Locked away twice: The role of minimisation and denial of childhood trauma in prison rehabilitation.

ABSTRACT Community colleges are experiencing rising levels of student loneliness and anxiety, which have notable implications for academic engagement, persistence, and overall well-being. In response to this, community colleges are challenged to rethink how support is designed and delivered across the institution. Guided by this focus, the study asks: How do U.S. community colleges address student mental health concerns through integrated, campus-wide strategies that emphasize belonging, access to support, and institutional responsibility? Employing a narrative review and synthesis of literature published between 2010 and 2025, this study draws on research in higher education, student development, and psychology, in addition to national surveys and institutional reports. The review identifies a spectrum of implemented practices including telehealth services, peer-led initiatives, faculty and staff training, the creation of “third spaces,” and campus-wide efforts to reduce stigma. Although evidence indicates these strategies may enhance help-seeking behaviors, perceived support, and student resilience, considerable gaps persist in service availability, coordination, and evaluation particularly in resource-constrained community colleges. The findings stress the importance of integrating mental health support into the core of academic and student success frameworks, rather than relying on isolated interventions. By centering community colleges and equity in access to care, this article advances the literature through a practice-informed synthesis and points to future research directions on sustainability, cross-campus collaboration, and institutional accountability regarding student mental health initiatives.

ABSTRACT This article examines the development and implementation of a police apprenticeship program established through a collaborative partnership between a community college and a municipal police department. Designed to address recruitment challenges and strengthen workforce preparation, the program integrates paid employment with structured academic coursework. The paper outlines the program’s origins, organizational framework, and shared responsibilities between institutional partners. It also analyzes benefits for students, the department, and the community, while acknowledging challenges related to coordination, supervision, and sustainability. The model demonstrates how education – law enforcement partnerships can create practical, career-aligned pathways that support professional development and community-oriented policing.

Cloud-connected pluripotent stem cell platform enhances scientific identity in underrepresented students.

ABSTRACT Community colleges are a primary entry point for historically marginalized individuals pursuing postsecondary degrees. Yet in California, as in many states, structural barriers in the transfer pipeline continue producing disparate outcomes, where the system fails to propel African American/Black and Latine students toward timely transfer at the same rates as their White and Asian peers. While systemic barriers prevent many African American/Black students from reaching transfer readiness, those who do demonstrate exceptional persistence. The Research and Planning Group for California Community Colleges’ Through the Gate study (2016–2020) found African American/Black students were disproportionately underrepresented among those reaching the transfer gate—having completed most or all transfer requirements. Yet, once transfer ready, they were significantly more likely than White peers to transfer. Building on this finding, the African American Transfer Tipping Point (AATTP) study examined factors influencing whether students reach the transfer gate. This quantitative research identified predictors of attaining this status and achieving intermediate milestones. Passing transfer-level English and math in year one, visiting an academic counselor, and participating in Umoja, a program that supports success through pedagogy responsive to the African and African American Diasporas, emerged as primary facilitators. Experiencing academic probation and students’ disabilities and income status surfaced as significant barriers. These findings are the first to illuminate specific, measurable tipping points for African American/Black students on the transfer pathway. This article can inform equity-focused strategies to increase transfer success for African American/Black students, and highlights implications for policy, practice, and future research.

ABSTRACT This article analyzes the structural role and institutional positioning of Criminal Justice programs within U.S. public community colleges. Using national and state-level data from the National Center for Education Statistics, the study provides an evidence-based assessment of community college criminal justice programs as contributors to enrollment, credit production, and associate-level degree completion. The analysis focuses on program placement within institutional divisions, student enrollment patterns, and completion trends, with selective comparisons to four-year institutions to highlight differences in scale and student pathways. By clarifying how community college criminal justice programs function within the community college structure, the article offers insights relevant to curriculum design, transfer alignment, workforce responsiveness, and long-term sustainability.

ABSTRACT This article challenges the premise that community college teaching is stigmatized and that faculty must somehow ‘cope’ with diminished academic status. Drawing on sociological theories of stigma and power, it argues that the narrative of inferiority is less a reflection of faculty experience and more a product of higher education’s prestige hierarchy. Metrics such as grant funding, publication counts, and institutional rankings are often mistaken for academic worth, reinforcing a narrow definition of legitimacy that marginalizes teaching-focused institutions. Yet for many community college professors, these prestige markers are largely irrelevant to the intellectual and pedagogical demands of their work. Rather than accepting stigma as a professional reality, this article contends that the real problem lies in conflating exclusivity with excellence and prestige with purpose.

