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Community colleges produce large numbers of high quality graduates from career and technical programs. These programs are often of high academic rigor and quality. However, most universities view these Applied Associates of Science (AAS) as being terminal associate's degrees that are not appropriate for transfer. Regional accrediting standards are often cited as the reason for this differentiation. The reality is that institutional policies often simply dismiss AAS courses by their prefix to simplify the process. This study and presentation will explore the reality of what is allowed by accrediting bodies in transferring AAS courses and best practices for facilitating the maximum allowable course transfer.

Articulation between two-year colleges and universities provides a critical opportunity for potential students. Most institutions declare their support of articulation; however, the visibility of this support to potential students is inconsistent at best. Articulation agreements that are visible and easily understood by potential students serve as a motivation to the pursuit of higher education. Conversely, the lack of a complete, visible path to a baccalaureate degree is a powerful deterrent to enrollment. For this study, articulation is a coordinated effort and process to support efficient transfer between institutions of higher education. (DeMott, 1999). The purpose of this study is to explore the general visibility of existing articulation opportunities at two-year colleges. The visibility of articulation agreements is a critical practical factor in their potential positive impact on student behavior and success.

Adult student retention is an issue of growing concern for many institutions. It differs from traditional retention much like traditional students differ from adult students. As the majority of student body growth comes from adult students, adult student retention management will become critical to the majority of colleges and universities. To support this end, this article explores the forces producing a need for better adult student retention, provides methods for the development of institution-specific retention enhancement plans and retention measurement metrics, and provides a set of retention enhancement tactics.

Many colleges and universities are expected to produce more graduates while responding to an increasing level of racial and ethnic diversity among students. While the importance of diversity within executive management leadership teams may be accepted among nonprofit higher education institutions, the connection between diversity among the leadership in higher education and the retention of minority students has not been empirically established. This study, focusing on Texas public colleges and universities, finds that: 1) a diverse executive management team makes a positive difference in minority student retention at community colleges and 4-year universities institutions; and 2) the impact of a diverse executive management team on retention is not limited to race and ethnicity, but instead includes other demographic aspects.

This article examines the demographic makeup of Texan university executive management groups in their relationship to institutional success as measured by student retention rates. Executive management teams that are diverse in age, time served as an executive, and the number of executives on the team may be particularly advantageous in enhancing total retention rates. Teams that are diverse on a broad range of demographic characteristics are likely to produce improved strategic decisions that may lead to relatively better performance, measured by rises in student retention. It can therefore be suggested that the setting up of an optimal executive team could lead to improved levels of retention. While this article does not make any indications as to what an optimal team might be or does prescribe a formula for producing one, it does indicate that one or more optimal executive team profiles exist. In the current higher education climate, the demographic composition of executive teams is a subject of critical importance to higher education researchers and leaders.