Thesis (Ed. D.)--Teachers College, Columbia University. / Typescript; issued also on microfilm. Sponsor: Dwayne Huebner. Dissertation Committee: Gordon MacKenzie, James Sheffield. Bibliography: leaves 308-327.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2007. / Full text release at OhioLINK's ETD Center delayed at author's request

Researching what I believe to be exclusionary practices in higher education against African Americans has compelled me to approach this subject, in part, historically. Although I realize that a historical chronology of any subject is often deceptive, as with any writer, I am tempted to interpret events to fit my reality. However, my interest goes far beyond the matter of setting a historical record straight. I am far more interested in investigating reasons why there seem to be structural barriers erected against African Americans in higher education. For many, the answer is simple. They say that it is racism, pure and simple. However, I propose to show that it is more than racism. I contend that higher education is the source and disseminator of the theoretical concept of race and consequently of racism. I contend that once a theoretical concept, such as "race," has been socially and educationally constructed, all questions henceforth can be designed and narrowed down to a perpetually tautological construct called knowledge. In this dissertation, 1 will refer, metaphorically, to the concept of "race" as being an incurably malignant pathological paradigm that has been nurtured in higher education and passed on as knowledge. Based on this pathological paradigm, I will explore how higher education has portrayed African Americans as an inferior paradigmatic archetype. / Graduation date: 1999

The purpose of this naturalistic qualitative inquiry was to determine perceptions of experiences of nontraditional African American nursing students regarding their persistence in or departure from a baccalaureate degree nursing program. The literature reflects that although more people of color are enrolling in higher education, graduation rates remain dismal. Many studies have examined the problem from an institutional viewpoint with a focus on retention and attrition. The present study laid out a blueprint for qualitative research and focused on the individual student so that the problem was approached from the angles of persistence and departure. A bi-polar model of this educational issue was proposed to demonstrate this concept.Convenience sampling was used to identify participants who were assigned to separate focus groups. One group was composed of participants who were departers due to academic dismissal. The second group was composed of participants who persisted and were either currently enrolled or had graduated. Interview guides were developed and participants were interviewed in a focus group setting, followed by individual interviews. Data analysis identified emergent themes from the transcribed interviews that fell into the categories of educational climate, myth of homogeneity, and desire for a level playing field.The findings suggest that African Americans attending predominantly White institutions continue to face racism and oppression, supporting the conclusion of previous researchers on these issues. Implications from this study concluded that to reflect the changing demographics in society, higher education and specifically nursing education must become more inclusive.The conceptual framework for this study was based on the theories of McClusky (1963) from the field of adult education; and Tinto (1975, 1993) prominent in the field of higher education. McClusky's Power/Load/Margin Theory was found to be minimally supportive in describing the experiences of nontraditional African American BSN students. Participants identified barriers that related solely to their status as African Americans and thus eroded the level of Margin. Tinto's longitudinal model of institutional departure was found to be applicable to students who leave due to academic dismissal, an area not previously addressed in the model. Recommendations for further research were given. / Department of Educational Leadership

Since the late 1960's, there has been a growing body of research seeking to provide explanation for why blacks continue to be underrepresented in higher education enrollment; however, none of these studies provides a full explanation. Ogbu (1969, 1978, 1985), who has given the fullest explanation of black underachievement for students at the primary and secondary levels, suggests that his caste system paradigm be used to explain black underrepresentation in higher education. This paradigm suggests that blacks are members of a caste because of a history of discrimination and exploitation. This past history led to a folk theory of unequal opportunity, which has affected the way that blacks perceive, interpret, and respond to educational barriers. In this exploratory study, the researcher investigated a lower socioeconomic community in Baltimore, Maryland, which in many ways represents the general black population, to learn if Ogbu's caste paradigm explained black underrepresentation in higher education. It was learned that the caste system was in operation, and a very recent history of discrimination and exploitation existed. A folk theory of "unequal opportunity" and a collective identity that "blacks cannot compete with the white man," led to the use of oppositional/counter cultural strategies to "get ahead." Such strategies as pushing drugs, "beating the system" and stealing, coupled with high incidents of homicide, violence and teen pregnancy, impacted upon the ability of residents to graduate from high school and enroll in college. Furthermore, strategies used in the community were operational in the school, which served to detract from school learning. / Ed. D.

