Feature Book Review & Citations

These days, undergraduate students increasingly begin postsecondary education at a community college and later transfer to a traditional 4-year institution en route to graduation. The transfer trend has become so widespread that the contributors of Collegiate Transfer describe it as the new normal for earning a college degree.

As this volume illuminates, however, eventual graduation from a 4-year institution depends on the ability of transfer students to successfully traverse a complex terrain of articulation agreements and institutional climates that may extend time to a degree or prevent degree completion.

This book encourages educators to develop institutional policies for transfer students that minimize complications and maximize academic success. Although this concise resource is intended for a broad range of educational administrators, academic advisors benefit by reading this important and well-written monograph. The eight chapters in Collegiate Transfer, each written by a different author, provide timely information and thought-provoking strategies that can help advisors develop intentional interventions and programs for transfer students.

Specifically, Collegiate Transfer challenges academic advisors to appreciate the role advising plays in the academic success (or discouragement) of transfer students. The authors provide evidence of inconsistencies among advising practices that may affect retention rates. They argue that many transfer students do not understand the institutional policies at the new school or may feel intimidated by unfamiliar expectations and environments. Advisors can give transfer students a comprehensive overview of advising practices and institutional pathways leading to graduation. Effective advising is clearly a major factor in the academic satisfaction and ultimate success of transfer students, and those reading this book receive a reminder of the profound ways advising shapes the transfer experience.

In addition, this volume helps readers appreciate the manner in which the transfer process affects specific student populations. Individual chapters capture the experiences of women and underrepresented minorities in STEM fields as well as students from low-income communities. The authors identify broad trends among transfer students while also arguing against a cookie cutter approach to working with transfer students. Advisors should tailor transfer advising programs to the unique needs of their students.

Furthermore, Collegiate Transfer provides higher education administrators and academic advisors with specific institutional strategies for improving the campus environment for transfer students. Many students come from low-income families or from communities where few have attended a 4-year institution such that matriculation is not a community norm or expectation. Therefore, the contributors stress the importance of creating a welcoming environment as a key to encouraging academic success. Effective, intentional advising makes an important contribution to creating a positive atmosphere for transfer students.

The book seems only to lack a chapter on undergraduate students at 4-year institutions who transfer to community college due to financial or academic concerns. As Marling stated in the introduction, educators, including advisors, need to learn to make the transfer experience equitable and seamless for all. Future research on the trend of moving away from traditional campuses toward community college or 2-year programs would have been a valuable contribution and help to advisors supporting students who choose to complete their degree at a community college.

Transfer students do not get to their destination by chance. Advisors make a genuine difference when they offer consistent, timely, accurate, and welcoming advising. The increasing numbers of transfer students need systems and services that help them succeed. Collegiate Transfer serves as an inspiration to academic advisors to tailor advising to the needs of this growing, creative, and energetic student population.

Reviews posted since the last Journal issue include (members may find complete reviews for referenced books on the Journal's web site at http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Journal/Current-Past-Book-Reviews/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/2784/Book-Review-Index-for-Issue-342.aspx ):

Behind the Academic Curtain: How to Find Success and Happiness With a PhD. (2013). Book by Frank Furstenberg. Review by Anthony Iannelli, Jr. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. 208 pp., $15.00 (paperback). ISBN 978-0-2260-6610-3.

Collegiate Transfer: Navigating the New Normal. (2013). Book by Janet Marling (Ed.). Review by Julie R. Nelson. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. 96 pp., $29.00 (paperback). ISBN 978-1-118-70102-7.

Conquering the College Essay in 10 Steps (2nd ed.). (2013). Book by Alan Gelb. Review by Arline Leon-Guerrero. Emeryville, CA: Ten Speed Press (Random House). 224 pp., $11.99 (paperback). ISBN 978-1-60774-366-8.

Contemplative Practices in Higher Education. (2014). Book by Daniel P. Barbezat and Mirabai Bush. Review by Elizabeth Maddeaux. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. 206 pp., $38.00. ISBN 9781118435274.

