bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
U.S.-China Relations after the Sixteenth Party Congress: Prospects and Challenges
Authors: Sutter Robert
Published: June 2007

The leadership changes carried out at the Chinese Party and Government congresses over the past year were widely perceived to have reinforced China’s recent moderate approach toward the United States. Few would have predicted such favorable U.S.-China relations given the poor state of relations only two years earlier. Specialists differed on what caused the shift. Some emphasized the change in the Bush administration policy; others, including this author, gave more emphasis to the design of the Bush administration policy. It effectively undercut the previous utility of Chinese pressure tactics toward the United States. Concurrent international circumstances—notably the unprecedented rise of U.S. power and influence throughout China’s periphery, as well as Chinese domestic preoccupations associated with incomplete leadership transition at the Party and Government congresses—reinforced good U.S.-China relations. Specialists appeared more uniform in warning that U.S.-China cooperation was contingent, as the recent smooth relationship had done little to resolve major differences in the interests of the two powers. Managing those differences over Taiwan, Korea, and a range of bilateral and other issues represent the essence of the challenges China’s new leaders face as they deal with the United States in the first decade in the twenty-first century.
English in Malaysia
Authors: Foo Bernadette , Richards Cynthia
Published: June 2007

This article seeks to lay out the use and importance of English in Malaysia from the time when the British ruled what was then Malaya to the present moment. When the British came to colonize the country, they brought with them their culture, their language and their beliefs. They introduced the English language as the medium of instruction in the primary and secondary schools. After Independence, nationalistic sentiments arose and in 1970, Bahasa Malaysia was introduced as the medium of instruction in the schools. With the advancement in science and technology and the advent of globalization, English regained part of its lost status. It is now taught in the schools both at the primary and secondary school level and it is also used to teach Science and Mathematics. Besides, it is the medium of instruction in the private colleges. Currently, the mastery of the English language is much encouraged at all levels of education—from the primary to the tertiary level. Moreover, English is much needed in the commercial and business sectors and as a result, besides the government-sponsored schools, many private and commercial institutions have mushroomed and English is taught for specific purposes.
Looking for the Good Soldier, Švejk
Authors: Fleming Peter , Sewell Graham
Published: June 2007

This article continues the current trend in Sociology of exploring and re-evaluating concepts of workplace resistance. We agree with Thompson and Ackroyd (1995) that much of the critical literature investigating managerial controls like self-regulating teams and corporate culture management have placed far too much emphasis on ideological incorporation and ‘colonization’ of subjectivity and not enough on employee recalcitrance and resistance. Rather than hastily blaming the ‘Foucauldian turn’ for this oversight, however, we argue instead that resistance is indeed difficult to see if thought of in purely traditional terms (e.g. strikes, sabotage, picketing). In the age of team normalization and ‘cultural cleansing’ we must look in less obvious places to see practices of dissent. Our article introduces the concept of ‘švejkism’, after the character in Jaroslav Hašek’s novel, The Good Soldier, Švejk. Švejkism is presented as an example of a modality of employee opposition that may have been missed in earlier evaluations of new work forms. We discuss the practice of švejkism and the implications it has for contemporary workplace politics.
Shadow Times
Authors: McKie Linda , Gregory Susan , Bowlby Sophia
Published: June 2007

In this article we explore temporal and spatial frameworks for analysing the experience of combining caring for children with participation in paid work. We highlight the pressure to undertake paid employment routinely, which places particular strains upon people who are most likely to have to combine caring and working. The authors assert that mothers continue to have the main responsibility for the organization, if not the conduct, of caring work (Sevenhuijsen, 1998). Traditional assumptions about the seeming relationship between femininity and caring remain relatively intact, despite major shifts in family formation, women’s participation in the labour market and debates about the changing role of men (Cancian and Oliker, 1999; Lister, 1997). Drawing upon the work of Adam (2000) on timescapes we develop the notion of caringscapes as a means by which the processes of combining caring and working may be theorized and also incorporated into UK government policy related to caring (whether directly or indirectly). We draw attention to the inadequacy of public policy that does not incorporate an awareness of the demands of the everyday across the lifecourse, of which a spatial-temporal component should be fundamental. The authors propose a caringscape perspective as a basis for both future research and policy developments and conclude that an enhanced recognition of the fluidity and praxis of caring and gender is necessary to support the evolving roles of parents, especially mothers who combine caring and working.
The Normalization of ‘Sensible’ Recreational Drug Use
Authors: Parker Howard , Williams Lisa , Aldridge Judith
Published: June 2007

