The purpose of this quantitative study is to investigate the funding equitably across community college districts in Michigan. Pursuant to this investigation, the disproportionate effect that community college funding has on underserved populations was examined. This research utilized a quantitative approach, including descriptive statistics,…

This study aimed to provide a quantitative analysis of industry's perception of the effectiveness of community colleges, specifically from industries in the advanced manufacturing sector, within the state of Michigan. This study investigated interactions, awareness, and perception of effectiveness by industry leaders with community college CTE…

In this interview study, I examine how student affairs administration (SAA) works at rural community colleges as well as how rural senior student affairs officers (SSAOs) function in their leadership roles. The study purports to understand student affairs in the context of "rurality," or what it means to be rural. Two primary research…

The increased number of college credits earned in dual enrollment programs initiated concern by educators, researchers, and policymakers regarding college readiness. However, data are scarce and inconsistent across governing states and community colleges to measure college readiness and dual enrollment's effectiveness. The purpose of this…

The purpose of this study is to examine how land-grant universities engage with the public in the era of globalization; to explain the institutionalization of engagement processes accounting for the global context; and, to integrate this analysis into a Global Engagement Model for Land-Grant Universities (GEM) implementing a grounded theory…

In 2009, a major metropolitan urban school district in Southeastern Michigan, under state emergency management, implemented a massive school restructuring plan affecting 100+ elementary, middle, and high schools. The consequences of the plan included a high turnover rate of staff and students, violence at local school campuses, low morale among…

This paper investigates the perceptions and experiences of graduated African American students regarding the effects of campus gospel choir involvement on their persistence at Michigan State University (MSU). Drawing upon the frameworks of Astin's Input-Output-Environment (IOE) model, Tinto's Theory of Belonging, and Kuh's High-Impact Practices…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of African American male former community college student-athletes who succeeded on their educational pathway. The study also sought to identify the supportive services African American male former student-athletes reported as contributing to their academic success. For the…

This research project examines Intergroup Dialogue courses in The Program on Intergroup Relations at the University of Michigan. I investigate the various reasons why the demand for these courses which peaked in the late 90s and early 2000's started to decline in 2018. With partisanship at an all-time high in our society, and the ability and…

How engaged families are in their children's lives, whether at home or in school, predicts child success in school and in life. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to identify activities, opportunities, and barriers to engaging families within Wayne County, Michigan for children and their families with and without Individualized Education…

The HyFlex model for instruction allows for a student to choose if they will attend class in person, online synchronicity, or asynchronously. The aim of this mixed-method study was to answer the central question to the central question, "How does the HyFlex delivery method impact faculty self-efficacy regarding teaching?" at Keweenaw Bay…

This dissertation evaluated campus violence threat assessment policy and procedure implementation at the community college level of higher education. The importance of this topic was to provide a manageable and collaborative initiative for leadership at institutions of higher learning to identify, develop, implement, and evaluate a policy that can…

The purpose of the study was to understand the institutional forces that constructed and shaped the function, nature of funding, and governance of Washtenaw Community College (WCC). This qualitative, historical case study built on organizational theory used archival research to identify themes and the institutional building blocks for the junior…

Campus crime and distrust of campus police are significant problems for institutions of higher education. Utilizing the Broken Windows Theory (Kelling & Wilson, 1982) as the theoretical framework, the purpose of this qualitative study was to explore students' attitudes toward community-oriented policing and their perceptions of crime, safety,…

The purpose of this ex post facto study was to determine differences in the level of student engagement in (a) students attending community colleges that participated in the Achieving the Dream (AtD) in 2011 and 2012 and (b) students attending community colleges that did not participate in AtD in 2011 and 2012. The Community College Survey of…