This three-article format dissertation presents a comprehensive examination of the 2017 Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE), focusing on its measurement properties across diverse community college student populations. Study 1 centered on the validity of the internal structure of CCSSE. Exploratory and confirmatory factor…

This ethnographic dissertation research project focuses on a digital storytelling workshop called Food/Stories which took place in collaboration with Black Yield Institute in Spring of 2023. The Food/Stories workshop is the case study that I used to explore the effectiveness of Collaborative Visual Storytelling, a methodological approach that…

To increase student completion, community college leaders have focused on the implementation and sustainability of organizational change efforts, particularly guided pathways, since 2015. Although researchers have studied many different change efforts and types of change in higher education, the focus of this research was on describing guided…

Great Expectations is a Virginia Community College System program for youth who were in foster care after the age of 13. Foster youth enter college with multiple disadvantages, including being less academically prepared compared to their peers and often lacking social support for their education. A program evaluation was conducted at a specific…

To increase quality licensed child care supply, the District of Columbia implemented Capital Quality, a quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) that includes coaching supports. Urban Institute researchers interviewed leaders who oversee coaches working to help child care facilities improve quality and conducted focus groups with coaches in…

Many institutions perceive accreditation processes as arduous and disruptive to daily operations. However, accreditation standards can (and should) be used for continuous institutional improvement. By understanding and leveraging these processes as guidance for good practice in student affairs, colleagues can be well positioned for ongoing best…

Although a large body of literature discusses the advancement of community engagement in higher education, a less substantial body of scholarship explores how engagement is promoted and institutionalized within universities. In this exploratory study, using a discourse analysis of official reports posted on the websites of three university cases,…

To help the nation respond to the pandemic, Congress injected about $4.6 trillion into the U.S. economy through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and subsequent legislation. Of this amount, over $75 billion was directed to institutions of higher education through the Higher Education Emergency Relief (HEER) Fund,…

The purpose of this study was to explore constituent perspectives of the California Community Colleges Historically Black Colleges and Universities Transfer Guarantee Program. The researcher queried representatives from participating community colleges and Historically Black Colleges and Universities regarding their perspectives of the program.…

This paper examines national, state, and local factors impacting the creation of a new dual language immersion program (DLI) program in a Midwestern school district, a relatively understudied regional context. Using a critical bifocal lens and an ethnographic case study methodology, we examined two main questions: first, why was the DLI program…

China's grand strategies (i.e., the Belt and Road Initiative and the Guangdong--Hong Kong--Macao Greater Bay Area) have expedited the popularity of full-time degree-bearing study in mainland China. Associated with the exponential growth of inward student populations are proliferating concerns about the capacity of non-majority/non-local students…

Background: Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among children and adolescents in the United States. Traditional injury education interventions for children often are inaccessible due to cost and logistics in underserved communities, exacerbating injury disparities. A new approach is needed to close this gap for…

Historically, Black colleges, universities, and social workers have shared a history of serving marginalized people. This research is conducted at a point in time when the profession and academic field of social work have expressed an interest in eliminating racism, but more so in upholding the values of social work education in support of working…

Natural resources provide a high quality of life for residents and are often one of a community's greatest advantages for workforce attraction, youth retention, recreation, climate resilience, tourism, and broader economic development. A better understanding of how nature and local economies function together is critical to fostering synergies…

This paper explores how storying can be used to uncover experiences of student belonging throughout their time in Higher Education. It adopts a framing of belonging that is fluid and which recognises shifting notions of belonging over time. A focus on storying is particularly useful for understanding belonging as it enables university staff to…