Five key dimensions of normalization are identified: availability/access; drug trying rates; usage rates; accommodating attitudes to ‘sensible’ recreational drug use especially by non users; and degree of cultural accommodation of illegal drug use. A review of recent UK research is provided for each measure. The NW England Longitudinal Study continues to monitor normalization based on the recapture of 465 young adults (in year 2000) of a cohort previously surveyed/interviewed across their adolescence (1991 to 1995).The availability of drugs remains high with over 90% having been in drug offer situations. Accessibility is highest for cannabis, followed by ‘dance drugs’, with cocaine showing the steepest climb. Drug trying rates have risen incrementally from 36 percent at 14 to 76 percent at 22. At 18 over half reported past year drug use and at 22 the rate is unchanged (52 percent). Past month use at 32 percent has declined slightly. Males are now slightly more likely to be drug-involved on all measures. Socio-economic differences are not significant. Cannabis dominates recent usage (average three episodes a month). Half the abstainers have friends who have used cannabis. Nearly two thirds of abstainers held tolerant or approving attitudes of drug takers. Half held different views about different drugs, with cannabis use being most tolerated. The paper concludes that ‘sensible’ recreational drug use is becoming increasingly accommodated into the social lives of conventional young adults.
Intimate Talk between Parents and their Teenage Children
Authors: Solomon Yvette , Warin Jo , Lewis Charlie , Langford Wendy
Published: June 2007

In so far as modern families subscribe to an ideal of democracy, then adolescence is a time in which the democratic ideal in the family becomes an object of explicit focus as parents and teenagers strive towards a renegotiation of their relative positions. Teenagers need to develop their adult identities and a sense of agency, while at the same time, parents who have invested both personally and financially in their children must reconsider this relationship and come to terms with the reality of the returns from that investment. Intimate relations imply both democracy and equality: in what Giddens (1992) calls the ‘pure relationship’, individuals continuously reevaluate the relationship in terms of the satisfactions which it delivers in their ‘project of the self’. This paper argues that the twin ideals of democracy and intimacy necessarily clash in parent-teenager relationships, resulting in a further complication of the negotiation processes already identified in previous research (Brannen, 1999; Brannen et al., 1994; Hofer et al., 1999).While both parents and their teenage children subscribe to the discourse of openness and honesty as the route to both intimacy and democracy, there are tensions within the concept of openness because both parties have opposing goals in the trading of information. For parents, information gain means the retention of power and control, while for teenagers, with-holding information from their parents ensures their privacy, power and identity.
Powerful Emotions
Authors: Burkitt Ian
Published: June 2007

This article aims to understand how emotions are integral elements in relations of power and government, with particular reference to the ‘War on Terror’ declared by many Western governments after the events of 11 September 2001. In particular, I analyse two incidents within this: the peace demonstration against the Iraq war in London, 2003, and the aftermath of the Madrid train bombings in Spain, 2004. Using newspaper reports of these two incidents, I analyse how emotions were used by governments to try to direct the conduct of the population along with the uncertain reaction to this. Using Foucault’s insights on power along with the theoretical work of Durkheim, Arendt and Nussbaum, I argue the evidence indicates that the emotions which run through relations of power are complex and ambivalent, motivating resistance and opposition to government as much as compliance.
Filling the Gap
Authors: Iverson Gregory K. , Salmons Joseph C.
Published: June 2007

Native-stock English/š/normally derives from sk (Old English fisc > fish), a change dating to ca. 1100, at which time tense vowels were still absent before tautosyllabic consonant clusters. Though sequences of lax vowel plus final/š/have become common via old loans ( push < French pousser) and coinages ( posh), tense vowel plus final/š/sequences remain rare, chiefly because of the absence of a source in Old English. Today, these sequences convey either an affective, onomatopoeic quality ( sheesh, swoosh) or represent modern borrowings for rather esoteric foreign concepts or entities ( cartouche, gauche) or proper nouns like ( Lyndon) Laroche. Dialectal vowel tensing notwithstanding (cf. Midlands p [u:] sh), there is but one ordinary English word with tense vowel plus/š/without special connotation, leash, yet even that is of Anglo-Norman origin. We argue here that the character of the particular gap with English coda/š/following tense vowels is phonologically accidental rather than systematic: not only are its contemporary but fading remnants accidental, but the progressive process of the removal of this gap over the course of the history of English is noteworthy for just how systematic it has been, with the result now that words showing long vowel plus final/š/are increasingly common and decreasingly exotic.
Quotative Use in American English
Authors: Barbieri Federica
Published: June 2007