ABSTRACT Objective Multidimensional perfectionism has pervasive implications for psychological adjustment. However, there is limited research on self-structure in perfectionism, despite self-process and self-content proposed as key components in perfectionism models. This study aimed to elucidate the associations between multidimensional perfectionism, self-structure (self-concept clarity, self-complexity, self-organisation), self-criticism, and self-esteem; as well as investigate self-structure as a mediator between multidimensional perfectionism and self-criticism, while controlling for self-esteem. Method University students and community participants (n = 240; 82.9% female, Mage = 21.28 years, SD = 6.05) completed self-report measures of multidimensional perfectionism, self-structure, self-criticism, and self-esteem online. Results Findings indicated that perfectionistic strivings and perfectionistic concerns had opposing relationships with self-concept clarity and self-esteem, but shared similar positive correlations with self-complexity and self-criticism. A hierarchical regression revealed that the perfectionism dimensions, self-concept clarity, and self-esteem were unique predictors of self-criticism. Self-concept clarity and self-complexity were found to mediate the relationship between perfectionistic concerns and self-criticism. Conclusions Our findings provide preliminary evidence on the associations between multidimensional perfectionism and self-structure, supporting the inclusion of self-structure to existing theoretical, research and treatment frameworks of perfectionism. Specifically, self-concept clarity may be vital in understanding the relationship between perfectionistic concerns and self-criticism. Clinical implications are discussed.

In this 2026 volume of the TLT, we are pleased to publish four Program Models and three Case Studies, including the winners of The Forum on Education Abroad’s 2026 Award for Excellence in Education Abroad Curriculum Design, Dr. Amy Frazier-Yoder and Dr. Matthew Beaky from Juniata College (see their program model in this volume). On behalf of The Forum on Education Abroad, we would like to thank the following members of the 2025-2026 Teaching and Learning Committee. Their generous contributions of time and expertise helped make this resource possible: Briana Casey, University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlene Chester, Morgan State University Courtney Kroll, McGill University Helena Kaufman, Carleton College Liz Thompson, Jackson State Community College Madalina Akli, University of Massachusetts Amherst Scott Schlimgen, Academic Initiatives Abroad Sonalina Sapra, School for International Training Todd Goen, Global Puzzles, LLC We are also thankful to our partners at Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad for lending their platform for publication of this Teaching and Learning Toolbox. This platform permits each entry in the TLT to be assigned a permanent Digital Object Identified (DOI), making them searchable and indexable across a wide array of scholarly databases and search tools. Finally, we appreciate the time and effort contributed by members of the Frontiers editorial team.

Building a Responsive Medical Library Collection Through Book Donations and Local Acquisitions at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS)

Evaluate the availability and accessibility of mental health care at Michigan's community colleges (CCs). Michigan's 31 CCs. We employed quantitative data collection supplemented with qualitative validation: first conducting an analysis of CC websites, followed by interviews with CC providers and decision-makers to validate and contextualize findings. The integrated data were examined using univariate analyses to capture heterogeneity of models of mental health provision at CCs. Of 31 CCs, all were analyzed and 23 completed confirmation interviews. N = 5 CCs (16%) had no mental health providers; N = 16 CCs (52%) had mental health providers with additional roles beyond counseling (i.e., academic advisors). Referrals, teletherapy, and behavioral intervention teams were also common mental health supports. Most CC websites (N = 23; 74%) had navigability and/or content challenges for accessing mental health service information. In the face of resource constraints, CCs are pursuing numerous approaches to the provision, promotion, and structuring of mental health services.

To map and analyze the available literature on Health Promoting Universities initiatives and health promotion activities in Colombian universities. A scoping review was conducted following the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology, with searches performed in PubMed, BIREME, and Scopus databases. From 1575 initial records identified, 14 studies met the inclusion criteria. The literature described various health promotion activities in Colombian universities, ranging from specific interventions to broader institutional initiatives. The review identified significant knowledge gaps regarding long-term outcomes and implementation frameworks specifically adapted to the Colombian context. The Colombian literature suggests that a systematic approach for health promotion in Colombian universities should involve continuous evaluation of health programs, interprofessional collaboration, stakeholder engagement from the university community, and strengthening of inter-university networks such as REDCUPS to promote best practice sharing. These strategies could potentially contribute to developing context-appropriate guidelines for Colombian universities.

ABSTRACT This study explores the experiences of Spanish graduates with disabilities who successfully completed a university degree in the field of Social Sciences. The research employed a qualitative methodology, using individual semi-structured interviews to explore factors that contributed to the university success of 32 graduates with disabilities. The information was analysed through an inductive system of categories and codes. The findings are presented in three main areas that highlight self-efficacy as a key factor for university success: personal characteristics that acted as facilitators, coping strategies for learning difficulties, and actions to build relationships within the university community to overcome obstacles. The study concludes that self-efficacy is an ability that helps people with disabilities to overcome barriers and achieve university success.

ABSTRACT Despite the barriers Latino men encounter in community college, they continue to enroll with vertical transfer aspirations. This qualitative study took a psychosociocultural approach to explore eight Latino men’s educational narratives and transfer attitudes. Three themes emerged that advanced the understanding of their vertical transfer attitudes to four-year postsecondary institutions. These core themes were Self-beliefs: “I am in control of my academic future” – I know I can transfer for my family and myself; Relationships and connections: “We are in the grind together”; and Values and worldviews: “My educational spaces must validate me as a Latino man.” The findings underscored how their self-beliefs guided their attitudes toward vertical transfer as they held the goal of supporting their families and claimed control over their academic futures. Further, their values and culture were central to their identity as Latino men and their roles within their families to navigate their vertical transfer process.

