Throughout history, higher education institutions (HEIs) in the United States (U.S.) have espoused the goal of developing an educated citizenry with the capacity to engage across difference and contribute to solving the major issues in society (Association of American Colleges & Universities [AACU], 2019; Kezar, 2004). Although significant…

The purpose of this study was to deepen understanding of faculty of color experiences with their community college campus police, use a systematic approach for exploring their feelings connected to these experiences, and identify alternative strategies to increase sense of safety among faculty of color. A critical race theory (CRT) theoretical…

Despite a multitude of possible explanations for racial and ethnic group differences in collegiate achievement, scholars have continued to call for new research and theories to better explain this ongoing phenomenon. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to investigate the relationship between grit, racialized campus experiences, and college…

White space in the educational system is an attitude, environment, ideology dominated by the white dominant voice and creed. This white space intimidates and oppresses Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) students, not only physically but mentally and emotionally. This research provides solutions to help instructors decenter white space. In…

A rise in racial tensions nationwide has heightened the need for community college leaders to have candid conversations about race on their campuses. "Dialogue is the only path to creating community," says Joseph Grenny, co-author of "Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High." But talking about race,…

This qualitative longitudinal study explored the experiences of Black males attending a public, two-year, community college Hispanic-serving community college (HSCC) in Southern California. Drawing on the perspective of HSCCs as reflecting a colonial relationship between whites and Students of Color, we outline specific forms of anti-Black racism…

Mississippi has the oldest state-wide system of public 2-year colleges in the USA. The story of the creation of the community college system in Mississippi is both complex and powerful. Founded upon the combination of the needs of rural students, the challenge of poor transportation, and a serendipitous conference side-trip, the college system has…

This chapter is a call to action for adult educators to critically engage the Black Lives Matter Movement through pedagogy, community engagement and scholarly activism. It explores the intersection of the Black Lives Matter movement and adult education by highlighting the response of one community college initiative.

Research indicates that African-American non-traditional female students often experience academic difficulties when they have a placement in developmental education programs and courses at community colleges. As a result, African-American non-traditional female students often drop these courses, leave college, and do not persist to degree…

This article discusses two studies on the extent and nature of cross-racial interactions (CRIs) among undergraduate students from two neighboring US-Mexico borderland communities. Of the four participating higher education institutions, two were adjacent to the US-Mexico borderline, while the other two were 45 miles away from the borderline. One…

While there has been increased scholarship in recent years on diversity in higher education, most of this research has failed to include 2-year institutions in its analyses. This study examined whether the racial composition of the community college student body is correlated with an institution's normative climate toward three diversity…

For a suburban area of Washington, D.C., Southern Maryland has remained unusually "Southern." Its rolling tobacco fields, former slave quarters and lonesome two-lane roads through piney woods seem more reminiscent of the Deep South than the nation's capital. So, too, have its attitudes on race. That became evident on Dec. 6, 2004, when…

For more than two decades, the national standard for benchmarking student satisfaction in higher education has been the Ruffalo Noel Levitz Satisfaction-Priorities Surveys. Since their beginning in 1994, these benchmark surveys have been used by more than 2,900 U.S. colleges and universities to evaluate students' concerns that correspond with…

Research about the benefits of interactional diversity in college has been conducted at various U.S. institutions, but little research has focused on border colleges. This study explores the extent to which students at U.S.-Mexico border institutions reported having cross-racial and cross-ethnic interactions that researchers suggest promote…

Interviews with 17 African American students and 19 White students were employed to examine interracial relations at a predominantly White community college campus. Seen through the lens of Granovetter's strength of ties theory, the interview findings revealed that strong intraracial ties and the absence of weak interracial ties inhibited…