College Plans Research Articles

Who Chooses Military Service? Correlates of Propensity and Enlistment in the U.S. Armed Forces

This article examines factors correlated with plans for military service (military propensity) and actual enlistment. It reports bivariate and multivariate regression analyses, conducted separately for men and women, using survey data from nationwide samples totaling more than 100,000 U.S. high school seniors (classes of 1984–1991), and follow-up data from a subsample of more than 15,000 of the high school seniors obtained 1 or 2 years after graduation. Correlations between propensity and actual enlistment are high among women (η = .38) and very high among men (η = .57). Enlistment rates are lower among individuals with college-educated parents, high grades, and college plans; rates are higher among men, African Americans, Hispanics, and those who view military work roles as attractive. These relations are interpreted primarily as indirect effects on enlistment via propensity.

Propensity to Serve in the U.S. Military: Temporal Trends and Subgroup Differences

Data from the Monitoring the Future project, a study of high school seniors (and since 1991, eighth and tenth graders) are used to define six recruitment periods in America's all-volunteer military force, characterized by variations in entry-level pay, recruiting resources, educational benefit programs available, the recruiting environment, and recruit quality. Propensity to enlist is shown to drop between the eighth and the twelfth grades, and between 1991 and 1997 at each grade level studied. Propensity is also shown to have varied between 1976 and 1997 by gender, race, and college plans

Affirmative action and minority enrollments in medical and law schools

Affirmative Action and Minority Enrollments in Medical and Law Schools, by Susan Welch and John Gruhl. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1998. 221 pp. $39.50, paper. Despite the controversy generated by affirmative action in higher education, the actual effects of the programs have been thoroughly analyzed. Instead, the arguments over race-based remedies have been symbolic. With respect to professional training, such as that provided by medical and law schools, the role of affirmative action has been based on anecdotes and assumptions about a few outstanding individuals. These include Bernard Chavis, the African American doctor who graduated from University of California-Davis medical school through the special admissions program Allan Bakke challenged. Initially held up as a success story, Chavis, with later malpractice allegations raised against him, was turned into a cautionary example. Among other examples are Benjamin Carson, the African American who chairs the pediatric neurosurgery department at prestigious Johns Hopkins University, and who separated twins conjoined at the head; Johnny Cochran, who led the dream team defense counsel in the 0. J. Simpson murder trial; and Vernon Jordan, one of the powerful lawyers in the nation's capital, regardless of race. Affirmative Action and Minority Enrollments in Medical and Law Schools presents a longawaited and much-needed empirical basis for the public discourse. Welch and Gruhl's book is a supplement to the massive Bowen and Bok (1998) study, The Shape of the River. It differs from that work in its emphasis on institutional decision making in response to legal doctrines. Although this type of evidence is vital to the affirmative action debate, it is not, as the authors themselves implicitly conclude, sufficient to resolve the matter. As Christopher Edley, Jr. (1996), the Harvard professor who led the Clinton Administration's mend-it-don't-end-it review of affirmative action policies, has argued, facts matter but values matter most (p. 73). At stake are competing visions of what the institutions of this nation, elite as well as public, should look like and how best to realize those ideals. Both the ends and the means are contested. Using a questionnaire sent in March 1989 to the 118 medical schools and 154 law schools that were operating when the Supreme Court decided Bakke v. Regents of the University of California (1978), Welch and Gruhl describe how these institutions practiced affirmative action, whether they changed in response to legal restrictions, and, importantly, whether these efforts to remedy racial/ ethnic discrimination worked. Their study deserves consideration by policymakers and administrators who care about racial/ethnic diversity in higher education. As Welch and Gruhl explain, the Supreme Court was highly divided in Bakke, with four justices voting in favor of affirmative action in theory and four justices voting against affirmative action as it was being practiced. Justice Louis Powell, the Richmond, Virginia, corporate lawyer who had led the American Bar Association, reached a famous compromise. He reasoned that affirmative action could satisfy constitutional standards if it resembled the Harvard College plan, which took race into account as a factor, but it violated constitutional norms if it relied on strict quotas. The Powell opinion has been heavily criticized from quarters as being impossible to follow. Nonetheless, until the Supreme Court ruled in its 1995 case of Adarand v. Pena (1995) that affirmative action is the legal equivalent of invidious discrimination, the Powell approach effectively governed affirmative action. Welch and Gruhl present many basic findings about the role of legal doctrine in shaping institutional behavior related to affirmative action. Not surprisingly, they note, virtually those responding to their survey had heard of the Bakke decision. Surprisingly, however, 77% of medical school officials and 63% of law school officials reported that it changed their policies not at all (p. …

Support programs for minority students at Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine.

The Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine ranks high among the nation's 19 osteopathic medical schools with respect to the percentage of underrepresented minorities (URMs) in the entering class. The college has strong recruitment and retention programs for URM and disadvantaged students. URM enrollment rose steadily from 11% in 1982-83 to 22% in 1997-98, despite the school's location in a rural, residential public university with few minorities as students or town residents. The college has six programs to support minority students through both undergraduate and medical school: the Summer Scholars Program (1983 to present), an intensive six-week summer program to prepare rising under-graduate seniors and recent graduates to apply to medical school; Academic Enrichment (1987 to present), to support first- and second-year medical students; the Prematriculation Program (1988 to present), an intensive six-week summer program for students who will matriculate in the college; Program ExCEL (1993 to present), a four-year program for undergraduates at Ohio University; the Summer Enrichment Program (1993 to present), an optional six-week program for students who will enter the premedical course at Ohio University; and the Post-baccalaureate Program (1993 to present), a year-long, individually tailored program for URM students who have applied to the medical college but have been rejected. The medical college first focused on supporting students already in the medical school curriculum, then expanded logically back through the undergraduate premedical programs, always targeting learning strategies and survival strategies, peer and faculty support, and mastery of the basic science content. The college plans to create an on-site MCAT preparation program and perhaps expand into secondary education.

Institutional Level Implementation: Translating Research into Current Practice

AbstractFor half a decade, Southwestern College has attempted to assess its economic impact on its service area in terms of college employment and the expenditures it makes. Thanks to a new statewide information system, the college now incorporates the post‐college earnings of its students as part of a larger picture of economic benefits for the community and its students. This chapter describes how state wage data are converted for local use in college planning, program improvement, and measurement of institutional effectiveness.

LINKING STRATEGIC GOALS TO THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE BUDGET

Five years ago, Parkland College was faced with a challenge: how to link its strategic goals to the budget development and budget reallocation through an open, participatory, consensus‐based planning process. The strategic goals were developed collaboratively by community leaders, faculty, and staff using environmental scanning of key data and institutional performance indicators. After the strategic plan was approved by the college senate and the board of trustees, it was used to develop college and unit operational plans, which drive budgetary priorities and initiatives. In the last 6 years, the college has seen a decrease in the number of administrative positions, an increase in full‐time faculty teaching positions, an increase in the number of credit hours taught by full‐time faculty, an increase in instructional equipment purchases, and completion of a campus computer network integrating data communications, e‐mail, and Internet access. Instructional technology, methods and delivery of instruction, classroom assessment, and institutional effectiveness have become top college priorities. The process has earned the enthusiastic endorsement and respect of the faculty, staff, administration, and the board of trustees. The process also has built trust and cooperation and has facilitated the development of shared governance. This article discusses the impact and lessons learned from implementing such a process.

Acculturation and Planning for College among Youth of Mexican Descent

This research examined associations between acculturation, college planning, and college attendance in 410junior and senior high school students. Participants, of which three quarters were of Mexican descent and one quarter was of European descent, completed Cuellar; Harris, and Jasso's acculturation scale and a college-planning survey. Ten months later; 116 of the 148 participating seniors were interviewed to determine if they went to college and what resources helped them get there. Acculturation among Mexican American youth was not related to either wanting to go to college or engaging in practical actions to get there. For adolescents of both ethnicities, fathers' education influenced adolescents'college aspirations and their college-planning behaviors. Acculturation was predictive of college attendance among Mexican American adolescents.

Shaping the College Curriculum: Academic Plans in Action.

