EDITOR'S NOTES (Frankie Santos Laanan).

1. Transfer Student Adjustment (Frankie Santos Laanan).
This chapter discusses the trends surrounding transfer students and high-lights issues affecting these students.

2. Institutional Responses to Barriers to the Transfer Process (Eboni M. Zamani).
Transfer centers and other institutionally sponsored programs play an integral role in providing services to students who aspire to the baccalaureate degree. The author presents a historical analysis of the creation of transfer centers and highlights exemplary programs found in our nation's community colleges. The chapter concludes with recommendations for administrators of transfer centers.

3. Honors Programs: A Case Study of Transfer Preparation (Herald R. Kane).
The author describes an honors program at one of the colleges in the San Diego Community College District. The purpose of the Transfer Alliance Program and its implications for students and faculty in community colleges are addressed.

4. Toward a More Perfect Union: Reflecting on Trends and Issues for Enhancing the Academic Performance of Minority Transfer Students (Wynetta Y. Lee).
For minority students, the educational pipeline can be a misunderstood process. Lacking cultural capital and important role models, these students face numerous challenges in making sense of the community college environment. As a result, minority students get tracked into educational or career objectives that may not have been their original intent. The author discusses the challenges that minority students in community colleges face in pursuit of the transfer goal.

5. Student Transfer Between Oregon Community Colleges and Oregon University System Institutions (James C. Arnold).
A recent study of transfer patterns in Oregon indicates that taking four or even six years to earn a baccalaureate degree may be a thing of the past. Data show that student matriculation patterns are nonlinear. Implications for policymakers and practitioners are discussed.

6. Studying Transfer Students: Designs and Methodological Challenges (Carol A. Kozeracki).
With community colleges being increasingly responsible for demonstrating their effectiveness, there is a need to identify ways to study transfer students and their outcomes. This chapter provides a synthesis of research designs and poses methodological issues that researchers and policymakers need to address for the future.

7. Transfer Readiness: A Case Study of Former Santa Monica College Students (Brenda Johnson-Benson, Peter B. Geltner, Steven K. Steinberg).
To measure institutional effectiveness, Santa Monica College (SMC) embarked on a follow-up study of former SMC students at five public and private four-year institutions. The principal goal of this study was to assess students' perceptions and attitudes about their academic experience at SMC and the extent to which they received adequate preparation to be successful at a four-year institution. The authors discuss the findings of the study and its implications for administrators, faculty members, and student affairs professionals.

8. Making the Transition to the Senior Institution (Latrice E. Eggleston, Frankie Santos Laanan).
The community college is a complex organization with inherent characteristics and cultures that distinguish it from other educational institutions. The authors trace the challenges that students face when making the transition to a senior institution and review support programs at four-year institutions.

9. Leadership Perspectives on Preparing Transfer Students (Phoebe K. Helm, Arthur M. Cohen).
The authors discuss the role of the community college in preparing students to transfer to a four-year postsecondary institution. Issues about institutional support, quality of education, and academic rigor are discussed, as well as how institutions can implement innovative approaches to the transfer function.

INDEX.