ABSTRACT Post‐secondary education, including two‐ and four‐year colleges, has become more accessible to many students, including underserved populations; however, challenges to accessing basic needs have been on the rise. This paper reviews how different institutional types respond to and support food insecurity. We present three case studies (a community college district in Arizona, a Research 1 Institution in Arizona, and a state‐wide approach in Alabama) to highlight the different levels of intervention and what lessons we can learn from these diverse institutions. To tackle the growing problem of basic needs among college students, this article describes interventions that must take place at the local, state, and federal levels. At the local level, we see Institutions of Higher Education (IHE) providing a wide range of care, including assessing the levels of food insecurity and other basic needs, providing access to food pantries with reduced‐cost meals, and connecting students to resources, including federal programs. At the state level, creating coalitions between institutions to share best practices, research, and network is important. At the federal level, a tool adapted for surveying college students needs to be developed, and subsequent modification of resources such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) better adapted to this population.
ABSTRACT This article explores the development and growth of Basic Needs Hubs at the University of Iowa and Towson University, two institutions with distinct profiles yet similar challenges in addressing student basic needs. Both universities initiated their basic needs support in response to student demand and financial struggles among their populations. The article examines the evolution of these Hubs from initial food pantries to comprehensive ecosystems offering food, clothing, hygiene products, and financial support. It highlights the strategies employed, such as leveraging existing facilities and advocating for resource allocation, and the iterative improvements made in response to ongoing advocacy and data collection. The article offers a practical framework for other institutions aiming to develop or enhance their basic needs ecosystems, ultimately fostering student retention and success.
ABSTRACT This study examined intersections between mental health and basic needs insecurity among college students, drawing on survey data from over 50,000 undergraduate students across 87 U.S. colleges and universities. The results suggest that addressing these needs is likely to support institutions’ retention goals. Mental health and financial security were among the most commonly‐cited factors in students’ decisions to leave school without completing a credential. However, barriers to accessing both mental health and other basic needs supports were widespread, particularly among LGBTQIA+ students. These findings underscore the need for integrated, holistic campus strategies that address mental health and basic needs insecurity through structural interventions aimed at reducing material hardship.
ABSTRACT American Indian and Alaska Native students remain largely invisible in national higher education research datasets, limiting institutions’ ability to design effective recruitment, retention, and completion strategies. In response, the four largest Native scholarship organizations in the United States — the Cobell Scholarship Program, American Indian College Fund, AISES, and Native Forward — formed the National Native Scholarship Providers (NNSP), a collaborative research and data partnership addressing evidence gaps in Indigenous college access, affordability, belonging, and persistence. This article presents a case study of NNSP's interorganizational research collaboration. The consortium's first national mixed‐methods study examined Indigenous college affordability with participation from all four organizations. Subsequent sense of belonging and campus climate research was conducted through partnership among the Cobell Scholarship Program, AISES, and the College Fund, illustrating an adaptive collaboration model responsive to organizational capacity and evolving research priorities. Across studies, NNSP employs nationally representative surveys and Indigenous qualitative methodologies such as sharing circles, guided by Indigenous Data Sovereignty and CARE principles. Findings identify systemic barriers in higher education and institutional practices that foster Indigenous student success. This case study demonstrates how Native‐centered, higher education–adjacent organizations can lead ethical, evidence‐based research agendas that many institutions have been unable to undertake independently, offering a replicable model for addressing Indigenous student invisibility in higher education data.
