Digital Commons Network^™

The Evolving Wildfire Crisis: The Need To Adapt Statewide Extension Efforts To Address Diverse Challenges, Alison L. Deak, Kathryn E. Low, Luca Carmignani, Ryan E. Tompkins, Barbara Satink Wolfson

Journal of Extension

There are many factors that contribute to wildfire preparedness in California. Although effective wildfire preparedness requires tailored regional approaches, it is crucial to understand how statewide Extension programs can address shared challenges while augmenting region-specific strategies. For the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources Fire Network to meet the growing demands for fire-related Extension programming, a team of advisors surveyed California residents to refine the goals of our Extension programs. Survey results highlight key gaps in fire-related Extension education that residents in California and beyond need to reduce their wildfire risk.

2026 October 1 - From My Notepads Newsletter, Office Of The President, East Tennessee State University, Brian Noland

From My Notepads: A Newsletter from President Brian Noland

No abstract provided.

Grieving While Becoming: Examining Where Grief, Whole Person Formation, And Student Support Meet, Tynia J. Albea

Papers

College is often a pivotal period in young adults’ lives. Adulthood may seem like a distant concept. However, grief and trauma appear to affect young adults significantly, often without a safe space to digest or comprehend. Thus, current student support may limit and disrupt a student’s ability to understand their emotional regulation, virtues, and identity. This analysis aims to understand how student support services provide resources and spaces for students experiencing grief and/or trauma and identify how grief intersects with student success. Using student development theory with an empathetic, trauma-informed lens, faculty and staff will be able to support students …

Enrollment Profile Report Fall 2026, Systems Intelligence And Data Analytics, University Of Nebraska At Omaha

Enrollment Reports

No abstract provided.

October 2026 Library & Learning Newsletter, Minnesota State University, Mankato. Library & Learning Dean's Office Communication Team

Library & Learning Newsletters

PDF version of the October 2026 (Volume 5, Issue 2) Library & Learning Newsletter.

Listening, Partnering, Designing: Smu Libraries’ Journey Towards Human-Centered Wellness, Vincent Ong, Devika Sangaram, Zhenyan Li

Research Collection Library

As student wellness emerges as one of the most pressing concerns facing academic institutions today, libraries are uniquely and powerfully positioned to reimagine their spaces and services as holistic, human-centered environments that nurture the whole person. This paper presents three initiatives by the Singapore Management University (SMU) Libraries that embody this vision, collectively affirming the library's evolving role as a human-centered wellness hub and its commitment to actively shaping a more inclusive and people-first future.

The first initiative repurposed a vacated collection space into a wellbeing-centered quiet study environment, incorporating user experience (UX) design principles and longitudinal survey evidence, to …

Building A Culture Of Continuous Improvement Without Faculty Burnout, Harika Rao

College of Business and Management Faculty Publications & Presentations

No abstract provided.

Crossing Digital Borders: Student Success, Peer Mentorship And Ethical Ai Literacy In Community College Curricula, Adrian Bordoni, Jody A. Resko

Open Educational Resources

A changing job market set wthin the context of new Generative Articial Intelligence applications and technology requires academia to integrate, innovate and implement updated materials in their classes. Lack of training and awareness of ethical use of emerging technologies by students will be addressed, and best practices will be modeled, by Peer Mentors.

Faculty Coordinators will train 4 students to serve as Peer Mentors to develop materials as part of an interdisciplinary, career focused set of workshops. These workshops will be hosted in Education and Criminal Justice Classes in person- as well as a hybrid session in collaboration with Faculty …

2026 October - Mary V. Jordan Center Newsletter, Mary V. Jordan Center, East Tennessee State University

Mary V. Jordan Center Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Lecturer-To-Lecturer Learning Model For Artificial Intelligence Adoption In African Universities: Opportunities And Challenges, Vincent C. Asogwa

Journal of Research Initiatives

Although artificial intelligence (AI) can transform teaching, research, and administrative processes, many African universities, including those in Eswatini and Nigeria, face challenges in implementing AI effectively because of inadequate infrastructure, lecturer skill gaps, and financial constraints. This study examines the opportunities and challenges associated with adopting the Lecturer-to-Lecturer Learning Model for AI in African universities. Grounded in social constructivism, the model emphasizes knowledge sharing through social interactions, which is particularly relevant in contexts where external resources are limited. The study employs content analysis of secondary data sources, including academic literature, institutional reports, and case studies on AI adoption in higher …

