Students who transfer to a university from a community college are a diverse, resilient group of individuals who often face many challenges and barriers upon transitioning from a 2-year institution to a 4-year institution. Due to their upper-division status upon arrival at the university, transfer students are often overlooked and even unsupported throughout multiple aspects of the transfer process. To further understand the issues that are faced by transfer students throughout the transfer process, we conducted research to get a better understanding of exactly who transfer students are, what challenges they face, and how universities can better support these students so they are able to complete their baccalaureate. We compiled this research into an annotated bibliography and developed a presentation to discuss our findings, personal anecdotes, and the suggestions we have to help Barrett, the Honors College move towards a more transfer-receptive culture. All questions asked during the presentation have been documented.
This thesis aims to gain a broader understanding of the perceptions of Jewish identity amongst Jewish adults of three generations. In doing so, I aim to contribute to research and previous scholarly works that have examined how the views and perspectives of those the three different aging ‘tiers’ contribute to furthering cultural perceptions, stereotypes, theories, and ideologies of identity in Judaism. People of different ages possess varying views and understandings of aging and the aging process. Society, too, says different things about aging and how aging plays a role in relationships amongst people. People have certain and often strong views as to what is considered “old” and “aging”. There are societal benchmarks establishing that people of the age of 60, 62, or 65 are considered “seniors” and therefore put in a special box relegated to those of that age. In addition, there are many perceptions of aging and Jewish identity, varying among those with different backgrounds and cultures, experiences, familial relationships, and more. These views and understandings are not singularly applicable. Cultures may have their own unique customs and beliefs, and at the same time many cultures are also influenced by the larger American understanding - these perceptions contribute to many subgroups, including Judaism, and are evidenced in Jewish culture. In this study, I endeavored to survey members of the Jewish community to find out their experiences and perspectives relating to Jewish identity and what it means to them, both in the personal and Jewish cultural context.