This dissertation aims to explore the relationships of diversity and internationalization in Higher Education from an institutional level. The project focuses on how colleges and universities construct diversity projects through international students. The project seeks to address three core questions: (1) How are international students included…

From the founding of the first colleges in colonial America to the modern-day institution, the question of who is meritorious enough to gain admissions to an institution has always relevant. The early colleges and universities utilized gender, status, and profession to help decide who should enter an institution. Currently, the formula is more…

We compiled the first longitudinal data set with detailed state funding information to examine whether different funding strategies for public higher education correlate with college access and completion, with a focus on outcomes among racially minoritized students. We found no relationships between funding mechanisms and student outcomes at…

The purpose of this quantitative research study was to examine the enrollment trends of racial minority and low socioeconomic enrollment, and the equity of higher education access at a four-year private institution in western Pennsylvania. The study concentrated on two student populations over a five-year period at a four-year private institution…

This dissertation further investigates predominant issues in the educational pipeline, that is, both the higher education and K-12 context. In particular, I first attempt to answer why post-secondary enrollment at U.S. colleges and universities has increased among all students, but racial/ethnic and gender inequalities persist in the college…

In 2013, the Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC) proposed as the state goal that 70 percent of the state's 25- to 44-year-olds (i.e., early and mid-career residents) should have a credential beyond high school. WSAC's Strategic Action Plan (SAP) provides a framework to organize the policy and practice innovation needed to achieve this…