In 2010, Arkansas became the most recent state to establish a state lottery program, which allowed lottery revenue to serve as the primary funding source for the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship. The primary goal of this research study was to begin understanding the type of impact the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship funded by the…

At a small for-profit college located outside of New York City, declining classroom attendance over the last few years has become a serious concern in the business program. Poor attendance is one of the major causes for enrollment dropping and poor student retention. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to identify factors that influence…

In an effort to better understand the higher education outcomes of students with disabilities in Maryland, the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC), in partnership with the state's higher education institutions and the Maryland Department of Disabilities, created a survey administered to colleges and universities in Maryland to collect…

This study is an investigation of how a graduation initiative at a single university was implemented in ways that reveal approaches that do not prioritize what I consider to be the goal of higher education--"the common good of all." Using autoethnography combined with an indigenous-oriented approach I borrowed from another dissertation…

To increase equitable postsecondary access and success outcomes it is critical to address the college preparedness gap. While Florida International University (FIU) continues to improve retention and graduation gaps for currently enrolled students, it became evident that the university could play a larger role in preparing high school students for…

Increasing transfer success of community college students has the potential to improve preparedness of America's workforce. Yet little is known about the types of institutions to which students transfer from community colleges. This is the executive summary of the report, "Persistence: The Success of Students Who Transfer From Community…

Higher education today faces a host of challenges, from quality to cost. But too little attention gets paid to a startling fact: four out of ten students -- that's more than ten percent of the entire population -- who start college drop out. The situation is particularly dire for black and Latino students, those from poor families, and those who…

In this current climate of financial uncertainty and multiple options, student retention is crucial to the well-being of an academic institution. This study explored the role of student integration in the college community of traditional undergraduate institutions by finding a connection between student affairs programs, student social…

Although significant gains have been made in recent years with regard to increasing access to higher education for African Americans, with 38.4% of Black 18 to 24 year-olds enrolled in college as of 2016 compared to just 25.4% in 1990, completion rates have not kept pace. The national six-year graduation rate for Black students at four-year…

Enrolling in and completing college can be especially challenging for first generation in college (FGC) students. The purpose of the present quantitative study was to investigate the demographic and academic characteristics of FGC students and non-FGC students in Alabama. The study also included identifying the factors that mediate FGC students'…

In an effort to reduce the STEM gender gap, policymakers often propose providing women with close mentoring by female scientists. This is based on the idea that female scientists might act as role models and counteract negative gender stereotypes that are pervasive in science fields. However, as of yet, there is still no clear evidence on the role…

In 2014, California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) received the national award from the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) for Excellence and Innovation in Student Success and Completion, recognizing record high graduation rates with a diverse student population, significantly above comparable institutions.…

Six years ago, Front Range Community College President Andy Dorsey sat down with his team and looked at the college's completion and graduation rates. Like a lot of colleges, they were in for a shock. It is not that they had expected to see 80 percent completion rates. But they certainly were not expecting to see only 43 percent of their students…

With the use of data from the institutional research office at a comprehensive public 4-year university, this chapter describes an in-depth analysis of the institutional attendance, transfer, and graduation of three first-time student cohorts, revealing that not all types of multi-institutional attendance hurt degree completion, and strategic…

The continued underserving of Maori and Pasifika communities by New Zealand universities has resulted in the need to hold universities and the wider tertiary education system to account through widespread data analysis. This paper analyses Maori and Pasifika enrolment in the Society and Culture and Natural and Physical Sciences fields of Aotearoa…