Inclusive Practices in Institutions of Higher Education

In this chapter, the author will highlight some of the hurdles students with disabilities (SWDs) face in institutions of higher education (IHEs) and share some recommendations on how best faculty and staff can support SWDs matriculating through their programs and graduate on time with a baccalaureate degree. The author addresses concepts such as resilience, deficit models, instructional roles (instructor versus facilitator), myths, and misconceptions of working with SWDs, social justice, advocacy, public policy reform, and inclusive models for IHEs. In this chapter, the author approaches these concepts by illustrating the social justice notions related to identity and access to IHE as experienced by SWDs. The author considers whether institutions perceive some programs as unsuitable for some SWDs or whether SWDs perceive some courses as inaccessible, hence not worth pursuing.

Entrepreneurial Capabilities of Women Entrepreneurs and Their Contributions to Entrepreneurship Development

Women play significant roles in entrepreneurship development in the country, particularly in the province of Camarines Norte. This study determined the entrepreneurial capabilities of women entrepreneurs and their contributions to entrepreneurship development in Camarines Norte. It employed a descriptive method of research in assessing the profile of women entrepreneurs; their entrepreneurial capabilities along identifying business opportunities, running a business, driving innovation and adapting to economic conditions; their contributions to entrepreneurship development and the problems commonly encountered by them. Findings revealed that respondents mostly were 41 to 50 years old age bracket, married, with a baccalaureate degree, have been running the business for five to ten years as a small-type of enterprise, with an initial capital of ₱100,000 and below, and employed five and below employees. The entrepreneurial capabilities of women entrepreneurs were interpreted as much capable of identifying business opportunities, running a business, driving innovation, and adapting to economic conditions. The contributions of women entrepreneurs to entrepreneurship development were interpreted as much evident in terms of income generation, job creation, innovation, and environment protection. Also, the most common problem encountered by women entrepreneurs is business competition. Given the results of the study, a proposed training design was developed to help women entrepreneurs strengthen their entrepreneurial capabilities.

Research Opportunities for High School Students at the Ocean Research College Academy

At the Ocean Research College Academy (ORCA), undergraduate research (UR) starts when students are in their third year of high school. As part of a dual credit/enrollment program in Washington state, students earn an associate of arts and science degree when they graduate from high school. With 17 years of data and more than 500 graduates who have compelling matriculation rates and baccalaureate degree attainment, ORCA provides a model for program and course-based UR replicable by others.

Promoting divergent leadership philosophies to improve student success outcomes for black and brown students in higher education

Throughout the United States there are millions of Black and Brown students starting the process of attending college. However, research indicates that students from traditionally marginalized groups are less likely than their counterparts to complete the process and graduate college (Shapiro et al., 2017). While retention rates for students from traditionally marginalized backgrounds continue to decline, universities are beginning to pay attention to the needs of this population in search of ways of better supporting them. The examination of these factors may also inform programmatic adjustments, leadership philosophies, and future practices to help retain students and lead to eventual completion of a baccalaureate degree. In this article, the authors review the literature to explore factors that can affect Black and Brown students’ completion rates in higher education. By reviewing the literature and the factors impacting Black and Brown students, the authors share with readers initiatives at one university that are being used to support students from a strengths-based approach.

Opportunity for all? The differential impacts of North Carolina’s revised comprehensive articulation agreement by race/ethnicity

Transfer articulation agreements are employed by institutions of higher education and state legislatures alike to improve transfer efficiency between two-year and four-year institutions. These agreements often aim both to increase transfer rates and baccalaureate degree completion and to decrease time to degree. Studies exploring the efficacy of articulation agreements find that, despite being successful at decreasing the number of excess credits students earned at graduation and at increasing baccalaureate degree completion, these policies often increase time to degree. While there is considerable research on articulation agreements, few studies have examined the differential impact of these policies on students of Color who, prior literature has shown, experience barriers to realizing their baccalaureate degree aspirations. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the impact of North Carolina’s statewide articulation agreement varied by a student’s racial/ethnic identity when examining two-year post-transfer baccalaureate degree completion, time-to-degree completion, and excess credit accumulation.