’s program. Various data collection methods employed included program document analysis, and semi-structured interviews of program faculty/counselor-educators, program student-counselors/alumni. Conclusion: The main findings of this content analysis are that although not explicit, and albeit limited, evidence of CRT themes were inferred in some way in the program’s content; while culturally relevant pedagogy was evident within the variety of counseling techniques employed.

Senior administrators' retirement rates between 2012 and 2022 will create a shortage of community college leaders. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to explore how the mentoring programs at community colleges may contribute to the career advancement of potential academic leaders for senior leadership positions. Kram's mentor role theory grounded the study. Data collection included semistructured face-to-face interviews with a purposeful sample of 3 academic, senior administrative leaders from 3 North Carolina community colleges who have participated in leadership mentoring programs, a review of organizational documents, and a review of the literature. Using Yin's 5 step analytic strategy approach, the 9 themes that emerged were leadership development programs, formal mentoring, internal mentoring program configurations, mentoring challenges, succession planning, importance of mentoring in community colleges, informal mentoring, professional development program, and benefits of mentoring. The results from this qualitative study might increase social change efforts focused on developing potential academic leaders for senior leadership positions by contributing insights, strategies, and new knowledge about the benefits of mentoring programs and succession planning. Having trained community college leaders might increase student enrollment and graduation rates.

This case study was designed to explore policies that were in place to attract, recruit, and retain qualified faculty for 4 community colleges in Sierra Leone. The research was necessitated by the apparent inability of Sierra Leone educators to train and retain faculty possessing the required academic credentials. The research questions were designed to address the policies and strategies used to attract and recruit faculty, better prepare faculty, improve the quality of classroom instruction, and retain qualified faculty at community colleges. The literature review yielded results about the benefits of community colleges in developing countries, thus reinforcing the need for qualified faculty. Case study methodology and open-ended interviews with 12 purposely selected participants were used to ensure trustworthiness and reveal the essential characteristics of how community colleges in Sierra Leone may succeed in faculty attraction, recruitment, and retention. Participants reported that word of mouth solicitation was the primary method for faculty recruitment, and that the top challenge faced by these institutions was fiscal constraints. Although findings from this study are specific to 4 institutions, they may serve as a guide for qualified faculty retention at all community colleges in Sierra Leone, and hopefully bring about social change by improving academic excellence throughout the country.

Despite a growing enrollment of Black males in colleges and universities in the U.S., the nationwide college degree completion rate for Black males remains at disproportionately low numbers as compared to other ethnicities and to that of Black females. The purpose of this narrative inquiry study was to evoke and promote the voices of successful Black male students and to understand their perspectives on factors that contributed to their college success. Findings from this research provide insight into college experiences and interventions that have positive implications for Black male college student success. Valencia's (2010) work on educational attainment served as the anti-deficit conceptual framework for this study, which used a qualitative approach of criterion-based, purposeful sampling. A total of 14 Black male college students from a community college in the Southeast served as study participants. Eight participants were interviewed, and 6 participated in a focus group. Open-ended interview and focus group protocols were used to engage study participants. The data analysis consisted of open and axial coding to identify recurring themes. The analysis revealed the college experiences to which successful Black male college students were exposed. These experiences included student organization membership, community service, advising, and mentorship engagement. Intrinsic motivation and ethnicity were also emergent themes that appeared to contribute to the students' college success. The study findings are insightful as to how institutions might better support Black male college success and completion. Increased Black male college completion has positive implications for a better quality of life for this population and their families as well as greater socio-economic contributions to society.

Local employers believe the lack of prerequisite soft skills is inhibiting the graduates from a local community college from securing employment. The rationale of this phenomenological study was to investigate the perceptions of students and employers related to the soft skills needed to be successful in future employment. The theoretical framework was based on Mezirow's transformational and Daloz's mentorship theories. Individual face-to-face, semistructured interviews were used to gather data from 12 business and computer students and 7 employers (N=19) who were selected using purposeful random sampling. The typewritten transcripts of participants' responses were imported in MAXQDA 11, then were open coded and analyzed for emergent themes. According to emergent findings among these 19 participants, for entry-level jobs, communication was the most important and the most lacking soft skill. The recommendations informed the creation of a mandatory 3-day professional development training program, which was developed to help students enhance their soft skills before entering their future careers. This study directly affects positive social change by enhancing the quality of soft skills for future employees who enter the local work force.

Research shows that consistent, supportive, and relevant professional development (PD) is an action that empowers educators to change. In the east central region of Canada, the sustainability of community colleges had been linked to program collaboration and internationalization which requires implementation of high-quality PD for its professors. Guided by Mezirow's adult transformative learning theory, the purpose of this study was to understand the PD practices of full-time professors by investigating the connections between professors' level of engagement in PD and their perceptions of the resources and processes that may improve their instructional practices. This single-phased, concurrent mixed-methods study was conducted using a self-designed 39-item web-based survey to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. From a population of 600 full-time professors at 5 colleges, 120 surveys were completed. Descriptive statistics, chi-square test, and Fisher's exact test were used for quantitative analyses. Findings indicated that professors with higher levels of engagement in PD perceived the importance of making use of online and face-to-face networking strategies as well as available online resources to improve instructional practices. Emergent themes from the qualitative data were coded and confirmed the value of networking in PD. Results were used to design a workshop to help community college professors in planning and supporting their PD activities via enhanced networking strategies and implementation of online resources for instruction. By providing college professors needed opportunities to engage in customized PD focused on networking and maximizing the use of available online resources, colleges may be better prepared to foster active, engaged, and highly trained faculty capable of producing positive social change benefitting the institutions and students they serve.

