The discrepancies in college enrollment based on a student's socioeconomic background challenges the upward mobility of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Jesuit colleges and universities, guided by Catholic Social Teaching and their own focus on social justice, are uniquely positioned to facilitate the social mobility of the…

Higher education in the United States has evolved to expand its reach to various diverse student populations. The student cohort in higher education that has seen exponential growth over the past few decades at elite liberal arts colleges are students who served in the military. Veteran students can contribute greatly to communities of elite…

This study seeks to investigate curricular trends in MOOCs and institutional participation in the development of MOOC courses. The study is framed utilizing the theoretical lenses of academic capitalism and isomorphism--particularly Riesman's conceptualization of a "snake-like procession" of isomorphism in American higher education lead…

People attend postsecondary institutions for a variety of reasons and with a variety of expectations. Among the supposed benefits of a college education are greater earning potential and satisfaction with life (SWL). It is also widely assumed that a degree from a highly selective (or prestigious or elite) college is more valuable than one from a…

The purpose of my study was to use an intersectional lens to understand the relationship between race and gender and institutional experiences in student retention at a selective predominantly White institution. I used Tinto's (1993) longitudinal model of institutional departure as the foundation to understand students' decision-making processes…

Research has shown that East Asian American undergraduate students are experiencing socialization and mental health challenges at American institutions of higher education. Many do not seek help or are unable to obtain adequate help due to cultural implications or societal expectations. This qualitative narrative analysis explored the lived…

How do students at elite universities think about the economic and educational returns of their college education? Drawing on 29 interviews from first-year students at an elite university, I find that students think that attending an elite university will allow them to secure a high degree of social status, which they believe is integral to…

Globalization has resulted in a significant increase in the number of international students on American college campuses in the past decade (Institute of International Education, 2015). The growing population of international students on campuses in higher education has resulted in a new dynamic in the classroom. Diversity of languages and…

Some low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) aim to designate the information and communication technology (ICT) sector as a central pillar to expedite their economic development, and a key element of ICT sector development is to nurture capable ICT workers. Scholars and policymakers concerned with those ICT workers tend to focus on nurturing…

The past two decades have seen the idea of internationalization move into the mainstream of higher education policy and practice, on a global scale. In countries like the US and UK however, higher education is widely perceived as a hierarchical field, where high- and low-status universities are differentiated from one another: serving different…

North Carolina is a state with a rich higher education history, which matches the diversity and number of higher education institutions that can be found there. The significant investment of both tax dollars and public support for higher education in North Carolina has created a unique environment in which public policy significantly impacts both…

Military recruiting is thoroughly integrated in American public schools. Federal legislation mandates that every public school receiving federal funding open its doors to military recruiters in the same capacity as any postsecondary university or job organization, lest that school risk losing all federal funds. This investigation examines the…

Work-based learning in college--in the form of internships, cooperative education programs, and apprenticeships--sit at the crossroads of education and employment. It can play a crucial role in shaping a student's transition from school to work. This study explores the extent to which college students participate in work-based learning and the…

The researcher investigated three types of factors, academic, commitment, and social on college sophomore's decisions to persist at predominately White institutions. The academic factors (academic integration, academic rigor), commitment (goal commitment and institutional commitment) and social factors (social integration and racial climate) were…

Internationally, higher education has expanded greatly since the closing decades of the twentieth century. China was no exception. This study is intended to examine the status quo of issues relating to equity and access to higher education in the context of educational expansion and differentiation in China. Two research questions are addressed in…