The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand how ten student veterans persist after entering private, 4-year institutions of higher education during or following their military service. The study's conceptual framework, drawing from Vacchi's Model of Student Veteran Support (2011, 2013), employs a narrative approach to spotlight the…

This research study examined the experiences of nontraditional community college students attending through a tuition-free grant. The intent of the study was to explore the student identified barriers to degree persistence and the student support services nontraditional students recognize as being beneficial towards their academic journey. This…

University student support services are broad and varied. These services are generally located centrally on campus rather than in a specific academic area. Offering a decentralized, college-specific student support and retention model that partners with academic and student affairs allows for a more holistic, integrated approach to student support…

The Minority Male Success Initiative (MMSI) serves as a system-wide grant opportunity from the North Carolina Community College system aimed at improving success outcomes for male students of color (North Carolina Community Colleges, n.d.). This study explored and examined the experiences of men of color who participated in MMSI programming and…

As more Latinx First Generation College Students (LFGCS) attend college, they can face a cultural, academic, and social university context that focuses on individuality and competitiveness that may differ from their own cultural values of communality and cooperation. In this dissertation, I used Community Cultural Wealth and Latinx Critical Race…

Many African international students see two-year colleges as a pathway to higher education in the United States. It is critical to better understand who these students are, what draws them to two-year colleges, what support services are available, and how their needs are met. As African international students contribute to more robust, diverse,…

This study used responses from 17,354 student veterans on the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) to investigate the relationship between student engagement and likelihood of withdrawal. Student veterans who utilized campus services more often, and those who perceived campus services as important, reported a higher likelihood of…

This phenomenological study explored the perspectives of American Indian/Alaska Native students who had all graduated from the same Northeast-Nebraska public school located on a federally recognized Indian reservation and completed at least a four-year degree. To that end, the central research question addressed by this dissertation is, "Why…

Latine persons involved in migrant farmwork are more likely to face challenges to higher education access and achievement (Araujo, 2011; Willison & Jang, 2009). The demands of migrant farmwork can create challenges for children in migrant farmworking families that pose obstacles to higher education success (Green, 2003; Lopez et al., 2001;…

While college was once just for a few people, college access has increased. More students are attending college than ever before, but access does not correlate with degree persistence. Many prospective students cannot attend college due to the increasing cost of tuition. Affordability is a risk to all students, but it is especially difficult for…

In developing countries like Ethiopia, although destitute students technically have access to education, they still face significant barriers to completing their schooling. This study analyzes the impact of the Institute for Global Outreach's (IGO) Student Empowerment Initiative, particularly its monthly stipend, and the university-provided Life…

In a 2023 report by the National Student Clearinghouse, the "some college, no credential" population stood at 40.4 million in 2021, up 3.6 percent from a year earlier. Of this population, more than half (21 million, 52%) were 25 or older at the time of their last enrollment. One solution to this reality is to reengage this population and…

This study examined the academic persistence of student fathers at a Texas community college through a single-site case study approach. Two key research questions guided the inquiry: (1) How did the community college describe its efforts to support academic persistence for student fathers? (2) What factors did student fathers perceive as…

This annual report provides information regarding students who registered with disability services at Maryland colleges and universities. To better understand higher education outcomes for students with disabilities in Maryland, the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC), in collaboration with the Maryland Department of Disabilities and in…

Increasing college attainment offers tremendous promise for increasing social mobility, tackling poverty, and reducing racial and income inequality, aspirations that are more vital than ever as the devastating impact of the pandemic has fallen disproportionately on people of color. Yet for too many policymakers and practitioners, the path to…