Education Commons^™

City Of Aurora Hispanic Heritage Advisory Board 2015 Annual Community Breakfast Scholarship Awards Ceremony, José M. Torres

José M. Torres

Thank you Mayor (Tom) Weisner— and good morning everyone. I am delighted to be here to support your commitment—our commitment—to develop, empower and advance Hispanics and their accomplishments in and beyond the community of Aurora, Illinois. Your work as an organization and as leaders, role models and mentors for the next generation is so important. You are in the Arena. You are daring greatly! From educational achievement to community service, your accomplishments are inspiring. I commend you, the City of Aurora Hispanic Heritage Advisory Board for supporting and motivating community stakeholders—to not only embrace Hispanic culture—but to involve the Hispanic …

Breaking Down Barriers: Academic Obstacles Of First-Generation Students At Research Universities, Michael J. Stebleton, Krista Soria

Michael J. Stebleton

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceived academic obstacles of first-generation (FG) students in comparison to non-FG students. Using the Student Experience in the Research University (SERU) completed by 58,000 students from six research universities, the researchers used nonparametric bootstrapping to analyze differences between first-generation and non-first-generation students’ obstacles to academic success. The results suggest that first-generation students more frequently encounter obstacles that compromise their academic success as compared to non-first-generation students, such as job responsibilities, family responsibilities, perceived weak English and math skills, inadequate study skills, and feeling depressed. Implications for learning assistance professionals are outlined.

Engineering Success: The Role Of Faculty Relationships With African American Undergraduates, Christopher B. Newman

Christopher B. Newman

Previous research has found that faculty–student relationships are a contributing factor to the retention of students at four-year institutions. In this study, the experiences of twelve African American engineers are explored through the lens of Fiske’s (Structures of Social Life: The Four Elementary Forms of Human Relations, Free Press, New York, 1991) social-relational models theory. The overall findings of this study suggest that faculty play an important role in encouraging or dissuading the African American engineers in this study to persist in their respective majors. Additionally, the involvement in faculty research laboratories and the referral by faculty to other opportunities …

Hot Topic #2 - Local Impact, Global Reach, Jamie Comstock

Jayne Marie Comstock

This presentation is the second in a series of Hot Topic discussion platforms used (a) to orient the Butler Board of Trustees Academic Affairs Committee to current issues in higher education and (b) to stimulate meaningful discussion regarding how Butler addresses these concerns. The Hot Topics for review during the 2010-2011 Board meetings are: Accountability: Promoting Access & Student Success; Civic Engagement: Inspiring Students to Become Agents of Change; Global Awareness: Educating Across Borders; and Generating & Allocating Resources: Becoming Market-Smart Supports Being Mission-Driven.

This second presentation combines the discussion on Civic Engagement and Global Awareness, explaining that these are …