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate (1) the degree of compliance by PHBCU in meeting the white student enrollment standards in the Adams States that took place between 1976-1984; (2) the implementation of Adams v Richardson between 1976-1984 based on the enrollment of white students at PHBCU; and (3) the implementation of Adams v Richardson as determined by mandated State plans between 1976-1984. Data were generated from two principal sources. They were: 1. State plans for complying with the Adams decision. 2. Refined HEGIS enrollment data by race and level of instruction. Results can be summarized as follows: (1) The PHBCUs varied widely in their reports of compliance. They implemented a variety of strategies to recruit white students. The form and pattern used varied considerably from one campus to another. (2) Nonetheless, the percent of overall white enrollment in the 25 PHBCUs increased from 6,729 or 7.3% of total PHBCU enrollment in 1976 to 8,119 or 9.6% of total enrollment in 1984, an increase in those years of about 20% (Table 23). (3) At the same time, white student enrollment in all classes of principally black institutions in the ten Adams states increased from 13,108 students in 1976 to 18,547 in 1984, an increase of 42% during this period (Table 15). (4) Similarly, white student enrollment increased by about 41% in all classes of principally black institutions nationwide during this same period (Table 5). (5) Accordingly, whatever benefits from the Adams decision that may have accrued to the PHBCU seem to have been accelerated in other classes of black institutions. (6) The evidence from this study does not support the conclusion that the Adams decision materially improved or enhanced the planning process in the PHBCUs. It may well have done so, but the evidence is not forthcoming from this study to support any firm conclusion in that regard. (7) What seems clear, however, is that the Adams decision drew positive attention to a need for institutional and statewide planning in all classes of black institutions, particularly in the Adams states, and to the need for systematic development of information, and for conscientious monitoring and assessment of results. It would appear that all classes of black institutions, not solely the PHBCU targeted by the Adams decision, were attentive to the message conveyed by the decision. / Ed. D.

The purpose of this study was to examine the expectations of African American and Hispanic males in a for-profit university (TTU). This study specifically explored student perception of the retention efforts of faculty, staff, policies, procedures and services within the institutional environment. It further examined how these experiences promoted or impeded the African American or Hispanic male's persistence to graduation. The higher education institution is identified as TTU throughout this study. It is a commuter university established in the early 1900s. A qualitative case study approach was used and two campus sites were selected. Data collection included interviews of 19 students, along with 2 faculty (identified by students), as well as document analysis, and various on site observations at each campus. The data were then transcribed, coded, and analyzed to ascertain the overall views and perceptions of the participants. / by Carole Comarcho. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2009. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2009. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

This project seeks to develop a marketing and advertising campaign for the United Negro College Fund (UNCF). The proposed California campaign is designed to reach an underserved target market in the state of California and to increase donations to the UNCF by one million dollars a year.

The problem of this study is the design of a comprehensive developmental profile for a Texas black college, based upon qualitative academic and nonacademic differences evident through comparison with a predominantly white institution of similar size and purpose. The purposes of the study are first, to identify features which differ between the selected black institution and the more highly rated white college. Second, to analyze differences discovered, and recommend a comprehensive program for upgrading the excellence level of the substandard institution.

This study explored why academically qualified African American students, those eligible to attend four-year institutions, choose to attend community colleges and are, thereby, undermatched. This qualitative study investigated how these students navigated the college choice process, what influenced their decision to attend a community college, what their experience at a community college was like, and their aspirations to obtain a baccalaureate degree. Purposeful sampling was used to gather a sample of 19 African American students attending community college in Dallas, Texas. The sample included 14 females and five males. Data were collected through 40-60 minute semi-structured interviews and a brief demographic survey. The conceptual frameworks for this study included Kassie Freeman’s predetermination model that includes cultural considerations in college choice and the Somers et al. model that addresses factors that increase the likelihood of a student choosing to attend a community college. This integrated framework captures the role that family and culture play in African American community college choice. Findings suggest that the community college choice influences for academically eligible African American students vary from traditional college choice models. Whereas factors such as cost, location, and the role of peers played somewhat of a role in their choice, participants were also heavily influenced by sports, self-perceptions of maturity, and the perceptions of their families. Another key finding was that the effects of undermatching vary. All of the participants in this study felt that attending a community college fostered transfer preparedness, supported personal development, and promoted their academic success. However, some of the participants also felt that attending a community college hindered their sense of autonomy and limited their social engagement. This variation leads to the conclusion that undermatching effects vary and are dependent upon a variety of contextual factors. Policy and practice recommendations are provided for parents, teachers, counselors, and higher education professionals.