Does Gender Spell Success? Exploring Female Students' Perspectives Of Faculty At A Higher Educational Institution, Chitora Jackson, Terrence Hicks, Jill Channing, Arnold Nyarambi

Journal of Research Initiatives

Numerous studies have pointed to connections and positive interactions with faculty that result in positive outcomes for students (Beckowski & Gebauer, 2018; Jones, 2020; Trolian et al., 2021). However, despite this knowledge, there are still some areas related to this topic that remain under-researched. The purpose of this qualitative interpretative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of female students at a higher educational institution and to understand how those experiences shape their perspectives of female and male faculty. Additionally, this study sought to discover how faculty gender influences their interactions with students and the similarities and differences between …

Grit, Mindset, And Academic Outcomes Among Nontraditional Online College Students, David W. Franklin, Heidi L. Andrade, Jason Bryer, Angela M. Lui

Journal of Research Initiatives

Grit and mindset have gained prominence in educational discourse; however, empirical evidence suggests they predict student success only minimally. Existing research on grit and mindset has several gaps, including insufficient focus on retention, online learners, and nontraditional student populations. The present study examines the relationships between grit, mindset, and academic outcomes among two samples of nontraditional students enrolled in online colleges. Utilizing survey data from the Diagnostic Assessment and Achievement of College Skills (DAACS) project, the study analyzes responses from 9,276 predominantly nontraditional undergraduate students at two online institutions in the United States. Findings reveal that although grit, its two …

Digital Learning And Digital Literacy: Conceptual Distinctions, Theoretical Frameworks, And Educational Implications Across The Educational Continuum, Simone Elias, Linda Wilson-Jones, Richard Brutti

Journal of Research Initiatives

The terms digital learning and digital literacy recur frequently in educational policy and institutional discourse. Yet peer-reviewed scholarship shows they are conceptually distinct constructs operating at fundamentally different levels of analysis. This article examines the theoretical foundations, definitional genealogies, empirical interdependencies, and grade-band and postsecondary manifestations of both constructs across the full educational continuum, from kindergarten through Grade 12 and into undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral education. Drawing on literature across leading educational technology journals, the article argues that digital learning constitutes a pedagogical modality, the structured, technology-mediated environment through which instruction is delivered.

In contrast, digital literacy is a multidimensional …

An Evaluation Of Southern Nevada’S Pediatric Care Ecosystem, David Damore, Tina Quigley, Nick Fiore

Policy Briefs and Reports

In 2024, The Lincy Institute and the Nevada Health and Bioscience Corporation released a report prepared by the consulting firm Tripp Umbach detailing the case for a stand-alone children’s hospital in Southern Nevada. Shortly thereafter, Intermountain Health announced it would build Nevada’s first such facility in Las Vegas, expected to open in 2030. To complement the hospital’s development, The Lincy Institute undertook an independent evaluation of the regional pediatric care landscape. The analysis draws on secondary data and discussions with advocates, health system administrators, practitioners, and providers. The report examines:

• Fiscal, resource, and workforce challenges underlying Nevada’s poor population-level pediatric …

Spectrum, Volume 57, Issue 3, Sacred Heart University

Newspapers (Obelisk & Spectrum)

Highlights include:  CIT Turns 10! -- AI: Tool or Terror? -- When Life Gives You Lemons, Make a Difference -- Dining On Your Own Dime -- SHU Theatre Arts: “The Miss Firecracker Contest” -- Preparing for a Slam-Dunk Season-- Women’s Basketball for THREEEEE

Reframing Dissertation Committee Practice: A Student-Centered Conceptual Framework For Doctoral Education, Roberto Victor Rodríguez Rivera

Journal of Research Initiatives

Dissertation committees play a key role in shaping the direction, pace, and outcomes of doctoral study, but their function as a unified structure for guidance and judgment is not well understood. Although research covers supervision, examiner feedback, ethics, power, and dissertation examination, these topics are often studied separately. This article brings together both foundational and recent research to rethink dissertation committees as academic structures that adapt their support, oversight, ethical practices, and evaluation throughout the dissertation process. The article makes three main contributions: it clarifies how committee practice is conceptually fragmented, reviews research on supervision, feedback, ethics, and examination, and …

