The California State University (CSU) system is the largest public university system in United Sates. In 2014, female student population was 56% and 42% were male. Overall, there are higher percentage of female students than male students in the CSU system, yet there are only 10 female Provosts in the CSU system. The purpose of this qualitative…

Women earn bachelor's degrees in engineering at a rate of less than 17% at public universities in California. The purpose of this study was to understand how women experience undergraduate engineering programs at public universities. To understand this lack of attainment, a qualitative methodology and Feminist Poststructuralist perspective were…

A high incidence of college students required to complete non-credit remedial courses and the associated cost burden for students, colleges and states has been of great public concern. Connecticut legislators have intervened to revamp college remediation by passing the bill, Public Act 12-40 (PA 12-40) which impacts institutions in the Connecticut…

Retention rates of first generation college student (FGCS) became a growing concern for leaders of educational institutions in the U.S. FGCS were several times more likely to exit college without a degree as compared to their traditional counterparts. The Model of Institutional Departure offered a general framework of college student retention.…

The purpose of this research is to study college planning practices, skills and activities in the secondary school experience of undergraduate students with disabilities that were important to their self-predicted college graduation. This study is limited to exploring factors within the transition programming domains of student-focused planning,…

The purpose of this study was to investigate first-time, full-time provisionally accepted Black male students and to achieve a clear understanding of their lived experiences to enhance campus-wide social network systems, student engagement, cognitive dissonance and self-efficacy to improve opportunities for academic success. This study is…

The current study builds on previous scholarship that examines the everyday language and literacy practices of linguistically diverse communities as resources for teaching and learning. It argues that only by valuing non-dominant linguistic practices in academic contexts will educators achieve equitable pedagogies that incorporate students' range…

Community colleges are a valuable and important commodity in the education system in the United States. As of 2015, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) reports that there are 1,123 active community colleges, with 28 community colleges in the state of Michigan. The AACC further reports a headcount of 12.4 million students based on…

The purpose of the study was to examine the perceived benefits of intramural sports participation for full-time undergraduate students at Oklahoma State University. The survey instrument used for this study was the Artinger et al. (2006) Social Benefits Questionnaire. Of the 220 participants, 59.1% were male (n = 130) and 40.5% were female (n =…

In the second decade of the new century, America's public higher education institutions (PHEIs) face several key challenges: rising demands of accountability, a steady drop in public funding, and competition from virtual and for-profit entities. Limited research had been conducted on the applicability of social enterprise theory to these…

The body of research concerning college students with learning disabilities is sparse relative to the percentage of college students with learning disabilities who attend college. Further, the majority of existing research fails to capture the student voice and the lived experiences of the students themselves. The purpose of this study was to…

The ongoing trend in research regarding feedback has been to explore quantitative assessment. Garnering support more recently is qualitative narrative feedback in support of formative assessment. This type of feedback offers insight into expectations as well as offer additional knowledge gained. It enables students to improve their performance…

Intercollegiate athletics is a very important part in American higher education both financially and symbolically. One of the most distinct features of college sports is athletic mascots and nicknames of colleges and universities represent not only the athletic programs but also the whole institutions and communities. As they were deeply ingrained…

Since the 1800s, religious organizations have been a presence on public universities. However, there is limited research on the influence these organizations may have on student health communication and behaviors. Prior research on campus ministries has focused primarily on the culture of individual organizations. In this study, researchers…

This study surveys the learning characteristics of non-traditional students aged 24 years and older. Since the California State University (CSU) system enrolls a significant non-traditional student demographic, understanding the needs of this student base is a critical component to its success. This dissertation seeks to gain a deeper…