This mixed research study evaluated the spacing effect theory on the academic performances of students enrolled in introductory level Computer Literacy courses by comparing course grades and mock IC3 certification exam scores in semester-length and quarter-length courses at Prince Georges Community College. The study was ingrained on the spacing effect theory which posits that mammals will tend to recall material learned over time (spaced presentation) than material concepts learned over shorter periods (massed presentation). A t test analysis revealed that students in the quarter-length formats had significantly higher grades than those in the semester format but the analysis presented no significant difference on their mock IC3 scores. A Pearson correlation conducted also revealed no significant relationship among students' course grades and their mock IC3 scores overall or by format (semester vs. intensive).

California Community Colleges (CCC) are the largest post-secondary higher education systems in the nation, with an enrollment of over 2 million at a given year. They are also the most affordable and accessible for students after completing K-12 education. With California having the largest Latinx residents (39%), they overwhelmingly makeup 45% of the student population enrolled in CCC. Although Latinx students are pursuing higher education and enrolling in high numbers in CCC’s, they still fall short when it comes to student success outcomes, particularly transfer, when compared with their peers. Only 10 % of Latinx students transfer in two years, 16% in four years, and 32 % in six years. This number becomes more alarming when only analyzing the Latino male student transfer rate, which is less than four percent in two years, seven percent in four years and 16 % in six years. Aspects of literature attributes the Latinx attainment gap to both institutional and environmental determinants. Institutional determinants include: academic preparedness, the role of faculty, staff, and administration, and faculty diversity. Environmental determinants include: family influences, financial and socioeconomic status, as well as masculinity identity. Given what the literature has provided, this study will look at Latino male students who have indicated progress towards transfer using the Associates Degree for Transfer (ADT). The ADT was established in 2011 and it was meant to create a clearer path for students to navigate the transfer process and end up transferring to a California State University (CSU). This study employed Merriam’s (206) basic qualitative research methodology to understand the meaning that students have constructed through their college experience and interactions with peers, counselors, faculty, and administrators. A total of 10 participants, all Latino community college males, were part of this investigation. The data collection process included: semi-structured interviews, which were one hour in length, using thematic analysis as well as a color-coded method. The research data was viewed through Yosso’s (2005) Community Cultural Wealth framework to capture the positive qualities that Latino male students bring to higher education. The results from this study indicated that Latino male students had a wide range of challenges steaming from environmental to academic challenges. Additionally, findings suggest that many Latino male students are disengaged from campus support services. This may be due to the COVID – 19 pandemic and the services being offered virtually. A third component from the findings suggest that Latino male students need a sense of belonging to the campus. This can be done by establishing a Latino center, male initiative program, greater mentorship, or and designated counselors that can invest as well as dedicate more time in their education. The researcher outlined several recommendations for action in the field of community college practice and for further research.

For years, the impending enrollment cliff has been a regular topic amongst higher education officials. With this event slated to hit undergraduate programs by 2025, it is anticipated that graduate schools will begin feeling the impact by 2029. By examining factors influencing graduate student college choice, enrollment managers can identify ways to offset the decline in eligible graduate students. This study looked at applicants’ decisions to enroll or not enroll over a 5-year period at a public, research-intensive institution. The results of this study provided insight into the individual and academic factors that influence college choice, while also measuring the impact that the length of time from application to admission has on a student's decision to enroll or not enroll. By identifying these influencers and determining which factors universities can control, enrollment managers will have a better understanding of where to invest their time and resources when it comes to graduate recruitment. Historically, master’s and doctoral programs have been focused on selective enrollment, while the responsibility for institutional growth has fallen on undergraduate recruitment. However, administrators, faculty, and enrollment managers will need to reinvent how they think about recruitment and admissions if they are going to survive the impending enrollment cliff. Planning for the fall in graduate student enrollment now will empower higher education administrators to successfully navigate the fluctuation in the number of qualified graduate applicants before the enrollment cliff hits graduate schools.

Non-traditional students make up approximately 20% of the undergraduate student population nationwide and are one of few segments of the student population that are not provided with targeted programs and services. To help this cohort achieve their goals whilst universities can increase their retention rates, this research begins a review of the non-traditional student literature to gain an understanding of what this population faces as far as barriers to their education. The literature also provides recommendations and further information in retention efforts to support the student during their academic years. Next, an analysis of non-traditional student support services at 4-year public universities was conducted between 15 different institutions, including the University of Central Florida. Only two of the universities in this study had a department or office specifically to support the needs of this cohort, one being the smallest universities in this research study and the other was one of the largest. Three more universities researched have a program dedicated to these students. The remaining 10 universities had little to no non-traditional student support structures in place at their university. This research provides 34 different methods for providing non-traditional student support to universities across the nation.