Previous research on innovative quotative verbs (e.g., be like, go) has been based almost exclusively on narratives of personal experience or sociolinguistic interviews. The present study broadens our understanding of the extent to which new forms of quotatives are established in American English by looking at their use across different registers of spoken interaction. Specifically, the study investigates the frequency of use and grammatical association patterns of the quotatives be like, go, be all, and say in four registers: casual conversation, university service encounters and workplace conversation, university students’ study groups, and academic office hour consultations. The findings show that, overall, be like and go are well established across these registers, while be all is still rather uncommon. In addition, all new quotatives consistently occur more frequently in present tense, while the traditional quotative say is more frequent in the past. The analyses of the patterns of use of the quotatives with different grammatical subjects and of the discourse functions of the quotation support the hypothesis that be like is expanding in American English.
Absence of an Effect of Levofloxacin on Warfarin Pharmacokinetics and Anticoagulation in Male Volunteers
Authors: Liao Sam , Palmer Marty , Fowler Cynthia , Nayak R. K.
Published: June 2007

Some fluoroquinolone drug—drug interactions involving inhibition of the hepatic metabolism of agents such as theophylline and caffeine have been identified. This study was designed to investigate the potential interaction of the fluoroquinolone levofloxacin in a standard multiple‐dose regimen with the oral anticoagulant warfarin. Sixteen healthy male volunteers were given a single oral dose of 30 mg warfarin sodium during a multiple‐dose regimen of placebo or levofloxacin 500 mg twice daily, in a placebo‐controlled, randomized, double‐blind, two‐way crossover design. Plasma R(@) and S(−) warfarin concentrations and prothrombin times were measured for 6 days after administration of each warfarin dose. The pharmacokinetic parameters of both enantiomers of warfarin were comparable in the absence and presence of levofloxacin, with no significant differences noted in warfarin peak plasma concentration, time to peak plasma concentration, apparent total body clearance, and terminal disposition half‐life. Levofloxacin also had no significant effect on warfarin pharmacodynamics, as assessed by baseline‐corrected maximum prothrombin time, time to maximum prothrombin time, and area under the prothrombin time‐versus‐time curve. The lack of pharmacokinetic or pharmacodynamic interaction observed in this study suggests that a clinically important effect of levofloxacin on warfarin is unlikely to occur during concurrent therapy.
Generation of Field Potentials in the Brain
Authors: Speckmann E.‐J.
Published: June 2007

Neuronal function is closely correlated with bioelectrical signals. These electrical events can be detected as field potentials in the space surrounding cellular elements of the nervous system. The basic mechanisms underlying the generation of field potentials are described.
Continuous Measurement of Hemodynamic Alterations During Pharmacologic Cardiovascular Stress Using Automated Impedance Cardiography
Authors: Scherhag Armin W. , Pfleger Stefan , de Mey Christian , Schreckenberger Anja B. , Staedt Ulrich , Heene Dieter L.
Published: June 2007

The contribution of computerized impedance cardiography in monitoring and differentiating cardiovascular responses to pharmacologic stress after the administration of dipyridamole (group 1, n = 24) or dobutamine (group 2, n = 26) was investigated during stress echocardiography. Heart rate, stroke volume index, cardiac index and systemic vascular resistance index were evaluated continuously with an automated, computerized, signal‐averaged impedance cardiography system. Dipyridamole had little average effect on heart rate, stroke volume index, and cardiac index. The responses were similar in patients with positive (n = 9) or negative (n = 15) stress echocardiography test results (as characterized by echocardiographic wall‐motion abnormalities). Dobutamine induced a similar mean increase in heart rate in patients with negative (n = 13) or positive (n = 13) results on stress echocardiography. The mean increase in stroke volume index induced by dobutamine was greater in patients with negative stress echocardiography test results than in patients with stress‐induced wall‐motion abnormalities. This distinction was also seen in the cardiac index; the mean change in patients with negative stress echocardiography test results was larger than in patients with positive results. It is concluded that automated computerized impedance cardiography not only allows surveying and monitoring hemodynamic changes during pharmacologic stress echocardiography but also contributes to differentiation of pathologic stress responses.
Pharmacodynamic Models to Evaluate Antithrombotics in Clinical Pharmacology
Authors: Müller T. H.
Published: June 2007

The need to prevent thromboembolic events effectively and safely has stimulated an intense search for novel antithrombotics. Parameters derived fromin vitrotests with patients' blood are essential for therapeutic monitoring of anticoagulants. Clinical pharmacologic evaluation of novel antithrombotic therapies based on such parameters can easily fail, however, by neglecting pivotal pathophysiologic determinants of thrombus formation. When vascular injury occurs, blood cells, plasma proteins, and the vessel wall intimately cooperate for an adequate local repair. Much remains to be learned about the local and transient interaction of these components. In most tests of platelet function and coagulation proteins, blood samples from treated individuals are stimulatedin vitroto assess inhibitory effects. Limitations of such a test strategy for dose‐finding studies with antithrombotics may be overcome by measuring activation markers specifically generated on the surface of blood cells or in plasma at the site of thrombosis in patients.
Effects of Low‐Dose Morphine on Gastric Emptying in Healthy Volunteers
Authors: Yuan Chun‐Su , Foss Joseph F. , O'Connor Michael , Roizen Michael F. , Moss Jonathan
Published: June 2007

