Digital Commons Network^™

Sam Hirsch, Oral History Interview, 2025, Kat Hacanyan

Oral Histories

Sam Hirsch is Vice Chair of the EMU Foundation Board of Trustees and member of the Center for Jewish Studies advisory board. A retired pathologist from the University of Michigan, Hirsch first stepped into the EMU community while his daughter was a student here; and joined CJS in part because the founding director, Marty Shichtman, was her favorite professor. Since then, he's developed a greater appreciation for Eastern and the things that distinguish it from U of M. In this interview, Hirsch talks about his unexpected place at EMU as an outsider, what being on the advisory board means, and …

Nurture Asia-Ready Singaporeans To Tap Growing Opportunities In The Region [Interview With The Straits Times], Sandra Davie, Piyush Gupta

Oral History Collection

In an interview with The Straits Times, as chairman of Singapore Management University, DBS Bank chief executive Piyush Gupta said the university should aim to become the “quintessential Asian university”, emulating DBS, which he had turned into the “quintessential Asian bank” since he took over the helm in 2009.

Reimagining Career Services' Role In International Students' Higher-Education-To-U.S.-Work Transition, Evan W. Faidley

New York Journal of Student Affairs

International students’ job search experience encompasses cultural and learning experiences from home and host country living. The higher education-to-work transition of international students to meet their career goal in working in the United States requires attention of both international students and higher education administrators. This literature review explores the intersection of the international student experience, their career development, and the advising/support received by career services professionals. A clearer understanding of international students through a six-dimension binary cultural lens (Hofstede, 2011) affords professionals the knowledge and work with students’ existing understanding of home and host cultural norms and job seeking.

The Heart Of Higher Education: Rediscovering Meditation From The Margins Of Learning To A Liberatory Pedagogy In The Post-Pandemic University, Jinting Wu, Yuejia Wang, Yu Wu, Qi Zhang

Journal of Contemplative and Holistic Education

On May 14^th, 2022, a racially motivated mass shooting occurred in a predominantly Black neighborhood in Western New York. The trauma brought fresh anguish to a fraught social landscape already shaken by COVID-19 and resurgent racism. This paper explores the formation of a campus meditation group that emerged in light of the shooting tragedy and prolonged pandemic suffering, and its members’ journeys of healing, self-discovery, and transformation. While scholars have critiqued the neoliberal higher education for producing self-enterprising individuals motivated by economic rationality, this paper offers our humble attempt to re-center meditation as a liberatory pedagogy in fostering …

Jeff Bernstein, Oral History Interview, 2025, Kat Hacanyan

Oral Histories

Jeff Bernstein is a professor of political science and Director of the Faculty Development Center at EMU. Bernstein, alongside colleagues like Decky Alexander and Pam Landau, is another one of the Center for Jewish Studies' earliest supporters. He started teaching classes at EMU while working on a graduate degree from U of M and was later hired as a full time faculty member. Up until its move off campus, Bernstein served as a board member for Hillel, alongside CJS Founding Director Marty Shichtman. He was appointed director of the Faculty Development Center in 2021 and continues to serve on the …

Artificial Intelligence In Higher Education Accreditation: Advancing Quality, Accessibility, And Special Education Inclusion, Jacques D. Singleton

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming higher education accreditation by enhancing quality assurance, accessibility, and inclusion. Traditional accreditation relies on manual evaluation, but AI- driven tools improve efficiency through realtime data analysis, predictive insights, and automation. This chapter explores AI’s role in adaptive learning, automated accessibility tools, and predictive analytics for student success, with a focus on supporting students with disabilities and ensuring compliance with accessibility standards. Ethical concerns, including bias, privacy, and transparency, are addressed to ensure AI complements human judgment. Through case studies and policy recommendations, this chapter provides a roadmap for institutions and accrediting bodies to integrate AI …

Factors Associated With Student Engagement In Online Learning During Covid-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review, Yam B. Limbu, Christopher Mckinley

College of Communication and Media Scholarship and Creative Works

While extant literature reveals various factors associated with student engagement in online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, the findings are inconsistent. A systematic review of the factors influencing student engagement in online learning during the pandemic will provide state-of-the-art knowledge of existing literature and offer future research directions. This study systematically reviews factors driving college student engagement in online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Performed in accordance with the guidelines of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses, a systematic search of four databases identified 50 eligible studies. The most prevalent factors associated with student engagement were student-related factors …

