The purpose of this case study is to understand higher education administrators' perceptions of New York State's tuition-free initiative, the Excelsior Scholarship. A comprehensive literature review offers insights into a select history of higher education policy, as well as the current condition of public higher education. Guided by a…

In 2010, Arkansas became the most recent state to establish a state lottery program, which allowed lottery revenue to serve as the primary funding source for the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship. The primary goal of this research study was to begin understanding the type of impact the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship funded by the…

We investigate relationships between several financial aid policies and student enrollment behavior. Chapters 1 and 2 (co-authored with Robert Rosenman) use proprietary data from a public research university to address institution level policies affecting enrollment. Chapter 3 (co-authored with Benjamin Cowan) utilizes government data address a…

This thesis is a combination of two papers studying the effect of state funding for higher education on the price of education and student enrollment at institutions. The first paper evaluates the effectiveness of student aid in decreasing the price of higher education by investigating what portion of student aid dollars reach targeted students…

While open access is still possible at community colleges and state colleges in Florida through the Florida College System, and the numbers of those enrolling are increasing, retention of first generation students is still an issue. Florida has increased the opportunity to attend college by limiting the barrier that inadequate financial support…