Dealing with Diversity (2nd ed.). (2008). Book by J. Q. Adams and Pearlie Strother-Adams. Review by Cathlene E. McGraw. Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt. 530 pp., $80.33. ISBN 978-0-7575-4773-7.

Equality and Diversity in the Lifelong Learning Sector (2nd ed.). (2013). Book by Ann Gravells and Susan Simpson. Review by Weghan Ward. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin. 200 pp., $26.00 (paperback). ISBN 978-0-5697-3.

Finding Your Way: Navigating Life by Understanding Your Learning Self. (2010). Book by Christine A. Johnston. Review by Sarah Beebe. Glassboro, NJ: Let Me Learn. 181 pp., $18.95. ISBN 978–1451549560.

Governance Reconsidered: How Boards, Presidents, Administrators, and Faculty Can Help Their Colleges Thrive. (2014). Book by Susan Resneck Pierce. Review by Theresa Duggar. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. 256 pp., $42.00. ISBN 978-1-118-73849-8.

How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character. (2013). Book by Paul Tough. Review by Sarah Howard. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 256 pp., $15.95 (paperback). ISBN 978-0-544-10440-2.

In Defense of Disciplines: Interdisciplinarity and Specialization in the Research University. (2014). Book by Jerry Jacobs. Review by Kay Hamada. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. 288 pp., $30.00 (paperback). ISBN 978-0-226-06932-6.

Increasing Diversity in Doctoral Education: Implications for Theory and Practice. (2013). Book by Karri A. Holley and Joretta Joseph. Review by Jason T. Mitchell. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. 115 pp., $29.00. ISBN 978-1-1187-8358-0.

Interactive Open Educational Resources: A Guide to Finding, Choosing, and Using What's Out There to Transform College Teaching. (2014). Book by John D. Shank. Review by Lauren Albaum. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. 196 pp., $38.00 (paperback). ISBN 978-1-118-27745-4.

Knowledge, Pedagogy, and Postmulticulturalism: Shifting the Locus of Learning in Urban Teacher Education. (2013). Book by Gay Wilgus (Ed.). Review by Julie Larsen. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan. 203 pp., $90.00. ISBN 1137275898.

Positive Psychology and Appreciative Inquiry in Higher Education. (2013). Book by Peter Mather and Eileen Hulme (Eds.). Review by Jeffrey L. McClellan. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. 104 pp., $29.00 (paperback). ISBN 978-1-118-79776-1.

The Quest for Meaning and Wholeness: Spiritual and Religious Connections in the Lives of College Faculty. (2014). Book by Jennifer A. Lindholm. Review by Ashlee W. Brown. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. 288 pp., $40.00. ISBN 978-1-118-27147-6.

Smart School Leaders Leading With Emotional Intelligence. (2006). Book by Janet Patti and James Tobin. Review by Shantalea Johns. 444 pp., $55.61 (paperback). Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt. ISBN 978-0-7575-3134-7.

Suing Alma Mater: Higher Education and the Courts. (2013). Book by Michael Olivas. Review by Katya Konkle. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press. 240 pp. $32.95 (paperback). ISBN 978-1-424140-923-8.

Training for Life: A Practical Guide to Career & Life Planning. (2013). Book by Fred J. Hecklinger and Bernadette M. Black. Review by Jenine Buchanan. Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt. 350 pp., $68.78. ISBN 978-0-7575-6048-4.

Writing in the Senior Capstone: Theory and Practice. (2013). Book by Lea Masiello and Tracy Skipper. Review by Robert Detwiler. Columbia: University of South Carolina, National Resource Center for the First Year Experience and Students in Transition. 156 pp., $30.00 (paperback). ISBN 978-1-889271-87-3.

Your College Experience. (2013). Book by John N. Gardner and Betsy O. Barefoot. Review by Sarah J. Hatley. New York, NY: Bedford/St. Martin's. 400 pp., $73.95. ISBN 978-1-4576-3731-5.

The book reviews are compiled by Marsha Miller and Damian Whitney. For an up-to-date list of titles available for review and for submission instructions go to http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Journal/Available-Books.aspx.