This conference paper presents the results of a critical public higher education policy analysis of book banning, censorship, and silencing of specific voices--usually those of marginalized voices and those who fight for the oppressed. United States public higher education seeks to provide an environment for intellectual freedom that allows…

Black individuals have been disproportionately involved in the criminal justice system in the United States ("Federal Bureau of Prisons," 2022). Because of their criminal justice involvement, Black individuals are perceived as "second-class citizens" making their quest for "freedom" an endless journey impacted by…

Gender equality is a universal and local issue. National policies have been initiated to ensure gender equality and to safeguard human rights on campus. Gender-related courses have been developed in the general education centers of various universities to allow the concept of gender equality to take root and flourish in these universities and to…

"Behind the Diversity Numbers" uncovers how frequently used approaches to examine and understand race-related issues on college campuses can reinforce racism and inequality, rather than combat them. The book argues that educational leaders must look beyond quantitative metrics in order to develop institutional policies and practices that…

Student activists have been an historic driver of higher education social justice reform. While this form of leadership is central to improving equity outcomes in higher education, scholars and practitioners often view organizational change as a top-down process centering senior administrators, staff, and faculty. Empowering student activists as…

This systematic literature review provides a synthesis of what issues within disability have been researched, how universities respond to the issues to be inclusive to disabled students and the role of higher education environment and policy, in doing so. The review is motivated by the emphasis on inclusive and equitable quality education and…

In numerous countries, the widening participation of underrepresented groups in higher education has become an official part of education policies. However, inequalities continue in some areas, including refugees' participation. Norway hosts many refugees, but little is known about the social inclusion of refugees into higher education in the…

Systemic racism in the United States has a far-reaching impact, including on generational wealth and access to education. Extensive research reveals that Black Americans encounter significant barriers in building generational wealth due to a history of discrimination, including redlining and exclusion from government programs. The absence of…

Limited research on queer and transgender college student retention has led to a lack of understanding of the institutional structures that support these collegians. Moreover, what scholarship does exist oftentimes uses power-neutral lenses to explain the factors that lead to the retention of queer and transgender students. Using intersectionality…

This research aimed to investigate the experiences of students with learning disabilities (LD) at two universities in Sub-Sahara Africa. While universities are increasingly addressing the needs of students with sensory and physical disabilities, there is less emphasis on LD which does not present physically, thus often referred to as invisible or…

This paper aims to explore how refugee students construct pathways of access to higher education by drawing on interviews with 15 Syrian university students studying at different universities across Turkey. The research is located within a capabilities-based human development paradigm from which it outlines the factors that enable students'…

Activism is once again back on college campuses as students protest issues such as sexual assault, climate change, racial injustice, and student debt. It is perhaps unsurprising that the current political moment has triggered the rise of a new breed of student activist--uncompromising, focused, and connected. But many pundits have variously…

Purpose: Canada is a country that has a democratized higher education system, based on solid principles of access, quality and accountability. Brazil, on the other hand, is a country that seeks to advance its higher education system. For this reason, this paper aims to understand with the main stakeholders of the systems, the perceptions in…

In recent decades, universities have made significant progress toward environmental sustainability and have likewise tightened their budgets and restructured economic models in the name of financial sustainability. However, institutions of higher education have failed to address issues of social sustainability and social injustice, many of which…

This qualitative geographic study explores how the Black Radical Imagination is present in Ferguson's community-student activism. Ferguson activists were not only fighting against the police state that had taken the life of 18-year old Michael Brown, they were fighting against urban forms of capital accumulation and repressive residential and…