From Silos To Systems In Higher Education: Doctoral Students’ Conceptualizations Of Faculty And Staff Collaboration In Academic Planning, Linda Wilson-Jones, Simone Elias

Journal of Research Initiatives

Collaboration is increasingly recognized as central to student success and institutional effectiveness in higher education. This qualitative study investigates doctoral students’ conceptualizations of faculty and staff collaboration in academic planning. Data were collected from 22 written responses in a doctoral-level program course. Through reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006, 2021), five interrelated themes emerged: (1) holistic student support, (2) shared institutional vision and goal alignment, (3) complementary expertise and role interdependence, (4) communication as quality assurance, and (5) collaborative culture as an institutional asset. The findings indicate that collaboration functions as organizational infrastructure that aligns academic and administrative systems …

Removing Barringer: University Renaming Governance, Campus Racial Climate, And The Limits Of Symbolic Reform, Charletta H. Barringer-Brown, Daniel N. Brown

Journal of Research Initiatives

University renaming is often seen as either a necessary moral correction or a less significant symbolic reform. This article examines renaming as a matter of higher education governance. It analyzes the removal of Paul Brandon Barringer’s name from honorific spaces at the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech through a qualitative documentary comparative case study. A contextual policy scan of the University of Richmond, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Oregon State University situates the two primary cases within a wider field of naming-governance design. Guided by critical toponymy, institutional theory, policy-decoupling scholarship, organizational-routines theory, and campus-racial-climate …

“Playing Mental Gymnastics”: Exploring Black Women College Athletes' Mental Health Experiences At Historically White Division I Universities, Ezinne D. Ofoegbu

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

Between 2002 and 2022, over 125 college athletes died by suicide, and Division I athletes represented 45% of these deaths. In 2023, Black women college athletes at Division I universities identified racism as a mental health stressor at a higher rate than their non-Black peers. The intersectional nature of social identities and athlete status may create gendered and racialized stressors that are uniquely experienced by Black women athletes. Given the underrepresentation of Black students (i.e., athletes and nonathletes), coaches, faculty, and staff at historically white institutions (HWIs), Black women athletes are likely navigating campus relationships and environments that are shaped …

Failing Generations: If There Is An Obligation To Work And Study Online Where Are Digital Wellness Supports?, Louise Nagle, Colin O'Brien, Susan Horgan, Laura Rafferty, Brigid Crowley

Publications

This paper considers how staff and students within an Irish University perceive aspects of their digital health within and outside the educational environment. As this is a continuously and rapidly changing environment, the research is timely and contributes to a gap in understandings of the implication of digital interactions across university generations. In February 2026 the digital teaching support functions within Munster Technological University surveyed students (n=1489) and staff (n=257) on various aspects of digital use within and outside their education. An element of this research focused on Digital Wellness. Aspects captured by the survey include …

Owning The Mission: Reconciling The Past, While Implementing The Science Of Reading In An Education Preparation Program, Paula J. Adams

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

This reflective inquiry examines the first year of a two-year initiative to more explicitly align an established educator preparation program with the Science of Reading (SoR). Situated within a small private university in New York State, the article considers implementation as both curricular revision and institutional change. The process included faculty professional learning, curriculum mapping, alignment of student learning outcomes, revision of common course assessments, development of SoR-aligned models of candidate work, and consideration of clinical experiences. Particular attention is given to tensions that emerged around policy fatigue, academic freedom and responsibility, differing professional cultures, candidates’ prior experiences with literacy …

Spectrum, Volume 57, Issue 2, Sacred Heart University

Newspapers (Obelisk & Spectrum)

Highlights include:  Building the Future -- Pouring on Park Ave! --  The RD Is In -- College is More Than Classes -- Family Weekend Schedule -- Rowing Revamp from Bow to Stern

Industry Implications Of A Scaffolded Hospitality Co-Op, Juan Mendez, Joel Reynolds

