Declining enrollment of African American 1st-year students at a predominately White institution (PWI) may indicate an unwelcoming campus culture. For the last 5 years, African American 1st-year enrollment has decreased at a local PWI. The purpose of this study was to better understand how the campus climate may influence the enrollment decision…

The employment levels of people with disabilities in higher education significantly lag the percentage of individuals with disabilities in the broader population. Due to a lack of study of campus climate for employees with disabilities, insufficient data are available for campus leaders to understand their perceptions of the campus climate,…

African American males represent one of the smallest demographics reflected within the student population in higher education within the United States. Colleges and universities continue to face the challenge of articulating their value as they seek to recruit, retain, and support students. However, African American male undergraduate students…

Lack of racially minoritized staff is a complex problem, requiring the examination of implicit biases of search committees to better inform and improve institutional hiring practices. Implicit bias describes the attitudes and prejudice we have towards other people, along with the associated stereotypes, without our conscious knowledge, and usually…

The problem investigated by this study is the low completion rates of nontraditional undergraduate adult students attending a 4-year university located in the West coast region of the United States. In 2020, the program completion rate was less than 44% at the study site and 45.8% for nontraditional undergraduate adult students nationally. The…

The understanding of student satisfaction as a concept and the methodology by which it is measured varies greatly within higher education research. Studies of student satisfaction specific to the context of a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program in the United States are scarce and often use assessments borrowed from other industries. Of the…

This dissertation uses an ethnographic approach, observations, field notes, and interviews to analyze how Chicanx/Latinx students create counter-spaces to cultivate their epistemological needs and validate their identities within a predominantly white institution (PWI). The project uses the "Nopalera" Framework created by an artist…

Promoting diversity and inclusion is crucial in today's educational settings for the success of every student. This research delves into the important aspect of undergraduates' readiness to embrace diversity within the academic sphere. Rooted in a positivist ideology with quantitative analysis, the study investigates the correlation between the…

The use of casual contract employment has become a prominent feature in higher education institutions worldwide, including the growth of adjunct roles in the United States and fixed-term teaching staff positions in the UK. In Australia, this trend has been a subject of significant controversy and national attention in recent years, as casual…

This study explored the experiences of first-generation students at Bentley University, a private, business-focused institution. Through semi-structured interviews with eleven students, the research identifies common challenges and highlights the impact of university policies and programs on their success. The findings emphasize the need for…

Our study presents some of the voces of Latinas/os/xs undergraduates in a western U.S. business school to explore the concept of "working identity" in employment discrimination law under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. While overt racial discrimination is outlawed, racial salience through factors such as phenotype, accent,…

Military and veteran students face many challenges when navigating their journey in higher education. These non-traditional students have varied support needs when attending institutions of higher education that are different than the traditional student today. The purpose of this study is to determine the level of their satisfaction with the…

This dissertation investigates the influence of racialization on the attrition rates of African American male students in predominantly white institutions (PWIs). The study examines whether these students experience cultural shock or face more profound systemic challenges. The research explores how African American men navigate and perceive their…

Using a qualitative survey, this study explores the perceptions of university culture and community held by graduate-level online adjunct instructors in two different schools of education. The intention of the research was to determine how the online adjuncts perceived their position within the university community and to solicit recommendations…

Social capital accrued via cross-racial/ethnic networks plays an important role in the adjustment, persistence and success for minority groups of university students. Yet, few studies offered insight into how intercultural social capital impacts learning and socialising experiences among minority students in non-Western contexts. Drawing on…