Content area
Full Text
Stephen J. Quaye and Shaun R. Harper (Editors). Student engagement in higher education: Theoretical perspectives and practical approaches for diverse populations. New York, NY: Routledge, 2014. 374 pp. Hardcover: $170. ISBN: 978-0415-89509-5
Since taking office in 2009, President Barack Obama and his administration have made college completion a national priority. Specifically, he set the ambitious goal that "by 2020, this nation will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world" (Office of the Press Secretary, 2009). Yet, as his final year in office nears, approximately 40 percent of all students who pursue higher education at U.S. colleges and universities fall short in successfully attaining a bachelor's degree (National Center for Education Statistics, 2015). Moreover, though access has improved, the odds of completing any postsecondary degree are still less certain for historically underrepresented and underserved student populations. The factors that impact persistence to degree completion among diverse college students are multifaceted and complex. Notwithstanding, in the second volume of Student Engagement in Higher Education, editors Stephen J. Quaye and Shaun R. Harper reject the pervasive notion in educational contexts that certain students enter college "at-risk." This seemingly innocuous term suggests "some students [or groups of students] are in jeopardy of not succeeding" (p. 11).
Building on the first edition, this volume employs an even broader definition of diversity and fulfills the editors' aims of capturing specific challenges faced by a range of student populations with substantive guidance on how to foster inclusive, engaged campus communities. This foundational and impressive text will offer much utility in training new professionals in student affairs programs. Additionally, it offers guidance to administrators interested in learning new strategies for engaging their increasingly diverse student bodies. Indeed, Student Engagement in Higher Education is a timely and necessary resource for student affairs educators, faculty, and institutional leaders.
Drawing from the expertise of 42 contributors, this volume builds on the first edition by offering perspectives primarily from faculty and full-time professionals in academic and student affairs who come from a range of two-year and four-year institutions of higher education. Two chapters were also co-authored with graduate students. This comprehensive text is organized into 21 chapters, each following a similar structure. Through an extensive review of the literature, the reader is...