Appropriate preoperative pain therapy for patients undergoing surgery may be withheld due to the fear that opioids will inhibit gastric emptying and increase the risk of aspiration. Previously, doses of 5 to 10 mg of morphine have been shown to delay gastric emptying time. However, the effect of lower doses of morphine on gastric emptying in humans has not been reported. In this study, the effects of intravenous morphine 0.05 mg/kg—3.5 mg for 70‐kg body weight, a dose that can cause analgesia—on gastric emptying were evaluated in a double‐blind, randomized, placebo‐controlled study in 15 healthy human volunteers using the acetaminophen test. Our data indicated that this low dose of morphine significantly prolonged the gastric emptying time. Thus, even small doses of morphine inhibit gastric emptying. This effect may be important in patients undergoing surgery, in patients receiving other oral medications after surgery in ambulatory settings, and in instances of patient‐controlled analgesia.
Eric Review: Service Learning in the Community College
Authors: Kozeracki Carol A.
Published: June 2007

After presenting a comprehensive definition of service learning in postsecondary education, the author reviews the literature on service learning at community colleges. In addition to discussing national initiatives to promote service learning experiences for students, this review provides examples of service learning programs and summarizes best practices for starting and managing such programs based on case studies in the literature. The results of recent program evaluation efforts are discussed, and the author defines current research needs to determine how service learning affects students.
Critical Academic Skills for Hansas Community College Graduates: A Delphi Study
Authors: Larson Elizabeth , Wissman Janice R.
Published: June 2007

A three-round Delphi survey was used to gain consensus among 23 community college administrators and faculty representing 19 community colleges in Kansas. First-round participants defined 199 critical academic skills for community college associate's degree holders. Second- and third-round participants rated the skill statements based on a nine-point Likert scale and achieved consensus on seven skills that included key critical competencies defined by Gardner (1994). The authors suggest ways to use the Delphi technique to define outcomes for assessing institutional effectiveness.
The Impact of Community Colleges on the School-to-Work Transition: A Multilevel Analysis
Authors: Mobley Catherine
Published: June 2007

The design of this study was to use hierarchical linear modeling to assess the impact of community colleges on the school-to-work transition and to assess the race, gender, and socioeconomic status effect on student outcomes (wages and use of training on the job). Data were obtained from several sources, including High School and Beyond, the Integrated Postsecondary Data System (IPEDS), and the College Board Institutional Files. Community college variables included full-time enrollment, percentage of faculty full-time, transfer rate, and the availability of career counseling and placement services. Results suggest that several variables, including the transfer rate and the availability of career counseling and placement services, were related to the effect of gender and class background on wages and use of training on the job.
Editors' Choice: The Efficacy of Service-Learning for Community College ESL Students
Authors: Elwell Marelene D. , Bean Martha S.
Published: June 2007

Service-learning is gaining momentum in secondary and higher educational settings; however, it has only been used sporadically, if at all, in programs designed to increase proficiency in English among English as a Second Language (ESL) community college-level learners. Based on a teaching and learning experience that infused a service-learning project into a community college ESL course curriculum, Elwell and Bean explain Elwell's facilitation of the service-learning component for ESL students in an intermediate-level reading class. The authors also discuss the tangible benefits that the ESL students reaped as a result of participating in the service-learning project.
An Assessment of the Community College's Influence on the Relative Economic Development of a County
Authors: Pennington Kevin L. , Pittman Robert B. , Hurley J. Casey
Published: June 2007

The study investigated the impact of establishing a community college upon a county's relative economic development. Census data from 1940 through 1990 were used in graphical analysis of short-time series, ratio comparisons, and ordinary least square regression analysis. The results indicated that establishing a community college potentially contributed 8% to 11% of a county's economic development. This estimated "catalyst" influence was accounted for by neither payroll, population growth, nor economic advantages that existed prior to establishment of the community colleges.
Students' Perceptions of Constructivist Learning in a Community College American History 11 Survey Course
Authors: Maypole Joanne , Davies Timothy Gray
Published: June 2007