Bob Erlewine, Oral History Interview, 2025, Kat Hacanyan

Oral Histories

Bob Erlewine is the Director of the Center for Jewish Studies and professor of religious studies at EMU. In 2022, Erlewine left Illinois Wesleyan University and made his way to EMU as the newly appointed CJS Director. He is the second director of the center, taking over after Marty Shichtman's retirement. With a formal background in Jewish studies, he's been able to develop more academic curriculum and maintain strong community ties. In this interview, Erlewine talks about the things that eventually led him here, why having this center is particularly important at EMU, and where he hopes to guide it …

Lowell Hardin: Mentor Extraordinaire, Larry L. Murdock, Thomas W. Hertel, Gebisa Ejeta

Purdue University Press Books

Lowell Stewart Hardin (1917–2015), an Indiana farm boy who became an enormously influential international agriculturalist, made the world a better place for the poor and the hungry on this earth. For seventeen years he led the Ford Foundation’s agricultural development efforts, contributing to the Green Revolution. He helped to found and guide international agriculture research centers in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. He inspired others to get involved and opened doors for them. He taught by example, gave others credit, and always stepped back, avoiding the limelight himself. In this volume, twenty-two people who knew him well share stories of …

Martin "Marty" Shichtman, Oral History Interview, 2025, Kat Hacanyan

Oral Histories

Martin "Marty" Shichtman is professor emeritus and the Founding Director of the Center for Jewish Studies at EMU. A professor of English and Literature for nearly four decades, Shichtman taught both graduate and undergraduate level courses in subjects like Arthurian literature and Jewish-American literature. During his tenure at EMU he introduced the first Jewish Studies class, which soon led to the creation of a Jewish Studies minor, and eventually the Center for Jewish Studies. Shichtman served as the center's director from its opening in 2012 to his retirement in 2022 and continues to be involved as a member of the …

Beyond A Chapter: Libraries As Key Characters In Smu’S Sustainability Saga, Shameem Nilofar Maideen

Research Collection Library

No abstract provided.

A Systematic Review Of Research On The Experiences Of Rural Black Men Attending Four-Year Institutions Within The Us Since 2002, Jarvis Marlow-Mccowin

The Rural Educator

This systematic literature review focuses on the experiences of rural Black men attending four-year colleges and universities within the US. The review addresses three research questions: How is rurality defined within the literature reviewed? What characteristics (e.g., identity dimensions) are included within the literature? What does the available research say about the experiences of rural Black students, mainly rural Black men, specific to factors explored and identified to foster success? These research questions were answered by reviewing literature published in academic journals from 2002–2023. Findings from the data collection, extraction, and analysis process are relevant to how rurality is discussed …

When College Is Not Working Out: Obstacles To Community College Completion, Elisabeth Lackner

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

My dissertation investigates what contributes to low community college completion rates, what college interventions may be working to support students, what are the experiences of the students, and how did the COVID-19 pandemic impact these dynamics. I am guided by the assumption that multi-dimensional inequalities including low level of social capital constitute a cumulative disadvantage for many students to be able to persist and to graduate. The dissertation includes quantitative and qualitative data types measuring inequalities outside and inside of college with two large student record data sets from one minority-serving open-access public community college and data from a student …

The Effect Of The Druze Education Reform In Israel And Druze Students’ Achievements In Higher Education, Aml Amer, Nitza Davidovitch

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Full Issue 17(1) 2025

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Introduction: 2024 State Of The Field Report, Rosalind Latiner Raby

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Factors Influencing Jordanian College Understudies' Impressions Of Learning Through Emergency Distance Learning (Edl), Abdelnaser Sanad Alakayleh

Journal of Research Initiatives

In this study, which used a quantitative and correlational approach, the variables influencing Jordanian university students' perceptions of their education under emergency remote learning scenarios were investigated. An online survey was administered to a sample of 765 male and female education stage students. Jordan offers higher education for both genders and at different levels in different regions. Many criteria connected to perceived learning were taken into consideration when administering the study questionnaire. It was discovered that the economics students had a more positive perception of learning than the education and science students, followed by deep learning, avoiding superficial learning factors, …

It Was Mainly My Own Choice: Examining The Decision-Making Process Of Chinese Undergraduates And Their Parents On Study In The United States, Shizhu Liu, Desiree Baolian Qin, Adam Grimm, Mingjun Xie, Yemo Duan, Chi-Fang Tseng, Mikiko Sato

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

No abstract provided.

