Entries by Jean Rhodes

The student success dividend: Colleges that double down on their students will thrive in the long-term

BY CHRIS REBER AND ANEESH SOHONI OCTOBER 11, 2023   PRINT. TOPICS:Commentary New federal data suggest that hunger and homelessness among college students are more widespread than previously believed. As many as 4 million college students are wrestling with food insecurity — a factor associated with lower graduation rates — and 1.5 million might have tenuous housing situations. […]

Could Mentoring Reduce Loneliness Among Recently Widowed Older Adults?

Carr et al., (2018).  Does Becoming A Volunteer Attenuate Loneliness Among Recently Widowed Older Adults? The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences. doi:10.1093/geronb/gbx092 Excerpt from article “Abstract Objectives: Loneliness is a significant public health concern, particularly for those who have lost a spouse through widow- hood. This study examines whether becoming […]

Half of College Graduates Have Jobs That Don’t Use Their Degrees

From Strada Education Foundation College graduates who are underemployed in their first job are likely to still be underemployed up to 10 years later, and women are more likely to be caught in this trap than men, according to new research released today by Burning Glass Technologies and Strada Institute for the Future of Work, a new research […]

Flash mentoring: An innovative new approach to building social capital

By Jean Rhodes Researchers have theorized about different types of social networks, and the need for a balance between so-called “bonding” and “bridging” social capital (also called strong and weak ties). While bonding social capital pertains to the close-knit ties (e.g., family) within similar groups, bridging social capital is characterized by the loser connections (teachers, […]

Coaching the coaches: Lessons learned from a new study on coach training

In the article titled “Competencies of Coaches that Predict Client Behavior Change,” published in The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science in 2024, the authors, led by Richard Boyatzis, address the significant gap in coaching research and practice concerning the effectiveness of coaching competencies in fostering client behavior change. This study is particularly valuable as it […]

The “Take Two Aspirins” Problem in Mentoring

By Jean Rhodes Imagine a medical practice in which every new patient who stepped through its doors was offered the same age-old prescription to “take two aspirins and call me in the morning.” This universal approach might actually work for patients who are suffering from minor aches or low-grade fevers, and the clinic could point […]

How Mentoring Can Shift from “Beating the Odds” to Changing the Odds

By Jean Rhodes In an important new Annual Review of Clinical Psychology article, UVA Professor Noelle Hurd, describes how mentors can help ethnically marginalized youth can derive positive developmental outcomes while also working with their mentees to create a more just and equitable society. As Hurd notes, much of the theorizing and research on natural […]

When Rich Parents Act as College “Concierges,” Opportunity Gaps Widen

By Jean Rhodes In the study “Providing a ‘‘Leg Up’’: Parental Involvement and Opportunity Hoarding in College,” researchers conducted interviews with parents of college students to explore the impact of parental involvement on their children’s college experiences. The study focused on families from a large public university in the Midwest, analyzing how affluent parents’ engagement […]

Teaching college students networking skills is an equity imperative

Teaching college students networking skills is an equity imperative Inspiring college students to cultivate relationships with a networking curriculum can boost career confidence and level the playing field. 12 min read By Julia Freeland Fisher 09/29/23 AnalysisEducation Caiaimage/Sam Edwards/Getty Images The data is clear: College students want networks. According to a Gallup College Alumni poll, when asked to […]