In constructivist teaching all learning is filtered through the learner's lens of reality. This qualitative study explored community college students' perceptions of constructivism applied in an American History II survey course. Participants were students enrolled in said course at a Colorado community college. The data for analysis came from student interviews. Students described experiences consistent with a constructivist classroom: they thought more critically and independently; they developed cognitively and affectively; and they enjoyed the learning process. One implication of this study was that applied constructivism may result in a more holistic approach to teaching and learning.
Faculty Development in SACS-Accredited Community Colleges
Authors: Murray John P.
Published: June 2007

This article presents the results of an exploratory study of community college faculty development activities. The purpose of the study was to determine if community colleges evaluate faculty development efforts and use the results to shape a coherent faculty development plan that supports the mission of the institution. The community colleges in this study clearly relied on traditional approaches to faculty development and made minimal efforts at evaluation, preferring to rely on untested assumptions and past practices. Their efforts tend to be unfocused, with little or no attempt to deliberately connect activites to the institutional strategic plan.

With increasing calls for accountability coupled with shrinking resources, it becomes imperative that community colleges demonstrate that they wisely use their resources to impact the mission of the institutions. This means that community colleges must develop focused faculty development programs that have clear and distinct goals that are intended to improve classroom learning and teaching.
ERIC Review: Issues in Developmental Education
Authors: Kozeracki Carol A.
Published: June 2007

With increasing numbers of ill-prepared, first-time community college freshmen, developmental education has become an important topic within the higher education community as well as with the public. This article discusses the meaning and extent of developmental education in community colleges and higher education; presents some of the current controversies being discussed at institutional, state, and national levels; examines some of the data related to outcomes of developmental education; and addresses the issue of faculty training in the field.
ERIC Review: Exploring the Meaning of "Nontraditional" at the Community College
Authors: Kim Karen A.
Published: June 2007

This review of literature raises the issue of whether the term nontraditional is too broad to be helpful in identifying specific student needs at a community college because of the number of students who fit the definition. The review presents research and suggestions using these definitions, highlighting the characteristics of the community college student population and programs developed within the community college to address them. Additionally, it reflects on the limitations of using a single term to encompass such a diverse group of students and explores alternative ways to research unique populations.
Professional Development for Presidents: A Study of Community and Technical College Presidents in Three States
Authors: Wallin Desna L.
Published: June 2007

This research reports the results of a professional development needs survey of the technical and community college presidents in three states: North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. The findings demonstrate remarkable similarities in the concerns, needs, and limitations of presidents and include significant implications for technical and community college leadership.
Editor's Choice: Measuring Outcomes: Is the First-time, Full-time Cohort Appropriate for the Community College?
Authors: Dellow Donald A. , Romano Richard M.
Published: June 2007

This article discusses how the State University of New York and the U.S. Department of Education (VTEA programs) rely on a first-time, full-time cohort of entering students to measure the performance of community colleges through a review process that affects their funding. Data from a community college in upstate New York show that the use of this cohort misses roughly two thirds of the students enrolled in degree programs and should not be relied on when measuring overall institutional performance.
ERIC Review: Educating Immigrants: The Community College Role
Authors: Szelényi Katalin , Chang June C.
Published: June 2007

This literature review examines issues related to the immigrant population at the community college. It centers on first-generation immigrants, including naturalized citizens, legal permanent residents, individuals who are in the process of legalizing their immigration status gand persons residing unlawfully in the United States. The review considers questions of access, educational attainment, and institutional services, policies, and programs introduced with specific attention to the needs of immigrant students.
Community College Mentoring: Minority Student Perception
Authors: Pope Myron L.
Published: June 2007

Research has demonstrated the impact of mentoring programs in enhancing the academic and social integration of minority students in community colleges. However, there is a lack of an approach which addresses mentoring for minority community college students at multiple levels. This study will analyze minority student perception of multilevel mentoring.
Community and Diversity in Urban Community Colleges: Coursetaking Among Entering Students
Authors: Maxwell William , Hagedorn Linda Serra , Cypers Scott , Moon Hye S. , Brocato Phillip , Wahl Kelly , Prather George
Published: June 2007

Maxwell, Hagedorn, Cypers, Moon, Brocato, Wahl, and Prather (pp. 21-46) This study examines a sample of 15 courses in relation to 4 variables of student characteristics: gender, ethnicity, age, and full-time or part-time status. Transcripts were analyzed for 6,196 first-semester students from 9 urban colleges. The strongest relations found were between curriculum and ethnicity. Findings raise questions about student dispersal and concentration, campus community, and first-semester attrition.
ERIC Review: Attrition Research at Community Colleges
Authors: Summers Michael D.
Published: June 2007

