This chapter explores the ways in which critical community college leaders leveraged their leadership position in order to promote civic discourse and engagement in their institutions and respective communities. Five community college presidents from diverse communities across the United States were interviewed using a narrative inquiry approach…

We evaluate whether the Bennett Hypothesis applies to local-level, single-institution promise programs and account for whether colleges have the authority to raise tuition, versus an external entity holding such authority. Using a sample of 29 community colleges affected by promise programs, we analyze changes in tuition across years 2001-02 to…

The purpose of this study is to highlight Mexican American Studies programs in community colleges, a sector where Ethnic Studies has largely gone unstudied. Drawing on interviews from 13 faculty members across Texas, this study describes these instructors' approach to teaching and the impact they feel this type of curriculum has on students'…

In this study, we use a narrative inquiry approach to understand how students construct their artistic voices as part of their educational experience in California community college dance classes. Data collection techniques included semi-structured interviews, video recordings of a dance performance, and a reflective one-page journal where…

Background: The potential for broadening participation in engineering among Black undergraduates via transfer pathways is considerable, given their large share of the community college population. By understanding the opportunities and challenges presented within the context of transfer, this potential can be realized. Purpose/hypothesis: The goal…

As the reliance on part-time faculty members in community colleges increases, it is imperative to understand their contributions toward student success. This article analyzes a large body of existing literature that examines the use of part-time faculty and their impact on student academic outcomes. The article utilizes Foucault's three modes of…

The current study explores differences in transfer shock between veteran and non-veteran community college transfer students at a land grant institution in a rural state. Analysis includes institutional data for community college transfer students, including those who self-identified as veterans or used veteran tuition benefits from Fall 2015 to…

The purpose of this case study was to understand how attending an undergraduate academic conference contributes to a student's sense of belonging, not only within their institution but also in the larger academic community. This research was informed by the literature on club participation in conferences and faculty/student connections. Through…

Sensemaking is a popular framework for studying the meaning-making dimensions of policy implementation, change initiatives, and practitioner action in education. While generative, it has traditionally offered less guidance on how certain organizational actors have formal and/or informal power to advance their version of events and how certain…

As the online higher-education market continues along its trajectory of steady growth, it becomes increasingly competitive. Since quality sets online programs apart in the current competitive market, it is a priority for higher-education institutions. Consequently, presidents/chancellors and provosts at many U.S. higher education institutions have…

Broad higher education contexts shape how community college students and postsecondary personnel approach transfer from community colleges to baccalaureate-granting institutions. We leverage the concept of strategic action fields, an organizational theory illuminating processes that play out as actors determine "who gets what" in an…

Institutes of higher education have adopted equity-minded frameworks as potential solutions to dismantle the permanence of racism within them. Yet, little empirical evidence documents the outcomes of these frameworks, which often include professional learning experiences for faculty and staff. Drawing on critical race discourse analyses of…

Purpose: The goal of this study is to explore an immediate step in understanding the lived experiences of under-represented students through metaphor construction and possibly collect more in-depth data through photograph-based interviews. Design/Methodology/Approach: This article introduced photo-elicitation based narrative interviews as a…

Community College Men of Color Initiatives (CCMCIs) are increasingly popular strategies utilized to promote retention and completion among Men of Color (MOC). CCMCI directors offer a unique positionality in understanding how their identities, institutional contexts, and power dynamics affect their design of programs and participating students.…

Informed by Black feminist thought and intersectional feminism, this study examined the lived experiences of 12 Women of Color on community college STEM education pathways. Participants were current and former community college STEM students, whose narrative interviews were analyzed using Patricia Hill Collins's domains of power framework.…