Editor\u27s Remarks

This volume includes four articles from some very respected scholars and leaders around the country. Several of the topics cover critical, timely issues, such as mental health and gender equality, and two of the other topics represent growing trends that leaders must address. These four accepted and published papers are 25% of the submissions received this year. We are grateful to the 16 authors who submitted original work for possible publication in the journal and hope that they, along with others, will continue to consider the journal as an outlet for their academic work

Editor\u27s Remarks

This volume includes four articles from some very respected scholars and leaders around the country. Several of the topics cover critical, timely issues, such as mental health and gender equality, and two of the other topics represent growing trends that leaders must address. These four accepted and published papers are 25% of the submissions received this year. We are grateful to the 16 authors who submitted original work for possible publication in the journal and hope that they, along with others, will continue to consider the journal as an outlet for their academic work

Welcome from the Guest Editor

I am truly grateful to the staff of the National Lab for the Study of the College President for allowing me to be a part of their family during this very strange and challenging academic year. I have been impressed by the Arkansas team, and will be excited to see their Handbook on College and University Leadership in the summer of 2021

Drinking During the Week? Alcohol and Religion among College Students

Alcohol use among college students has been correlated with academic performance, major choice, and risky behaviors, such as impaired driving and high-risk sexual encounters. As college students matriculate, they learn to make decisions about who they are now, and who they will become in the future; decisions that include choices about religion. The study explored the differences in religious self-identification and alcohol use among students who identified themselves as unsure of their religious beliefs, those who were spiritual, and those who were religious; results found that students who self-identified as religious were less likely to drink alcohol within the past month

Drinking During the Week? Alcohol Use and Religion among College Students

Alcohol use among college students has been correlated with academic performance, major choice, and risky behaviors, such as impaired driving and high-risk sexual encounters. As college students matriculate, they learn to make decisions about who they are now, and who they will become in the future; decisions that include choices about religion. The study explored the differences in religious self-identification and alcohol use among students who identified themselves as unsure of their religious beliefs, those who were spiritual, and those who were religious; results found that students who self-identified as religious were less likely to drink alcohol within the past month.

Does it Matter? What College Student Governments Talk About

The purpose of the study was to identify student governing bodies’ roles for decision-making. Data were collected from 73 student government association (SGA) agendas. Agendas were analyzed by three researchers with each conducting a separate analysis of topics and choices made by student governing bodies. Meetings minutes ranged from 53 minutes to 2 hours and 52 minutes. Prevalent topics discussed or voted upon included allocations for student fees, campus and business life issues, and academic procedures, endorsement of the Dream Act, student voter registration, and state funding for higher education

The Effectiveness and Priorities of the American College President: Perceptions from the Faculty Lounge

The American college presidency has become increasingly complex, particularly due to the wide variety of demands placed on the position. Indeed, the effectiveness of a president is often seen through the lens of different constituents. Historically, the faculty have played a key role in determining the success of a president, and the current study sought to identify the perceptions of faculty members regarding the effectiveness of presidents. Additionally, the study sought to compare faculty perception of desired versus actual effectiveness of presidential responsibilities

Presidential Perceptions Concerning Human Capital in College Student Enrollment and Persistence

With a declining population of traditional college aged students, institutions must find both new student groups to recruit and do a better job at retaining them. One obvious pool for institutions to consider are first-generation students who do not have family traditions of going to college. This population, along with others, require institutions to understand the personal development of young adults and the factors that might lead to their college enrollment. The purpose for conducting the study was to identify how college presidents perceive the importance of human capital capacity for college students in their decision to enroll in college. The study made use of a sample of 400 college presidents from different types of institutions, asking them to rate their agreement with different human capital variables and their perception of that variable as being a contributor to college enrollment. President had the highest mean agreement levels with the human capital variables of developing a strong work ethic, developing personal confidence, and developing resilience. They had the lowest mean agreement levels with learning how to take advice, wisdom, and understanding personal and family history and lore. An exploratory factor analysis provided clusters of responses, including larger themes such as self-determination and personal grit

Faculty Senates and College Presidents: Perspectives on Collaborations

Colleges and universities have historically provided faculty members access to sharing authority, and this has been manifest in recent decades through the creation and use of a formal body called a faculty senate. These formal bodies have at times been highly effective at articulating faculty member interests, yet there are few formal definitions or boundaries concerning what areas senates are most appropriately engaged. College presidents similarly recognize that senates have a role in institutional decision-making, yet often lack a clear understanding of where and how they should be engaged. The current study explored faculty senate leader and college president perceptions of boundaries of senate collaboration in decision-making. Survey respondents identified a high level of agreement that faculty senates should be engaged in academic collaboration with the president, but there was less agreement concerning collaboration in areas of campus life and work-life

Designing Transitional Programs to Meet the Needs of Multi-Ethnic First-Year Students

Colleges and universities often rely on transitional programs to convey a sense of institutional expectations to new students. These programs, however, are often defined and created from a perspective of history and tradition, and do not necessarily reflect the increasingly diverse college student population. Using the "CAS Standards for New Student Orientation," a student orientation program was reviewed with special attention to multi-ethnic student perceptions of the goals outlined in the standards. Using two years of data collection, the findings suggest that multi-ethnic students are more satisfied with the orientation program than are Caucasian students as measured by the CAS Standards