Shaping the College Curriculum: Academic Plans in Action.

Social Positions in Schooling

In this article, the idea is developed that a track is a type of social position in students' relations with particular teachers and course work during their years of schooling. Using data from High School and Beyond, the authors derived eight curricular positions from an analysis of students' profiles of course work in high school. These curricular positions are associated with students' status characteristics (socioeconomic status, gender, and race) and attitudes (college plans and locus of control) and affect students' senior-year academic achievements net of their sophomore-year achievements, status characteristics, and sector (private versus public school attendance). The positive effects of private schools are explained by the curricular positions of their students, and there is a public school advantage with respect to science achievements for students in equivalent curricular positions.

Work-family role choices for women in their 20s and 30s: from college plans to life experiences

Tables Preface Sources of Ambiguity in Women's Development: The Context The Women as College Students Careerists Homemakers Breadwinners Nesters Summarizing the Big Picture Implications and Future Directions Appendix Selected Bibliography Index

Assessing students' plans for college.

Assessing students' plans for college.

Assessing students' plans for college.

Based on a contemporary cognitive-psychoanalytic theory (control-mastery theory; J. Weiss, H. Sampson, & Mount Zion Psychotherapy Research Group, 1986), this study proposed that college students have plans for college that consist of conscious and unconscious goals and obstructions to be overcome in meeting those goals. The construct of unconscious guilt was used to mediate the dual goals of autonomy and attachment. The idiographic plan-formulation method was adapted to derive plans for 12 sophomore women. Acceptable interjudge reliabilities and criterion validity were demonstrated, and several themes in the goals and obstructions were illustrated. Students worried more about mothers than about fathers, particularly when they perceived the mother as weak or needy. The potential of the method for generating inferences about unconscious process for normative development is discussed.

Planning Ahead for College: Calendar for College Planning and Preparation

Exploring Career OptionsPlanetary Science Carol Blackburn Selected Resources Evans, D.L., Stofan, E.R., Jones,T.J., & Godwin, L.M. (December 1994). Earth from sky, Scientific American, 271, 70–75. Google Scholar NASA and JPL websites NASA’s Mission to Planet Earth home page http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/NASA/mtpe.html JPL Imaging Radar home page http://southport.jpl.nasa.gov:80/index.html Imaging Radar Images of Earth http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/sircxsar/ “What is Imaging Radar?” tutorial http://southport.jpl.nasa.gov/desc/imagingradarv3.html Copyright © 1997 The Johns Hopkins University

Black and white college women's maternal employment outcome expectations and their desired timing of maternal employment

In an attempt to better understand college women's maternal employment plans, this study compared the ability of different types of maternal employment outcome expectations to predict college women's desired timing of their maternal employment. A mailed questionnaire examined Black (n= 113) and White (n= 189) college women's maternal employment timing preference and their perceptions of the likelihood of 30 possible outcomes of maternal employment. Regressions showed that White women's expectations about the benefits for themselves and the costs for their children predicted their desired maternal employment timing. No variables predicted the timing preference of Black women. Additionally, the Black compared to White respondents expected maternal employment would bring fewer personal costs and more benefits for their children and they desired employment earlier in their child's life. Discussion focuses on Black and White women's conceptions of the integration of the employment and domestic roles.

Gatekeeping in an Era of More Open Gates: High School Counselors' Views of Their Influence on Students' College Plans

While counselors in the 1960s had authority to influence who applied to college, this study examines whether the role of counselors has changed in light of past criticisms of their role in channeling and the vast expansion of community colleges. In interviews with 27 counselors in eight highly different high schools, we find that counselors do not like giving students bad news about their future prospects, do not want the responsibility, and do not believe they have the authority to do it, especially when parents have opposing views. Instead, they advocate college for all and emphasize personal counseling, which allows them to avoid addressing unpleasant realities. That does not mean that students face no barriers in pursuing their goals but that counselors' unwillingness to act as gatekeepers can prevent students from getting the information and advice they need to prepare for their futures.

