The budding esports scene has drawn attention from higher education institutions in North America, who are growing community, competitive, and pedagogical esports initiatives. Varsity Esports Programs (VEPs) have proliferated since Robert Morris launched the first varsity program in 2014, with over 12,800 players from 650 institutions competing in…

This study used a hermeneutic phenomenology methodology to determine whether the faculty participants at a Midwestern community college used servant leadership (SL) during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown of March 2020. The goal was to see how well the participants, through SL, addressed and supported their students' online learning needs and…

Along the P-16 continuum, intersecting systems of oppression work to invisiblize, dismiss, and disparage Latina first-generation students' existing sources of knowledge, identity, and culture, resulting in long-term visible and invisible harm to their growth and well-being. Despite significant gains in higher education enrollment in the last two…

A growing number of colleges and universities have come to recognize the role and responsibilities they have in the economic and social fabric of their surrounding communities and regions as anchor institutions. Yet, the conditions of urban communities surrounding even the most engaged universities--including under-resourced public schools,…

Emerging adults in rural, boom-bust economies face unique challenges, especially in employment and education. Drawing on emerging adult and social disruption hypothesis literatures, this study examined four primary research questions. First, how do emerging adults in rural boom-bust towns in southwest Wyoming understand and experience boom-bust…

Community colleges play a fundamental role in higher education. They are open-access institutions, providing higher education services to individuals from a variety of backgrounds. Community colleges also provide important workforce development and training opportunities to help develop the local economy. Today, states and the federal government…

In this dissertation, I elaborate a pedagogical practice of creative interference. I use curricular and instructional disturbances to open the possibility for different ways of thinking and acting. I aim to confront problematic representations of people and cultures through complex social contextualization, and to interfere with discourses that…

The Cooperative Extension Service (Extension) is part of the land-grant university system with a mission of outreach and service in the areas of agriculture, natural resources, family and consumer sciences, youth development, and community economic development. As the number of minorities grows in the United States, Extension needs to ensure that…

As calls for institutions of higher education to educate globally competent citizens have intensified over the last two decades, the field of international service learning (ISL) has responded resoundingly. ISL programs have been implemented at many institutions and there have been countless studies that demonstrate the great power for student…

How does higher education contribute to finding workable and lasting solutions to complex social issues that face communities globally today? How does higher education contribute to global sustainable development goals? The scholarship of engagement encourages faculty, scholars, and students to work together with communities on solutions to…

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to examine the role a rural community college plays in the development of its community, using a holistic, community-based lens that considered college and community context, interactions and results to answer the question: "How does the rural community college impact the development of the…

Values and ethical behaviors in corporate higher education are perceived to be deteriorating, with some leaders accused of financial mismanagement and corruption. Servant leadership has the potential to address these value-related problems but has not been studied in the for-profit environment. The purpose of this qualitative, single-case study…

The education of African American adults evolved in response to the changing social, economic, and political needs of the Black community. To address these needs, Black Greek-Letter Organizations (BGLOs) created and implemented initiatives at the local, national, and international levels using education as a catalyst to change aspects of African…

Residential neighborhoods adjacent to a higher education institution are home to diverse groups of people who share neither a common sense of community (McMillan & Chavis, 1986) nor the same degree of attachment to place (Low & Altman, 1992). These neighborhoods are characterized by transience and a lack of cohesion. They are highly prized…

The high percentage and the steady growth of Hispanic/Latino students in Arizona demand that special attention be placed on improving academic achievement and attainment. The need to support Hispanic/Latino parents in becoming meaningful positive contributors to their children's schooling continues to surface as a critical issue in school…