Even as we expect an increase in veteran student enrollment in higher education, little attention has been paid to the role students' background characteristics and college experiences play in college outcomes among student veterans. The purpose of this study is to examine differences in precollege characteristics and college experiences between veteran and nonveteran students and a predictive power of being a veteran student on college outcomes. Using data from the 2008 University of California Undergraduate Experience Survey (UCUES), the study conducted cross tabulations and blocked multiple regression analyses on two college outcomes: college GPA and sense of belonging. Results demonstrate that student veteran status is negatively associated with college GPA. The origins of the negative effect of being a veteran student are discussed.

In recent years, developmental education in the community colleges has received much attention. However, there has been little research examining the relationship between course length and course success in developmental education. Using historical enrollment data from a large, suburban community college in southern California, this study examines the relationship between course length and course success in developmental education when social and academic background characteristics are controlled. The study hypothesized that there would be no significant or practical difference in success rates for students taking compressed (i.e., courses less than eight weeks in length) or regular length developmental English, reading, or math courses when social or academic characteristics are controlled. Results demonstrate that developmental course length was associated with statistically and practically significant differences in course success observed across all categories of age, gender, and ethnicity. Students enrolled in compressed-format courses were more likely to succeed than students enrolled in regular-length courses. Higher successful course completion rates for compressed courses were observed across all departments, with the highest successful course completion

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California State University, Northridge (CSUN), like many large urban institutions, has a very diverse student body. This diversity is not only reflected in ethnic and racial differences, but also in the students' educational backgrounds. Our institution enrolls a large number of transfer students, mostly from community colleges in California. These students face a number of challenges, including the adjustment to a new learning environment, issues related to transfer credits, and the necessity of taking additional courses to complete lower division major requirements. In 2011, CSUN received a five-year, $5.5 million dollar HSI-STEM grant from the Department of Education to address the challenges faced by transfer students from under-represented groups. Glendale Community College and College of the Canyons are partners in the grant. The main goals of the grant are to recruit promising students from community colleges, and then provide them with financial and academic support to ensure their success. There are also opportunities to work on summer research projects under the guidance of their faculty mentors. The initial cohort of students that entered the program is now nearing graduation. Students in the program are enrolled in a variety of engineering disciplines, including computer science, and are expected to spend additional time on campus in order to become more fully engaged in their department's activities. Assessment of the academic impact of these experiences on the first cohort of transfer students in this program is presented. Also considered is the impact of working on summer research projects with their faculty mentors. Specific benefits were associated with research interaction with faculty, including faculty accessibility and responsiveness, faculty research connections to coursework and career, and academic effects of student-faculty research interaction on students. This paper also describes a particular summer research project performed by a group of mechanical engineering students (five from CSUN and two from Glendale CC) in the summer of 2013. Their work was related to CSUN's human powered vehicle project, which is one of the senior capstone options for mechanical engineering students. Specifically, the group worked on developing methodologies for predicting drag on human powered vehicles, using the previous year's vehicle as a test bed. The drag on this vehicle was estimated using computer simulation, wind tunnel tests, and field measurements.

Familial and social experiences shape college transitions of first‐year, first‐generation college students who are foster youth. This chapter describes these experiences and offers recommendations to enhance support for foster youth in college.

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