This is one of a series of five papers outlining the particular domains and dimensions of inequality where new research may yield a better understanding of responses to this growing issue.

Using data from the nationally representative Educational Longitudinal Survey (ELS), the authors examine the circumstances of youth who drop out of community college before attaining a credential, discuss institutional challenges in the era of increased college access, and outline a research agenda to help youth move beyond "some college" and achieve their potential.

Specifically, the study showed: 1. College enrollment rates for NCAN students were comparable to students who attended higher income high schools. 2. The six-year college completion rate of NCAN students who graduated from high school in 2007 was approaching the national rate for all high school graduates in that year and exceeded significantly the completion rate for low-income, first-generation students from the high school class of 2003.

These results support the conclusion that NCAN's members are making progress toward closing the college knowledge, opportunity, and completion gaps for the students they serve.

American colleges and universities are increasingly looking overseas to form collaborative partnerships that can enhance institutional prestige and increase revenue. The rise of this global branch campus model is helping to transform higher education today. There are currently 164 international branch campuses around the world, most of which have opened over the past decade in response to changing technological advancements and economic challenges.

While successful proximal collaborations among tertiary institutions exist throughout the USA, they are not without their own challenges. These relationships can pose logistical obstacles for institutions that share both geography and ideology. When tertiary institutions collaborate on a global scale, these problems may be compounded by difficulties that arise from trans-national logistics, cultural differences, and conflicting political ideologies. To ensure success, it is important that clear goals are articulated to help institutions classify these relationships and define success.

This paper is a first step towards establishing a set of standards to define quality international education at the tertiary level. Using the literature about nine global partnerships, we coded emergent themes and selected the six categories mentioned most frequently in these sources: (1) Academic Offerings, (2) Faculty Involvement, (3) Mutual Benefits, (4) Relationship with local government, (5) Admissions Standards, and (6) Leadership & Organization. Using these categories, we developed a taxonomy that can be used to define the type of relationship that exists: Branch Campus or Campus Outpost.

The taxonomy is designed to facilitate reflection about mission, goals, and the ultimate purpose of an international collaboration. As such, it can be used to evaluate the components of each type of global partnership and to measure how these elements of the relationship may or may not contribute to its ultimate success. To demonstrate the taxonomy's usefulness in understanding global partnership arrangements, we used this tool to evaluate NYU's Abu Dhabi campus and to illustrate the strengths and challenges of this evolving relationship.

American colleges and universities are increasingly looking overseas to form collaborative partnerships that can enhance institutional prestige and increase revenue. The rise of this global branch campus model is helping to transform higher education today. There are currently 164 international branch campuses around the world, most of which have opened over the past decade in response to changing technological advancements and economic challenges.

While successful proximal collaborations among tertiary institutions exist throughout the USA, they are not without their own challenges. These relationships can pose logistical obstacles for institutions that share both geography and ideology. When tertiary institutions collaborate on a global scale, these problems may be compounded by difficulties that arise from trans-national logistics, cultural differences, and conflicting political ideologies. To ensure success, it is important that clear goals are articulated to help institutions classify these relationships and define success.

This paper is a first step towards establishing a set of standards to define quality international education at the tertiary level. Using the literature about nine global partnerships, we coded emergent themes and selected the six categories mentioned most frequently in these sources: (1) Academic Offerings, (2) Faculty Involvement, (3) Mutual Benefits, (4) Relationship with local government, (5) Admissions Standards, and (6) Leadership & Organization. Using these categories, we developed a taxonomy that can be used to define the type of relationship that exists: Branch Campus or Campus Outpost.

The taxonomy is designed to facilitate reflection about mission, goals, and the ultimate purpose of an international collaboration. As such, it can be used to evaluate the components of each type of global partnership and to measure how these elements of the relationship may or may not contribute to its ultimate success. To demonstrate the taxonomy's usefulness in understanding global partnership arrangements, we used this tool to evaluate NYU's Abu Dhabi campus and to illustrate the strengths and challenges of this evolving relationship.

Today, the process of choosing a career for young adults is not a linear path, but instead a complex process influenced by a myriad of internal and external factors. At elite colleges, high prestige jobs are most appealing as students strive to occupy a position of power and resources and live up to their institution's reputation. In the current environment of high or uncertain unemployment, increased competition for jobs and increasingly rising college costs, the steps young adults take to determine goals and means can become confused. All too frequently, ambient university culture emphasizes the importance of finding a certain kind of job rather than thinking through where passions lie and which jobs might be most meaningful and well fitting over the long haul.

In this study, we explore the issues of career choice among a small group of Harvard seniors,identifying the factors that have the most significant influence on the decision-making process. Specifically, we interviewed 40 Harvard seniors about their college experiences, formative influences, and decision-making processes regarding career choices. Twenty-two females and 18 males participated, coming from a range of concentrations, though the most prevalent majors were English, History, and Social Studies. Students were recruited using list serves at residential houses and the Office of Career Services. Our primary focus was to identify why and how students make decisions about the careers they pursue. We also focused on why some students seem driven to take jobs in finance and consulting, while others pursue paths of public service.

Our findings suggest the presence of a "funnel effect." Though students enter college with a diverse set of interests, by senior year, most of them seem to focus on a narrow set of jobs. The culture at Harvard seems to be dominated by the pursuit of high earning, prestigious jobs, especially in the finance and consulting industries. Interestingly, there is a notable disconnect between students' proclaimed passions and interests and the jobs they pursue. According to the Office of Career Services at Harvard, only 22% of the student body accepts jobs in these industries (2011 OCS Student Report). Nonetheless, seniors feel pressured to enter into the fall recruiting cycle in order to procure a job that "lives up to their Harvard degree." Those who express interest in public service jobs appear to forge this path without the help of university structures, often networking and researching online to find out about potential opportunities. Many students feel that finding public service careers is a challenge at Harvard. Unlike the finance, consulting, technology and marketing sectors, few recruiters for public service jobs come to campus. Students appear to be "risk averse," a stance that ultimately seems to impact career choice upon graduation. Our results pinpoint factors that support and explain those students who make choices counter to the prevailing trends -- namely extracurricular activities, study abroad programs, and students' longstanding passions and beliefs.