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Pacific Islander (PI) communities are underrepresented in US higher education, and hold bachelor's degrees at rates lower than the national rate (US Census 2012). Empowering Pacific Island Communities (EPIC and Asian Americans Advancing Justice 2014) reported that Guamanians (13 per cent), Samoans (11 per cent), Tongans (11 per cent), Fijians (10 per cent), and Micronesians (4 per cent) all hold bachelor's degrees at less than half the rate of the national population of the United States (28 per cent). As college tuitions continue to rise (Mumper and Freeman 2005; Schoen 2015), and meritocratic aid (Perna and Titus 2004) replaces need-based aid, there is the possibility that PI participation in higher education may be hampered even further.

This research on 'college choice' for PIs entering college athletics is an attempt to study alternative pathways to higher education. The purpose of this qualitative study is to investigate the goals and expectations of PI high school football players in relation to their college decision. Specifically, this paper identifies and explores the decision-making process of PI high school football recruits and how they chose a particular college to launch their academic and athletic careers.

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This report outlines both the challenges of college participation as well as the benefits of investing in higher education for American Indians and argues that higher education is one of the main drivers of economic and social development for all American Indian communities. It also discusses the role of tribal colleges and universities on reservations and their contribution to the well-being of tribal communities.

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Efforts to increase the number of people earning higher education credentials in the United States (US) must focus first and foremost on underserved students (first-generation, low-income, minority populations) and the institutions that serve them, with particular attention paid to Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs). Native American Serving, Non-Tribal Institutions (also known as Native American Serving Institutions, or NASIs) are one of the newly established minority serving designations created in the most recent 2008 reauthorization of the Higher Education Act of 1965. These two- and four-year, mainly public institutions have a unique tie to the federal trust responsibility under which American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) education has historically fallen. They provide access to higher education for students largely through state public education institutions, which have an often-ambiguous role in the historic federal trust responsibility. As an additional voice among policy advocates of MSIs, NASIs will strengthen the potential for policy change regarding education attainment rates for underserved students affected by the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. NASIs can serve an important role in representing a unique and important group of minority students in the increasingly diverse demographic of students enrolling in US colleges and universities.

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The Association of American Indian Physicians (AAIP) and the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) produced this report with the goal of increasing the presence of American Indians and Alaska Natives in academic health centers. The report provides data, research, informational resources, and institutional profiles to guide efforts to attract, recruit, and graduate American Indians and Alaska Natives. It also includes strategies to ensure that all physicians are prepared to serve American Indian and Alaska Native (AI-AN) communities. This report will help inform faculty and leaders in medical education, student affairs and programs, diversity and inclusion, prehealth advising, biomedical research, AI-AN communities, higher education, and community-based organizations.

The report does the following: (1) Provides an overview of the current state of American Indians and Alaska Natives in medicine, including data and available research; (2) Illustrates the case for increasing AI-AN representation in medicine by highlighting the value of diversity in education and training, workforce needs, and health disparities; (3) Outlines a framework for consideration to promote a positive institutional culture and climate; (4) Features institutional profiles of programs that have successfully graduated Native physicians; and (5) Presents a call to action for medical schools.

Edited excerpts from publication.

The chapters are as follows: (1) Taking in the landscape: why increasing American Indian and Alaska Native representation in medicine is critical / Anna Wirta Kosobuski, Norma Poll-Hunter, Dove Spector and Erik Brodt (pages 5-22) ; (2) Cultivating fertile ground / Norma Poll-Hunter and Polly Olsen (pages 23-40); (3) Learning from our community: effective practices / Gerald Hill and Norma Poll-Hunter (pages 41-54); and (5) At the crossroads / Norma Poll-Hunter, Anna Wirta Kosobuski, Nicole G. Stern, Gerald Hill, Polly Olsen and Erik Brodt (pages 55-58). Show less

