College campuses have a responsibility to cultivate campus climates that are reflective and welcoming to students from all faith traditions. This chapter explores the context of religious diversity in higher education by discussing the following: (1) the undergirding of Christianity as the religious majority in the early development of higher education institutions, (2) the continued prevalence of Christian privilege, (3) the significance of religion and the experiences of religious minority students in college, and (4) conceptual frameworks for understanding the campus climate and aspects of religious minority students’ religiousness. Through these frameworks, this chapter aims to highlight institutional responsibility toward enhancing the nature and quality of experiences for religious minority students. Implications for practice are offered to help educators and higher education administrators improve campus climate for religious minority students.

While student engagement has long been associated with students' learning, development, and success, the climate and culture of historically white institutions often create barriers to engagement among racially minoritized students. Given the institutional responsibility to facilitate equitable engagement, there is a need for new policies and practices that meet students' needs. One increasingly popular intervention is comprehensive college transition programs (CCTPs) that provide multipronged approaches to promote the success of underrepresented students. While there is growing evidence that these programs benefit students' outcomes, very little research has explored how they might shape students' engagement-a prerequisite for student success. Therefore, this sequential explanatory mixed methods study used longitudinal data from a multicampus CCTP to understand various aspects of engagement among students with different racialized identities. We found that racially diverse students participating in a CCTP engaged similarly across groups with their peers, faculty, staff, and CCTP academic courses. Key explanations for the similar levels of engagement among racially diverse students that emerged from our analysis included the compositional diversity among students and educators, structured opportunities for meaningful interactions across racial groups, and the identity-conscious approaches used by educators in this CCTP. Our qualitative findings aligned with previous research on college environments, providing empirical evidence that such environments foster similar levels of engagement among racially diverse students. Thus, this study offers important implications for researchers, educators, and administrators to promote equitable engagement among increasingly racially diverse college students.

The study analyzes focus groups and individual interviews with 179 adult participants and 116 student participants during the 2022-23 academic year. Adult participants included principals, administrative coordinators of instruction, teachers, staff members and parents of students within a large school district in California. All of these adults and students were active benefactors and staff members of a Black Student Achievement Plan (BSAP), an initiative created to foster educational equity for schools with over 200 Black students or a document history of academic underperformance for Black students. We examine the implementation of the Black student achievement plan i.e., the adoption of culturally sustaining curricula and instruction, the allocations of funds to hire necessary staff, funding of culturally enriching activity and experiences, etc. The findings suggest that BSAP hires are serving as invaluable support systems for many students and often serve as respite for students in an otherwise racial hostile educational environment. Findings suggest that BSAP is a crucial part in increasing students college readiness and provides students with supports and educational experience e.g. field trips, that increase their likelihood for attending college. This research informs districts and college readiness programs about the necessary supports to provide to Black and historically underrepresented students.

Greater numbers of Latina/o students are graduating from high school and attending college yet only 22% of Latina/o high school graduates attend college, while 30% of African American and 41% of White students do so (Devarics, 2000). Latina/o students are actually only 5% of college graduates (Wilds & Wilson, 1998) and there is much more that can be done to increase college matriculation, academic performance, and graduation rates. The task of improving the academic achievement of Latina/o students requires state, policy, and institutional efforts; however, an examination of the role that faculty play is indispensable. This is not a simple matter, as the task involves an understanding of Latina/o students and their professors, and most importantly of their interactions and relationships. There is a small but growing body of research on undergraduate student-faculty interactions and it includes a few but important studies on minority and Latina/o students. A research-informed foundation can be established and utilized to develop strategies that actively involve faculty in the maximization of Latina/o students' learning efforts and educational outcomes. To this end we offer the reader an overview of relevant literature.