ABSTRACT Community college criminal justice faculty make significant yet often overlooked scholarly contributions despite heavy teaching loads, high‑needs student populations, and chronic underfunding. This article highlights the growing body of research these faculty produce – from open educational resources to studies on pedagogy and contemporary criminal justice issues – and examines why they conduct research with limited or no institutional incentives. Analysis of written reflections from six faculty members reveals that research strengthens teaching, supports equitable student outcomes, and fosters professional growth, even as a dearth of time, resources, and recognition poses major barriers. The article concludes with recommendations for community college leaders to support faculty research through reassigned time, conference funding, and greater integration of scholarly work into departmental culture.

Community colleges can offer short-term training due to their flexible scheduling, affordable tuition, and capacity to integrate certification opportunities within programs tailored to regional workforce needs. We identified existing assets and readiness to develop a Certified in Disease Intervention credential at community colleges to expand the disease intervention (DI) workforce. From fall 2024 through spring 2025, 2 community colleges in the western United States participated in mapping a DI professional job task analysis (JTA) using course syllabi (n = 12) and assignments to identify curricular gaps. DI employer listening sessions (n = 13) provided additional input on job skills. We conducted listening sessions with 4 college faculty, 3 staff, and 14 students to evaluate the feasibility of DI training and identify student support strategies. The research team evaluated educational frameworks to develop an approach for community colleges to assess readiness for implementing DI professional training. Community college courses mapped to the JTA more commonly for knowledge (range, 21.3%-72.3%) than for skills (range, 0%-66.0%). Feasibility to implement DI training at the community college level was viewed favorably by employers, faculty, staff, and students. Students identified needs for additional social supports, particularly for students from underrepresented populations. Steps for community colleges interested in providing curriculum to support DI certification included (1) mapping existing or proposed curriculum, (2) identifying curricular gaps and building opportunities for demonstrating JTA skills, and (3) evaluating the feasibility of adding new programming. DI professional training can likely be implemented successfully at community colleges. With modest adjustments to current courses, community colleges can document competencies that may enhance preparation for national DI certification.

ABSTRACT Community college criminal justice programs occupy a unique position within American higher education, functioning as gateways, second-chance institutions, and workforce pipelines. Drawing on over a decade of teaching experience at two community colleges, this reflective analysis examines the motivations, challenges, and aspirations of students enrolled in two-year criminal justice programs. Attention is given to non-traditional learners, first-generation and immigrant students, and individuals seeking immediate entry to the workforce in policing, corrections, and related fields. Situated within broader economic shifts, including the Great Recession, public-sector retirements, and renewed workforce demands, this article explores how open access, affordability, and geographic proximity shape enrollment patterns and student persistence. Community colleges emerge not merely as transfer institutions, but as democratizing spaces that expand opportunity while diversifying criminal justice career pathways. This essay argues that responsive program design grounded in students lived realities is essential to advancing both educational equity and the democratic mission historically associated with community colleges.

The future of universities is unclear. They face increasing pressures from market forces, political influence and societal expectations, which is challenging their traditional roles and values. Using a novel dialectic Delphi methodology, this study examined how members of a Finnish university conceptualized and analyzed potential futures extending to 2040. Grounded in a comprehensive literature review, we identified 10 dimensions relevant to universities’ futures, such as purpose, organisational structure and teaching models. We developed a series of statements presenting opposing future trajectories for each dimension—creating the dialectic nature of our approach. This structure was chosen to provoke reflection on distinct futures and to reveal whether participants saw opposing scenarios as incompatible or complementary. The participants assessed the probability and desirability of these futures and provided arguments to explain their perspectives. The findings identify where participants’ assessments of desirability and probability either align, conflict or reveal differing interpretations of the future scenarios and their meanings. This study reveals how university communities can be engaged in reasoning about complex institutional challenges while providing guidance for developing sustainable and balanced university futures. • Uses a dialectic Delphi with opposing statements toward 2040 • Introduces novel Delphi approach that provokes reasoned trade-offs • Explores probable and desirable futures across 10 dimensions. • Focuses on ten linked areas, from funding to teaching to governance. • Shows where probable and desirable futures align or diverge

Value-sensitive design in action: Designing student-centered intelligent tutoring systems with community college students and instructors

ABSTRACT Amid declining public confidence in higher education and shifting enrollment trends, this article examines whether community colleges function as training grounds for faculty who transition to four-year institutions. Drawing on national enrollment data, existing scholarships on community college faculty roles, and exploratory qualitative insights from faculty across institutional types, the analysis challenges the assumption that community colleges primarily serve as steppingstones to university appointments. While four-year institutions emphasize research productivity and tenure-based publication requirements, community colleges prioritize teaching excellence, workforce alignment, and engagement with diverse student populations. Although community college faculty possess pedagogical strengths attractive to universities, many do not seek transition due to concerns about publish-or-perish cultures, tenure insecurity, and work-life imbalance. Through scholarly analysis and the author’s lived institutional experience, this article reframes the narrative: rather than serving merely as incubators, community colleges may represent intentional, sustainable destinations within criminal justice and higher education.