This review focuses on the scope and significance of community college student attrition. It examines the theoretical models that explain and attempt to predict student attrition. It also suggests areas and opportunities for future researchers in this field.
Net Effects of Institutional Type on Baccalaureate Degree Attainment of "Traditional" Students
Authors: Christie Ray L. , Hutcheson Philo
Published: June 2007

This study explores the net effects of institutional type on degree attainment. The literature suggests that two-year college matriculants are much less likely to earn a baccalaureate degree than students first enrolling at four-year colleges. Such findings hold even when researchers control for differences among the two groups. Previous studies did not, however, examine whether age and full-time enrollment are factors in persistence. This study seeks to determine if the established pattern is valid when examining only "traditional" students.
Stress Factors and Community College Deans: The Stresses of Their Role Identified
Authors: Wild Linda L. , Ebbers Larry H. , Shelley Mack C. , Gmelch Walter H.
Published: June 2007

Community college deans responded to a national survey about their perception of stress, using a 41-item stress inventory. Using principal components factor analysis, nine stress factors were identified. Detailed information about the items in each stress factor, including general characteristics, is included. Demographic characteristics of community college deans were identified.
The Motivations of First-Semester Hispanic Two-Year College Students
Authors: Santos Minerva
Published: June 2007

In this study, the researcher developed an instrument to assess college attendance motivations in order to assess the motivations of 179 entering Hispanic freshmen and to explore the relationship between demographics and motivation. Student motivations formed a hierarchy with knowledge at the top, followed by self-improvement, job enhancement, increased social status, and improvement of social life, respectively. The desire to improve social life was higher for those from lower-income backgrounds and for males.
UCLA Community College Review: Why Practitioners and Researchers Ignore Each Other (Even When They Are The Same Person)
Authors: Cohen Arthur M.
Published: June 2007

Differences between researchers and practitioners can be found in four areas: the distance from the object of study; the ideological perspective; the purposes of the research; and the political agenda behind the research. Each of these principles dominates the perceptions of the people involved and thus contributes to the phenomenon of mutual indifference. This divide between research and practice can be bridged through providing community college leadership for research on instruction, fostering cooperation between university-based researchers and community college practitioners, and merging university and community college research methods (such as qualitative research and action research). Researchers and practitioners can speak to one another, but only if they employ a common language.
Community College Honors and Developmental Faculty: Characteristics, Practices, and Implications for Access and Educational Equity
Authors: Kisker Carrie B. , Outcalt Charles L.
Published: June 2007

This study explores the demographic, personal, and professional characteristics of honors and developmental faculty in community colleges. The authors uncover significant racial and ethnic patterns and arrive at a preliminary typology of those who teach at the upper and lower margins of the two-year college curriculum.
An Assessment of Web Accessibility Knowledge and Needs at Oregon Community Colleges
Authors: Wisdom Jenifer R , White Nathan A. , Goldsmith Kimberley A. , Bielavitz Sarann , Davis Charles E. , Drum Charles
Published: June 2007

A needs assessment determined Oregon community college staff knowledge of (a) accessible information technology (IT) guidelines, (b) IT-related disability laws, (c) legal obligations regarding Web accessibility, and (d) perceived level of current Web accessibility. Training needs were assessed and training suggestions were solicited. IT staff demonstrated higher levels of Web accessibility guidelines knowledge, and disability/student services staff best understood disability laws. At most schools, knowledge of disability issues and IT were not integrated. Needs identified included provision of: comprehensive resources about accessible Web design, hands-on trainings in accessible technology topics, strategies for fulfilling legal accessibility obligations, training for students and staff regarding their responsibilities in the area of accessible IT, and a Web site accessibility testing service.
Editor's Choice: Sexual Harassment Education on Campus: Communication Using Media
Authors: Ramson Amy
Published: June 2007

Sexual harassment is a pervasive problem on our nation's college and university campuses, one that can have devastating results. Educational institutions had been shielded from liability for sexual harassment until the late 1990s, when two landmark Supreme Court decisions set forth a new standard for liability of institutions where students are harassed. This shift in law, plus recent legal imperatives indicating that training is an important prevention tool, has encouraged institutions to strengthen their anti-harassment training. This article discusses the educational program at Hostos Community College, a program that utilizes a multimedia approach coupled with discussion. This blended approach successfully meets both the current legal prevention requirements and satisfies the needs of a complex environment of a metropolitan college.
Observations on Community College Leadership
Authors: Wharton Lawrence E.
Published: June 2007