What's Their Story? To Help Save The Humanities, Let's Listen To English Majors, Kevin T. Caffrey

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Amid declining enrollment in humanities programs throughout the United States, the English major has been hit the hardest. This article gives voice to current English majors about why they choose to enroll in a program that often receives criticism pertaining to its value and worth. This study provides a literature review of the history of higher education in the United States, an examination of the humanities backlash that has evolved over the past half-century, and an exploration of the value of a degree in English. In addition, it provides survey results from a small group of English majors currently enrolled …

Barriers To Success In Higher Education For Second-Generation Caribbean American Men, Leonard S. Breton

Theses and Dissertations

While the United States may be progressing, second-generation Caribbean American men, those with at least one foreign-born parent (US Census Bureau, 2016), are a population that, despite literature addressing benefits and detriments of their cultural experiences, still warrants continued examination through empirical testing (Lyttle et al., 2011). These students have a range of factors that make them nontraditional students. Challenges such as racism, sexual and ethnic identity, and generational status in this country can be compounded when cultural perspectives of immigrant families are factored in. Caribbean American men are guided by learned behaviors and cultural traditions that influence training and …

Nsu Communiversity Outreach, Nova Southeastern University

NSU Digital: Communiversity

No abstract provided.

Singapore Management University Report To Stakeholders 2024/25, Singapore Management University

Report to Stakeholders

Titled “SMU at 25: Celebrating Innovation and Impact”, this year’s report marks the University’s 25th anniversary alongside Singapore’s 60th year of independence. It showcases SMU’s progress in education, research, innovation and societal engagement, and how the University continues to shape meaningful impact in Singapore and across Asia.

Bachelor Of Science In Professional Management, Nova Southeastern University

Undergraduate Programs Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Exploring Stress Management Spaces Using Sensory Engagement On College Campuses: A Scoping Review, Karen R. Puckett

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Background: College students experience high levels of stress, with associated negative outcomes such as poor mental and physical health. In response, colleges and universities have explored the use of stress management spaces designed to address and promote improved mental health and wellbeing, but evidence regarding the most effective design and impact of these spaces is limited.

Purpose: The purpose of this project was to conduct a scoping review of the available literature related to stress management in higher education settings. The research questions are: What are the characteristics and design features of these spaces, and how do stress management spaces …

Reframing Leadership: The Role Of Gender, Race, And Identity In Shaping Women’S Leadership Journeys In Higher Education, Tania Carlson Reis, Kaitlyn A. Kaesebier

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

This chapter outlines the history of women in higher education. It begins with a description of the disproportional entrance of female students in higher education and how delayed access led to gender imbalance in current college and university leadership. It outlines the intersection of social role theory and barriers that impede the progress of female leaders, and the challenges of women's choice as an explanation for the low number of women university presidents. Barriers experienced by women leaders is also discussed. The chapter closes with solutions to current higher education practices that could improve gender balance in leadership.

[In] Transformation President's Impact Report, Bryant University

Bryant University Communications and Press

The 2025 President's Impact Report highlights Bryant University’s continued excellence in higher education, from its top-tier rankings and dynamic campus life to its hands-on learning experiences and strategic partnerships. Strong financial foundations and visionary leadership solidify its position as an innovative and forward-thinking institution. IN the Lead Bryant's international rankings and thought leadership in prestigious publications reinforce its position as a leader in higher education.

Barriers To Transfer: Navigating The Obstacles Community College Students Face When Moving To Four-Year Universities, Tirth Desai

A with Honors Projects

Research project, analyzing and examining the social, financial, and institutional problems community college students face while preparing to transfer to a four year university.

Nsu - Professional Skills Program Curriculum And Application, Nova Southeastern University

Undergraduate Programs Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

2025 F1rst Look, Nova Southeastern University

First Look

No abstract provided.

Uncertain Futures, Unfinished Journeys: The Complex Realities Of Belonging Among International College Women Of Color In The U.S., Matheeha Majeeth

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This study explored the complex and personal lived experiences of International College Women of Color (ICWOC) as they navigated the complexities of developing of a sense of belonging within their U.S. higher education institution (HEI). Guided by Kimberlé Crenshaw’s theory of Intersectionality (1991,1989) and Strayhorn’s College Student Sense of Belonging theory (2012), this research study used an interpretive phenomenological approach to explore how racism, ethnocentrism and misogyny shaped the ICWOC participants’ academic and social journeys in their U.S. HEIs. Through individual, semi-structured interviews with the participants, this study revealed that belonging was not simply about institutional access or inclusion. It …