ICHRIE Research Reports

The hospitality industry faces a persistent skills gap as graduates enter the workforce with limited preparation in the adaptive, operational, and AI-enabled competencies modern employers require (Jackson, 2013; Sigala, 2018). Cooperative education offers a structured response, yet many programs default to a single internship that leaves the integration of theory and practice to chance. This report presents an undergraduate scaffolded cooperative education framework developed at a U.S. hospitality business school that sequences two foundation courses, six concurrent work-integrated courses, and a capstone digital portfolio across a two-year arc. The framework is grounded in experiential learning and scaffolding theory (Kolb, 1984; …

Portraits In Leadership: Six College Presidents Reflect On The Contemporary Presidency, Chris Thomas

Journal of Research on the College President

This qualitative study examines how six college and university presidents describe the contemporary presidency in their own words, offering a personal complement to existing research that often emphasizes governance, organizational structures, or survey data. Through in‑depth interviews conducted in 2025, presidents from community colleges, regional public universities, and a private liberal arts college reflected on their transitions into the role, leadership philosophies, institutional challenges, and the legacies they hope to leave. Their experiences reveal strikingly consistent themes across institutional types. Participants emphasized that “nothing fully prepares someone for becoming the president,” noting the profound shift in responsibility that accompanies the …

Adapting To Change: A Mixed Methods Approach To Understand How Colleges And Universities Are Utilizing Animals To Help Students Transition Into Higher Education, Christopher Puglisi, Shalini Mathew, Nicole D. Schutter, Monte Meyerink, Abiah George

People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice

Individuals experience several changes in their lives, with one of the most impactful being leaving home to attend college. It is no surprise that college-age students need mental health support, especially in times of adjustment. To address this adjustment, animal-assisted interventions (AAI) have recently gained substantial attention. In this study, college and university departments that help students transition to higher education were surveyed (N = 59) and interviewed (N = 6) to understand how AAI are utilized. Results indicate that AAI have potential to ease students’ higher education transition, though institutions must establish an outline that states the benefits of …

Class(Room) Culture: New Conceptualization And A Model Of Culture-Aware Teaching, Ravit Heskiau

International Journal of Transformative Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

As higher education becomes increasingly personalized and students’ individual identities are increasingly considered, this article explores the concept of classroom culture as part of assessing, embracing, and shaping each class’s shared characteristics as a collective. I define classroom culture and explain why it is paramount for educators to understand the unique cultures of their classes and actively assess them, striking a balance between supporting classroom culture and shaping it. Following a critical literature review, I demonstrate the application of commonly used cultural frameworks from the organizational culture literature to higher education classes. Specifically, I expand on how they can help …

2026 - Faculty & Staff Research Symposium, Elizabeth Outka, Lidia Radi

Faculty and Staff Research Symposium Programs

[Excerpt from the "Welcome"]

Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to the third Faculty & Staff Research Symposium!

The Symposium offers us the chance to come together as a community and learn about the inspiring work happening across our campus. Faculty and staff continue to push the boundaries of research, to design and maintain new learning and gathering spaces, to craft remarkable art and performances, and to develop innovative programs that enrich our collective experience. The event is meant to spark curiosity, build connections, inspire partnerships, and open new pathways for exploration. . . .

This symposium is your creation — it thrives …

The Title Of The Dissertation: How African American Males Overcame Challenges To Persist At A Predominantly White Institution In The South: A Phenomenological Study, Kattie Jones-Gore

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of African American males who graduate from a predominantly White institution (PWI) in the South. The theory guiding the study is Vincent Tinto’s dropout theory. The dropout theory suggests students will persist in graduation if they are academically and socially integrated in the college environment. The central research question in the study was: What were the lived experiences of African American males who persisted to graduation from a predominantly White institution in the South? Purposeful snowball sampling was utilized to obtain 10 African American male participants who …

The Current - Volume 37 Issue 02, Nova Southeastern University

Student Newspapers

No abstract provided.

Part 1: Faculty Support As A Learning Process, Brandon Davids

Staff Scholarship - Australia & Dubai

This reflection examines how SAE’s faculty support hubs connect institutional guidance with teaching practice and inform planned micro-professional development sessions. Drawing on self-efficacy, social learning, and self-regulated learning, it considers the relationship between accessible resources, modelling, application, and collegial reflection. The article identifies opportunities to connect these resources through ongoing professional learning.