External forces create demands that affect community college institutional effectiveness. Likewise, how leaders respond to those demands and their behavior within an institution can affect staff morale and effectiveness, and thus institutional effectiveness. The author describes leader behaviors that create a constrained and negative institutional climate and illustrates those behaviors with detailed scenarios. The following suggestion is made based on the author's observations: Leaders must maintain formal and informal communication channels to gain information that can help them to understand how their behavior is perceived by others. Such information can be used to develop positive leadership behaviors that can change institutional climate and thereby increase effectiveness.
A New Model for General Education in Associate's Degree Programs: Developing and Teaching a Core across the Curriculum
Authors: Altieri Guy , Cygnar Patricia Marvelli
Published: June 2007

Diverse student populations, wide variations in curricula, and short-term programs mean that community college leaders face particular challenges in analyzing general education degree requirements and implementing changes in them. The authors describe how faculty and administrators at Washtenaw Community College implemented an innovative approach to strengthening general education (or core curriculum) degree requirements. Faculty and academic officers identified 24 core learning elements clustered into two sectors (knowledge and skills), reviewed the college's existing 55 programs, and implemented syllabi revisions to include core elements. The authors describe the core learning elements and how they were developed and incorporated into existing courses. They also articulate challenges and lessons learned from the process along with advice for other college leaders about developing and implementing changes in general education requirements.
Becoming an Expert: The College Experiences of Welfare-to-Work Participants
Authors: Coccia Elizabeth Ann
Published: June 2007

Welfare-to-work initiatives drive social service recipients into education and training programs by linking program participation to social service benefits such as cash aid and housing. These programs are bringing greater numbers of single-parent women into community college settings. The author describes a qualitative study of eight female community college students who participated in the Job Opportunity and Basic Skills Program of the Department of Social Services in a southwestern state. The findings indicate that relationships women have with teachers and caseworkers can be distinguished by both growth promoting and hindering characteristics. College personnel validated the women's worth, and exposure to college created a shift in their identities: the women expressed the desire to establish new identities as students and future wage earners rather than as welfare recipients.
Variables Affecting the Decision to Withdraw from Liberal Arts and Science Courses
Authors: Miller Jimmie C.
Published: June 2007

Existing research on why college students withdraw from individual courses has been mostly descriptive. The author reports the results of research designed to identify variables that place students at risk of withdrawing from specific courses. Self-reported data that included categorical and continuous variables were collected over two semesters from community college students enrolled in representative liberal arts and science courses at Illinois Central College. A logit analysis revealed that high levels of classroom attendance and attentiveness increased a student's odds of remaining in the class. Parents' education levels also were found to be significant predictors of students' decisions to remain in a course. Gender, age, and class GPA, however, were not significant predictors.
The Economic Returns of a Community College Education
Authors: Sanchez Jorge R. , Laanan Frankie Santos
Published: June 2007

The authors review the literature on the economic benefits of a college education in general and a community college education specifically and describe efforts undertaken in several states to examine postcollege earnings of former community college students using unemployment insurance wage records. They include the results of research designed to analyze wage earnings of 841,952 students enrolled in 103 California community colleges who either completed a certificate or degree program during the 1991-92 academic year or left during that academic year after completing some course units. After adjusting earnings to 1995 dollars, the authors report percent changes in median annual earnings. Findings indicated that a positive relationship existed between number of units completed and percent change in annual earnings in the third year out of a community college. On average, associate's degree completers experienced a 59% earnings increase three years after graduating from community college.
The Changing Face of the California Presidency
Authors: Piland William E. , Giles Ray
Published: June 2007

Descriptive research on California community colleges indicates that women and minorities have been underrepresented in the presidency (Winter, 1964). The research described in this report investigated demographic changes in the presidency at 71 California community college districts and 42 campuses in multicollege districts (the authors compared data from the state's community college directories for 1975, 1985, and 1995). Between 1985 and 1995, the percentage of women holding the presidency almost tripled, and the percentage of minorities had more than doubled. For women, increases in upper level administrative positions that can lead to the presidency have paralleled the increase in presidencies held by women.
The Two Doors to the Community College Presidency
Authors: Moore Dan W.
Published: June 2007

This experience-based analysis of applying for, interviewing for, and attaining the community college presidency focuses on whether an applicant is an inside candidate (from the institution advertising the vacancy) or an outside candidate (from a different institution). Drawing upon personal experience as a candidate from both perspectives, the author defines issues to be considered at each stage of the process, from deciding to apply through interviewing and the selection process. A new president's experiences through the initial period of discovery that follows attaining the presidency also are described with special attention paid to different issues that arise in dealing with the media from both insider and outsider viewpoints. The author concludes with some suggestions for candidates and board members about handling press relations.
A Study of White, Black, and Hispanic Students' Transition to a Community College
Authors: Weissman Julie , Bulakowski Carole , Jumisko Marci
Published: June 2007