A review panel was established to examine how higher education outcomes among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people contribute to nation building and the reduction of Indigenous disadvantage. The panel also commissioned research reports to provide more information about their considerations. This report argues that, in order to address higher education access and outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, more attention needs to be paid to the transition from high school to university. It outlines the situation currently facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and discusses the need for programs that can work towards increasing the number of students entering university from high school. The report then examines how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students compare to non-Indigenous students, in terms of high school completions, university eligibility, university enrolment and university completions. Brief consideration is given to the international literature on some of the factors that may influence whether a student will make it to and succeed at university. The final section of the report provides an outline of the academic enrichment programs available in the United States. By highlighting the structures and characteristics of these programs, and some of their success stories, the report considers currently existing gaps in Australia in the provision of academic support programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. Show less

Although post-secondary enrolment and completion rates for Aboriginal people have been steadily increasing over the past two decades, they remain significantly lower than those of non-Aboriginal Canadians. Within this context, this paper examines Aboriginal post-secondary education through the eyes of stakeholders working in the field, describing practices and initiatives believed to help increase enrolment and completion rates. The paper explains the barriers to Aboriginal participation, outlines various initiatives put in place to make postsecondary education more affordable to Aboriginal peoples, and others that have been used to make postsecondary education more accessible, relevant and responsive to Aboriginal peoples. For the most part, stakeholders had positive things to say about all of these initiatives; they generally recommended that such programs be enhanced and expanded. Throughout the paper, comparative examples drawn from Australia, New Zealand and the United States are used to show that the issues surrounding Aboriginal post-secondary education are not unique to Canada, and that educators have learned similar lessons in all four countries.

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The number of globally mobile students has nearly doubled over the past 10 years, from 2.1 million students in 2001 to 4.1 million students in 2011. According to 'Open doors 2012: report on international educational exchange', the US hosted 764,795 international students in 2011/12, an increase of 3.7 per cent from the previous year. International students in the US now make up 19 per cent of the world's globally mobile students, and as university campus enrollments grow, so does the proportion of students enrolling in them from abroad. The number of US students studying abroad reached 273,996 in 2010/11, an increase of 1.3 per cent over the prior year and an increase of 78 per cent over the past 10 years.

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Study abroad has become an integral component of the American college experience. Although student participation is rising, the numbers do not reflect the current enrollment trends in higher education. Minority students significantly lag behind in study abroad participation, and this is especially true for African American college students. This study highlights the stories of African American women who successfully completed study abroad programs of one semester or longer. Through semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis of narratives, [the author] examined how five Black American women navigated the study abroad process and uncovered what the experience has meant to them.

Employing a womanist theoretical perspective, this study proposes that Black American women use agency to overcome obstacles they encounter while studying abroad, and are ultimately empowered by engaging in this unique experience. The findings from this study also suggest an expanded model of the study abroad process as it pertains to African American women. This study concludes with recommendations to international education professionals on how to better serve this population and guidelines for African American women on how to manage the study abroad process.

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This study analyzed high school career and technical education (CTE) enrollments in Illinois, with comparisons to national data when possible, by career cluster and pathway and with respect to gender and racial/ethnic makeup of students. Enrollment patterns in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) CTE programming were emphasized. Gender and ethnicity-based inequities were found in certain areas and more equitable patterns were apparent in others. Of concern, student enrollment in courses fitting within STEM pathways included substantially greater male than female participation (64.1 per cent male versus 35.9 per cent female), whereas other pathways showed the reverse enrollment pattern (45.0 per cent male and 55.0 per cent female). With respect to ethnicity, all subgroups except white students were underrepresented in CTE programming in general. The underrepresentation was exacerbated for all but Asian students when concerning STEM CTE programming. Considering implications, [the authors] recommend heightened focus, support, and goal setting concerning equity of CTE programming.

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In this paper we review recent increases in tuition at public institutions and estimate impacts on enrollment. We use data on all US public 4-year colleges and universities from 1991 to 2006 and illustrate that tuition increased dramatically beginning in the early part of this decade. We examine impacts of such increases on total enrollment and credit hours, and estimate differences by type of institution. We estimate that the average tuition and fee elasticity of total headcount is -0.0958. At the mean, a USD100 increase in tuition and fees would lead to a decline in enrollment of about 0.25 per cent, with larger effects at Research I universities. We find limited evidence that especially large tuition increases elicit disproportionate enrollment responses.

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