RELATIONSHIP OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE INTERNAL ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE TO EFFECTIVE GRANTSMANSHIP

How does the organizational structure in which a community college grants office operates affect its ability to provide its services? A literature search and survey of practioners were undertaken to determine the answer to this question. The literature search and survey determined that grants offices can be found in various positions within the organizational chart. In addition, the sources indicate that development and grants offices are most effective when they are incorporated into the collegewide operation as an integrated service as opposed to as an ancillary service. Practioners understand that the grant‐writing process should relate to the college planning process and that effective grants offices can bring more funds to the college when they pursue grant fundings that are directly related to the college plan and mission.

Issues Facing Education in an Emerging Aspect of Tourism: The Gaming Industry

With the pervasive growth in gaming around the world, the need is apparent for individuals educated in the foundations and nuances of the gaming industry. This paper summarizes evidence of a widespread interest in and need for gaming education, and will describe the current state of gaming education in four-year hospitality management programmes. Included are results from a preliminary international study to identify gaming courses in hospitality management programmes. This baseline study documents the current forms, scope, and distribution of gaming education. Also provided is some insight into what college and university gaming educators plan to offer in the near future.

A College for Family-Life Studies as Part of the Social Welfare Service in Israel

Summary The College for Family-Life Studies constitutes a project aiming to mobilize primary and secondary prevention in one of the social welfare services in Israel. Within the framework of the college, 240 people have attended a variety of activities, specifically ongoing study groups concerning life cycle issues. The participants in the courses initially included parents affiliated with social welfare agencies and later expanded to unaffiliated individuals. Parenthood comprised the theme of the college's first courses which were conducted by social workers. The curriculum involved theoretical as well as experiential learning. This paper traces the college's rationale and planning, its staff training, the administration of the first study groups, and evaluation considerations.

Perceptions And Practices Of Georgia Guidance Counselors Regarding Agricultural Education Programs

The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions and attitudes of counselors toward high school agriculture programs in the state of Georgia. All 170 high school counselors with high school agriculture program in the state of Georgia served as the population for the study. A mail questionnaire was developed by the researchers from the review of literature. As a group, the counselors were positive about the benefits of Agricultural Education. They seemed to feel that agriculture teachers had a positive professional working relationship with colleagues. Although they were "undecided" about the quality of the local program and about offering academic credit for agriculture, the counselors were varied in their opinions. Correlations indicated that those who perceived the local programs as being quality programs, supported the idea of science credit and the course content as being valuable to college bound students. The same conclusion may be reached in regard to the practices of the counselors regarding the Agricultural Education program. Those who perceived quality in the courses were more likely to place students into the program regardless of the student's future work or college plans. As a group, the counselors appeared to be uninformed about the programs offered in Agricultural Education.

Gender roles and scholastic performance among adolescent Vietnamese women: the paradox of ethnic patriarchy.

The author argues that Vietnamese patriarchal views regarding gender roles have led to greater educational advancement among Vietnamese women as compared to men in the US. Data for this study were obtained from the 1990 census and from interviews in 1994 at two high schools located near a Vietnamese community and at a public high school for honor students. The survey sample included 402 Vietnamese students from the three schools. The sample was 90% of all Vietnamese students enrolled at these schools and 75% of high school students living in the neighborhood near the schools. Census data showed that Vietnamese women over age 25 were more likely than similarly aged men to have less than a high school education or a college education. The education gap between men and women declined among the population aged under 25 years. Among married men and women aged 16-24 years, there were few gender differences in the proportion of school drop outs. However, among the unmarried aged 16-24 years, young women were significantly more likely to be enrolled in college and were less likely to drop out of school. Among the sample student population, findings indicate that female students had significantly higher grades and spent more time on home work. Census reports reveal that women were more likely both to report the lack of plans for college and to report that college was very important to them. Fathers stressed the importance of obedience until marriage and achievement among daughters. Fathers expected daughters to advance educationally for a number of reasons. Mothers agreed with fathers that the education and employment of women was not a rejection of traditional Vietnamese values. Mothers believed that daughters would be increasing their potential resources by improving their educational status. Adolescent males held more traditional attitudes towards wives as mothers. Young women reported stricter social controls of behavior from parents.