This study examines the relationship between support from comprehensive college transition program (CCTP) staff and students' academic self-efficacy, academic behavioral change, and achievement. We surveyed 1,197 students across three campuses of the University of Nebraska system. Path analyses revealed CCTP staff support had direct and indirect effects on these outcomes. We recommend that institutions identify program staff as sources of knowledge and that research explore them as a source of academic self-efficacy.

This study employed longitudinal data to investigate the conditional effect of race/ethnicity on the relationship between college interracial contact and students' self-concept.There were two noteworthy findings.First, the research revealed notable changes in academic and social self-concept for students who engaged in interracial interactions over four years of college.Second, the analysis of interaction implied that diversity awareness activities benefited students' self-concept, although certain groups of minority students may be more receptive to certain activities than others.

We use survey data from three four-year campuses to explore the relationship between academic validation and student outcomes during students’ first 3 years in college using structural equation modeling. We examine both a psychosocial outcome (mattering to campus) and an academic outcome (cumulative GPA). We find that both frequency of interactions with faculty and feelings of academic validation from faculty are positively related to students’ feelings of mattering to campus and cumulative GPA in their third year. Our results suggest that academic validation, beyond the frequency of faculty–student interactions, is an important predictor of students’ psychosocial and academic success.

In this practice brief, we offer recommendations for practitioners supporting low-income students, first-generation college students, students of color, and/or students who are academically underprepared. We focus specifically on practices related to students' psychosocial well-being. Our recommendations are based on a multiyear, mixed methods evaluation of a comprehensive college transition program, as well as promising practices emerging from similar programs. We highlight the importance of offering multiple forms of proactive support, utilizing academically validating practices in the classroom, and customizing programs based on a campus's unique student body.

This study proposes an empirically grounded, non-deficit oriented, college transition program proactive advising model, called “mid-semester grade checks,” to promote academic self-efficacy among first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented minoritized students. The grade checks model was developed based on data comprised of longitudinal interviews with 70 participants in a comprehensive college transition program. Mid-semester grade checks promote academic self-efficacy through: (a) reflection and self-assessment, (b) emotional and interpersonal support, and (c) proactive planning and instrumental guidance.

With a sample of 160 Muslim college students attending 34 historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), ordinary-least-squares regression analyses were conducted to examine students’ sense of belonging and mattering. Conceptually grounded in the minoritized religious and spiritual campus climate framework (MRSCC), the findings indicated that Muslim students who felt comfortable talking with non-Muslim peers about critical social issues (i.e., racism, sexism, Islamophobia, etc.) were unlikely to feel like an outsider. Muslim students who indicated that they felt supported by administrators and faculty were more likely to report feeling like they matter. Support from administrators was also significant for Muslim students’ belonging.

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.

With a sample of 145 Muslim college students attending 50 institutions, a multi-level model was calculated in order to examine the extent to which the minoritized religious and spiritual campus climate framework (MRSCC), specifically, the organizational and structural aspects of an institution, influence insensitivity on campus, coercion on campus, and negative interworldview engagement. The final multi-level regression model indicated that Muslim students who attend institutions that promote interfaith cooperation and religious diversity, as well as provide optional religious diversity training for faculty and staff, are less likely to report insensitivity, coercion, and negative interworldview engagement on campus.

There are few accounts in the higher education literature of mixing methods at the survey design stage and very little guidance targeting higher education researchers and practitioners who want to implement a mixed methods approach to design survey tools. This article explores an eight-step, iterative, mixed methods approach for creating a longitudinal, multi-institutional survey to assess how participation in a comprehensive college transition program is related to students’ psychosocial and academic outcomes. In the context of a college transition program study, our mixed methods strategy to develop a survey instrument included initial qualitative data collection and review of psychosocial constructs, psychometric pilot, baseline survey, focus groups, case study research, cognitive interviews, follow-up pilot, and follow-up survey. This article makes a unique contribution to higher education research, providing a potential model for others seeking guidance in mixing methods at the study design and instrument development stage. Major lessons learned from the mixed methods survey design process are discussed.