The article provides a blueprint of how a mid-sized community college in the midst of coping with increasing enrollment and scarce resources was able to improve dramatically its services to new enrolling students via the One-Stop Shop Initiative. The article will introduce the theoretical framework and its practical use within the community college setting.

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This article is based upon a case study that highlights one private liberal arts institution, Olivet College, which embarked upon an institutional transformation process that merged both the academic and student affairs units into one. The objective of such an undertaking was to enhance student learning, strengthen the connection between the curriculum and the co-curriculum, and expand upon assessing student-learning outcomes. The article presents the societal context and guiding assumptions as they relate to the complex tasks of\ merging both divisions. It introduces the conceptual framework behind the Olivet Plan, highlighting the basic theoretical tenets on student learning that guided its process of institutional change. The case study will highlight the objectives, process, challenges, and successes of this model.

Olivet College is a private, residential liberal arts college in central Michigan that enrolls approximately 900 students. The College was founded in 1844 by abolitionists and was the first college in the nation, by charter, to open to women and people of color. Yet, over the last two decades Olivet College failed to acknowledge changing demographics and problems of intergroup relations. In 1992, a racial brawl involving White and African-American students put the college into crisis. The incident launched the college into a process of reassessment and redefinition that resulted in a major institutional transformation. Diversity was a major part of this initiative. As a result of its success in infusing multiculturalism into its structure, Olivet College was recently selected by the Association of American Colleges and Universities as a Model Institution for its diversity initiatives. Additionally, it was selected as one of 35 institutions out of 675 nationwide to participate in President Clinton's initiative on race and was spotlighted by the American Council on Education for its exemplary work in infusing diversity across the campus. This article presents all aspects of Olivet College's diversity initiative including mission, curriculum, co-curriculum, students, faculty, and staff. These strategies are applicable not only to small private liberal arts colleges, but to other institutions of learning as they attempt to create an action plan that addresses the challenge of diversity/multiculturalism in the higher education system.

This article is based on two original qualitative research case studies that examined the contentious issue of domestic minority student retention (one from a public and one from a private institutional perspective). It has been written exclusively for mid-level student affairs administrators who have an interest in receiving practical, yet ethical means of gathering and monitoring information. The article will describe what qualitative research is in theory and how mid-level administrators can best use it to aid them in enriching their understanding of the deep complexities of the student clientele. The article will be in the form of a conceptual module and guide to better aid the reader in initiating such a process appropriate to their own departmental needs. 183