ERIC Number: EJ1272957
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0271-0560
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A Field of Striving or Equity? Regional Public Universities and College Access
Warshaw, Jarrett B.; DeMonbrun, Matt; McNaughtan, Jon
New Directions for Higher Education, n190 p25-39 Sum 2020
Many regional public universities (RPUs) provide college access to diverse groups of undergraduate students and face pressures to pursue prestige in the academic hierarchy. Prior research posits that RPUs will strive for prestige because of status- and resource-based rewards that flow from increasing their admissions selectivity, research-intensity, and wealth. As this dominant perspective suggests, RPUs may erode historic missions of democratizing educational opportunity to emulate their more elite peers to improve their external ratings and rankings. This chapter draws on multiple indicators of equity to examine whether institutional enrollment data align with, or diverge from, the prestige-seeking assumptions about these institutions. Descriptive profiles indicate that most RPUs in this analysis have increased over time their enrollment of low-income and racially diverse groups of students. We discuss implications for adopting a more flexible perspective on RPUs to account for equity-based orientations in the sector and to inform responsive practices.
Descriptors: Public Colleges, Universities, Access to Education, Equal Education, Undergraduate Students, Reputation, Enrollment, Low Income Students, Minority Group Students
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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