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In the essay prefacing this portfolio of his work, photographer Peter Mather says: "There is nothing we like more as a species than creating boundaries. Boundaries for our yards, our city, our friends, our work, our nations, and our landscapes. It is so interesting to see how animals adapt to, and sometimes ignore, our boundaries. I find that wildlife, whether bears, foxes, or ravens, all have their own personalities, much like us as people, and that every individual animal has a different set of boundaries."

This study examined the relationships between psychological capital (PsyCap), coping strategies, and well-being among 609 university students using self-report measures. Results revealed that well-being was significantly lower during COVID-19 compared to before the onset of the pandemic. Multiple linear regression analyses indicated that PsyCap predicted well-being, and structural equation modeling demonstrated the mediating role of coping strategies between PsyCap and well-being. Prior to COVID-19, the PsyCap dimensions of optimism and self-efficacy were significant predictors of well-being. During the pandemic, optimism, hope, and resiliency have been significant predictors of well-being. Adaptive coping strategies were also conducive to well-being. Implications and recommendations for psychoeducation and counseling interventions to promote PsyCap and adaptive coping strategies in university students are presented.

Rabbitfish (Siganidae) are coral reef fish that are distributed across diverse habitats that include estuaries, mangroves, reefs, and even seaweed mats. Given their ecological diversity and natural widespread distributions across the Indo-Pacific region, we were interested to investigate the evolutionary history of this group and patterns of divergence that have contributed to their present-day distributions. In the present study, samples were collected from the South China Sea to study taxonomic and phylogenetic relationships, and divergence times. We investigated the taxonomic relationships among modern rabbitfish species, reconstructed their molecular phylogeny, and estimated divergence times among selected lineages based on a fragment of the mtDNA cytochrome oxidase I (COI) and sequences of the nuclear rhodopsin retrogene (RHO). Our results indicate that modern rabbitfish likely originated in the Indo-West Pacific during the late Eocene [37.4 million years ago (mya)], following which they diverged into three major clades during the Pliocene/Pleistocene. Subsequent diversification and origins of the majority of siganids may likely be associated with episodes of paleo-oceanographic events, including greenhouse and glaciation events (Eocene-Miocene) as well as major plate tectonic events (Pliocene-Pleistocene). Some modern siganid species may naturally hybridize with congeneric species where their geographical ranges overlap. A comprehensive taxonomic analysis revealed that the phylogeny of Siganidae (cladogenesis of Clades I, II, and III) is characterized by divergence in several external morphological characters and morphometric parameters. Our study demonstrates that morphological characteristics, geographical heterogeneity, and environmental change have contributed to siganids' historical diversification.

Mid-level managers comprise a large proportion of student affairs organizations. They are often the most overlooked when it comes to professional orientation and institutional introduction when entering new positions. Accordingly, information is presented from the professional literature that speaks to the characteristics and unique needs of this administrative cohort, with attention to orientation needs, including life and work transition, role complexity, leadership demands, and technical skills requirements. Finally, a process developed for a mid-size, private university's student affairs division is offered as an example for preparing orientation for mid-level staff.

College campuses have experienced a recent resurgence of student activism, particularly in response to some of President Donald Trump's executive orders as well as controversial speakers like Ann Coulter and Milo Yiannopoulous. Student activism presents both challenges and opportunities for higher education leaders seeking to engage productively in these often complex and highly charged issues. We conducted a phenomenological study of ten student activists and eight administrators at three universities to examine the meaning and goals they identify in their experience of campus activism. Findings indicated students identify their activist involvement as highly meaningful, especially with regard to what they feel they learn in college. Similarly, findings indicated administrators found their experience with student activists to be highly consequential in terms of both career satisfaction and dissatisfaction. We also found communication differences between student activists and administrators, even on topics where they generally agree. Given the frequently high stakes nature of contemporary student activism, we present recommendations for practice in the context of understanding these communication differences.

This is a study of students from high-poverty backgrounds attending universities in Honduras. Based on a series of individual and focus group interviews, the researchers found students from high-poverty backgrounds face numerous practical challenges in persisting in higher education. Despite these challenges, participants succeeded due to a variety of motivating factors, including commitments to family, community, and country. Participants demonstrated the importance of both strong personal agency and community support in their success.

This study explored the experience of White men as they sought to support individuals from oppressed groups and participate in a community with other allies like themselves. This research was conducted from a social constructivist epistemological paradigm and informed by a constructivist grounded theory methodology. The following research questions guided the study: (a) How do White male social justice allies come to understand themselves as allies?, and (b) What are the critical influences on this process?

This chapter presents a variety of resources for higher education professionals interested in applying appreciative education principles to their work.

Drawing from positive organizational scholarship, the authors describe strategies for moving from an ineffective focus on problems to leveraging organizational strengths for productive change.

This study explores the role that identity and the identity development process play in a short-term, international service-learning experience. Employing narrative inquiry, two of the co-authors, student participants in a 2-week service-learning program in Honduras, describe and interpret their service-learning experience in the context of life experiences that preceded the service-learning program. An emphasis is placed upon the ways that the students' multiple identities and personal histories interact with the people, places, and ideas they encountered abroad. Findings are interpreted against the research and scholarship on intercultural competency and support the notion that student participants in international service-learning are exposed to experiences that lead to valuable extrospection and introspection and that foster complex understandings of self and ideology.

With its focus on building human strengths, scholarship from the field of positive psychology can be an asset in actualizing student affairs' human development and learning goals. This article synthesizes findings from positive psychology, illustrating specific ways in which practitioners can benefit from this emerging area of scholarship. The author offers both philosophical considerations and practical guidance for incorporating positive psychology lessons into student affairs work. This article addresses issues ranging from how professionals talk about their work, to student advising approaches, and program development.

First-generation college students comprise a substantial proportion of the entire college student population. Despite the increasing likelihood of college enrollment among students whose parents did not attend college, first-generation students are at higher risk of failure than are their nonfirst-generation peers. Also, residents of the Appalachian region of the United States are less likely to enter and eventually succeed in college than non-Appalachian populations. Using Basic Interpretive Qualitative Research (Merriam, 2004), the researchers examined the academic, social, and interpersonal experiences of nine first-generation, first-year students from Ohio Appalachia at a college that enrolls primarily first-generation students from the Appalachian region. Connections to family, academic success, a sense of belonging, and financial issues were salient issues for these students. The unique campus environment assisted students in their integration and can be instructive for educators working with this population of students in different institutional settings.

Provides examples of successful student affairs research, evaluation and assessment efforts, looking at how the collaboration between student affairs research and institutional research can be increased and improved. Focuses on the importance of: understanding the student and the educational environment; using outcome-driven assessment; including policy research as an important function of higher education research; and collaborating. (SM)