New Books at the Rohrbach Library: Higher Education

Former First Lady, Michelle Obama believes that every individual should have some type of postsecondary education or training beyond high school to achieve economic and personal success (Reach Higher Initiative, Better Make Room, 2019). Educational attainment (e.g., a high school diploma, college degree, or postsecondary training) provides career opportunities for advancement into leadership positions and benefits such as health insurance and retirement (Heckman, 2000). Additionally, an individual with a college degree can make over one million dollars more over a lifetime in salary than someone with a high school diploma (Carnevale, Cheah, & Hanson, 2015). Acquiring a college degree can lead to employment opportunities and is considered an asset in the U.S. economy (Washington, 2010). However, certain populations encounter barriers to attaining an education, particularly a postsecondary education, leading to a disparity in receiving the aforementioned benefits. Some of these populations include African American students, LGBTQ students, and students with disabilities. There is a dearth of information and research on providing guidance on implementation, research, and best practices in equity-based career development, college readiness, and successful postsecondary transitions for minoritized, at risk, or vulnerable populations. The editors of this volume invited authors with research and practice expertise around various student populations in preparing them for college and career readiness as well as postsecondary transitions. This book is the first of its kind to discuss career development and postsecondary transitions from an access and equity perspective. Further, this text serves as a call to action to ensure the United States' most vulnerable populations has an opportunity to successfully transition into multiple postsecondary options after high school.

An inside look at Black LGBTQ college students and their experiences Black and Queer on Campus offers an inside look at what life is like for LGBTQ college students on campuses across the United States. Michael P. Jeffries shows that Black and queer college students often struggle to find safe spaces and a sense of belonging when they arrive on campus at both predominantly white institutions and historically black colleges and universities. Many report that in predominantly white queer social spaces, they feel unwelcome and pressured to temper their criticisms of racism amongst their white peers. Conversely, in predominantly straight Black social spaces, they feel ignored or pressured to minimize their queer identity in order to be accepted. This fraught dynamic has an impact on Black LGBTQ students in higher education, as they experience different forms of marginalization at the intersection of their race, gender, and sexuality. Drawing on interviews with students from over a dozen colleges, Jeffries provides a new, much-needed perspective on the specific challenges Black LGBTQ students face and the ways they overcome them. We learn through these intimate portraits that despite the gains of the LGBTQ rights movement, many of the most harmful stereotypes and threats to black queer safety continue to haunt this generation of students. We also learn how students build queer identities. The traditional narrative of "coming out" does not fit most of these students, rather, Jeffries describes a more gradual transition to queer acceptance and pride. Black and Queer on Campus sheds light on the oft-hidden lives of Black LGBTQ students, and how educational institutions can better serve them. It also highlights the quiet beauty and joy of Black queer social life, and the bonds of friendship that sustain the students and fuel their imagination.

A practical guide to building the connections students need to thrive in and after college from the authors of the best-selling Relationship-Rich Education. Decades of research demonstrate how important the relationships with peers and professors are for students academically, personally, and professionally. Yet many students lack the strategies to develop educationally purposeful relationships in college. Connections Are Everythingshows students the simple steps they can take to make their own college experience meaningful and transformational. In short, practical chapters, this guide helps readers learn how to build relationships through various strategies, including using "relationship accelerators" like internships and mentorships, undergraduate research, and campus employment. Undergraduate demographics have changed dramatically as students of color and first-generation students become the new majority at colleges and universities across the United States. Connections are particularly significant for these students; the positive--and negative--impacts of peer, faculty, and staff relationships are magnified. Higher education cannot meet students' needs or achieve equity, justice, and inclusion without relationship-rich education. This book empowers students to seek out relationships by demystifying the varied ways they can cultivate significant connections.