Most research about student transition to college has focused on students at four-year institutions with the conclusion that feelings of incongruence or isolation can affect adjustment to college life, particularly for minority students. The research described in this report was designed to examine differences in the transition process among Black, Hispanic, and White students at a community college. Using focus groups as a data collection tool and assigning students to focus groups based on their race-ethnicity, the researchers collected data from first-time freshmen using a discussion guide that explored students' goals and expectations, transition to college, and comfort level with the college. Although students shared many of the same experiences, their transition differed by raceethnicity insofar as enrollment difficulties, academic adjustment, and feelings of fit in the college environment. Faculty played a critical role in establishing positive classroom experiences for students.
Women Faculty in Community Colleges: Investigating the Mystery
Authors: Clark Sandra L.
Published: June 2007

The author reviews recent literature on women faculty in higher education and in two-year institutions specifically. Existing research indicates that despite their higher numbers in administrative and faculty positions at community college, women often are marginalized because they serve in lower level and untenured slots that are concentrated in a few disciplines at less pay than men in similar positions. Likewise, women hold a higher percentage of instructor and lecturer positions that are non-tenure-track than men. Based on the literature review, the author points to the need for more research on women as faculty at both two- and four-year institutions to determine common social constructs that might prevent women from climbing the ladder to high-level faculty and administrative positions. The author delineates a research strategy that includes qualitative and quantitative data collection on women as graduate students and as professionals at different career levels across disciplines at both two- and four-year institutions.
The Importance of Being First: Unique Characteristics of First Generation Community College Students
Authors: Inman W. Elliot , Mayes Larry
Published: June 2007

A survey of 5,037 applicants to 12 colleges in the University of Kentucky Community College System revealed that first-generation enrollees came from a unique socioeconomic background, were motivated by a different set of goals, and were constrained by a different set of limitations than those whose parents were college educated (based on cui-square analyses and t tests). No significant differences were detected, however, between first-generation and other students in their total hours earned and cumulative GPAs at the end of their first year attending a college in the system.
The Changing Role of Community College Faculty: Implications in the Literature
Authors: Dickinson Robyn
Published: June 2007

After discussing major environmental forces for change in higher education, the author draws upon organizational theory to analyze the community college environment with a focus on faculty as the technical core of educational organizations. Based on her analysis, she predicts a change to a more complex and less centralized organizational structure than colleges currently use and an accompanying change in the role of community college faculty from that of instructor-worker to that of learing process manager.
The Role of the Community College in Baccalaureate Attainment at a Private Liberal Arts College
Authors: Cejda Brent D.
Published: June 2007

Degree audits on 1,188 graduates of a private liberal arts college revealed that 49% had earned credit hours toward completing the baccalaureate at a community college. After defining the different roles that community colleges play in baccalaureate attainment (traditional, occasional needs, returning, traditional/continuing needs, other), the author presents data on the 577 graduates in this study who used a community college by roles defined and number of credit hours completed. The findings support the contention that aggregate data mask institutional variations on community college contributions to baccalaureate education.
Background Factors Common among Outstanding Community College Presidents
Authors: Mcfarlin Charles H. , Crittenden Barbara J. , Ebbers Larry H.
Published: June 2007

A survey instrument requesting demographic and background information mailed to a population of 975 presidents of public two-year college elicited 718 responses. Based on peer selection, 622 respondents were classified as normative and 96 as outstanding. The authors compare responses from both groups, create a profile of an outstanding president, and discuss recommendations for practice and future research in light of that profile.
A Comparison of Grading Patterns between Full- and Part-Time Humanities Faculty: A Preliminary Study
Authors: Mcarthur Ronald C.
Published: June 2007

The author analyzed grades submitted over three consecutive spring semesters by 6 full-time and 12 part-time humanities faculty at a community college in New Jersey to determine if differences could be distinguished based on faculty status, gender, age, or course time (day or evening). Part-time faculty consistently graded higher than full-time faculty, whereas grading patterns could not be distinguished based on age, gender, or class time. The author notes the study's preliminary nature and defines considerations for future research.
ERIC Review U.S. Community Colleges and China's Counterpart Institutions
Authors: Kong Xiangping , Gimmestad Michael
Published: June 2007

After providing an overview of the higher education sector in China, the authors discuss its challenges with a particular emphasis on the role played by junior colleges and vocational institutions that award two- or three-year degrees. Their recommendations for restructuring higher education in China consider policies and practice in U.S. community colleges and include devising specific policies for developing junior colleges and adult higher education, establishing guidelines for institutional management, and giving institutions greater decision-making power.