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The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which completion of Temple University's Core-to-Core articulation agreement requirements improves transfer students' likelihood to persist and to obtain a baccalaureate degree . Additionally, demographic variables (age, gender, ethnicity, financial aid eligibility), pre-enrollment variables (transfer GPA, transferable credits, Core-to-Core participation, educational intent, class standing, and community college attended), and enrollment variables (enrollment status, GPA trend, credits per semester, number of semester enrollments, and final GPA) were examined in order to determine whether they had any validity in predicting baccalaureate degree attainment. The study used an institutional case study design with historical data as the foundation for a multivariate analysis. The study population included 5419 students who transferred to Temple University between the Fall 1998 and Spring 2002 semesters. from one of eleven local community colleges that participated in Temple's Core-to-Core transfer program. A causal-comparative methodology was used to study the two groups - persisters and non-persisters. Descriptive statistics provided a picture of each group of students, while Chi-square and logistic regression analyses were used to determine the demographic, pre-enrollment, and enrollment variables that had the strongest ability to predict academic persistence. The Chi-square analyses presented a very detailed picture of the persisters and non-persisters. As a group, enrollment variables were the strongest predictors of baccalaureate degree attainment. However, the independent variables that were most significant and also the most meaningful were the number of semesters for which a student registered, final GPA, enrollment status (full-time/part-time), average number of credits per semester, GPA trend, and financial aid eligibility. A logistic regression analyses was then used to examine the predictive factors for baccalaureate degree attainment after eliminating several variables due to multicollinearity concerns and due to the complexity introduced with variables containing multiple nominal responses. The results were highly significant with 22.6% of the variance accounted for, indicating that the students who have a higher probability of graduating demonstrate a pattern of increasing GPA from initial transfer to graduation, have a higher transfer GPA, attend Temple University on a full-time basis, have taken advantage of Temple's Core-to-Core transfer program are eligible for financial aid, and are female. / Educational Administration

Over the years, dramatic changes in retention and attrition rates have given rise to extensive studies on the academically at-risk college student (Nisbet, Ruble, and Schurr 1982; Levin and Levin, 1991, White & Salacek, 1986). Yet, most of these studies have focused on statistical measures identifying predictors of success using traditional quantitative methodology, with only sparse attention given to the amorphous phenomenon of the "student's experience." Against the odds, some at-risk students continue to succeed in college, despite academic difficulty. The purpose of this study was to examine the experience of academically at-risk students who graduated from four year institutions and to discover how they successfully navigated higher education life's path, despite academic challenges. Specifically, this study sought to understand the process by which these students persisted from college entry to graduation; the tasks of accomplishing requirements for course work and earning sufficient grades; the management of social issues of home and campus life, and the strategies they employed that yielded success. This research used a case study and grounded theory methodology to analyze the interviews of four students. A comparative iterative analysis of the data revealed that these students experienced a supportive, enjoyable, yet highly stressful college experience that was shaped by interactions within their academic and social communities. Findings also revealed that theses students perceived their college experience as hard work and presented with the defining feature of a unique will to continue in college during high levels of stress that was central to research on student resiliency. In addition, this study provided an example of how students experience a developmental shift from late adolescence to adulthood, where the transition to adultness often involves an overwhelming amount of responsibility that some students might not be equipped to fully handle. Successful strategies that these students employed consisted of: a) self-appraisal, b) mirroring of parental values, c) long range goal-setting, d) positive use of time, e) monitoring of extracurricular activities, f) practice, visual, hands-on learning, g) resourcefulness, and h) extra effort. / Ph. D.

This qualitative study was designed to explore the role of family in the life of African American college students at two predominately White institutions. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 38 African American college students and members of their families. The results revealed eight factors that influenced students' success and their ability to persist in college: (1) Family Support and Influence, (2) Sense of Community, (3) Family Investment and Expectations, (4) Negotiating Environments, (5) Role Models and Mentors, (6) Faith in God/Spiritual Support, (7) Factors of Motivation, and (8) Macro Cultural Perspectives on Race. / Ph. D.

Academic persistence among African American college students has become an important issue due to the consistent lack of increase in the retention rates of these students. Despite the importance of this issue in the field of education, little has been done to study how family factors may influence college student's academic success from a family science perspective. Further, students attending HBCUs are rarely utilized in empirical research even though HBCUs have proven to be effective in graduating African American students. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the ways in which African American college students' perceive family relationships and support as impacting their academic persistence. Fourteen African American college students attending an HBCU were interviewed about their perceptions of the impact of family relationships and support on their academic persistence. Participants included nine females and five males all identifying as juniors or seniors. Findings for the study included four major themes: (a) family structure and family relationships, (b) challenges/overcoming obstacles, (c) coping strategies, and (d) success and perseverance. Family structure and relationships were defined in a variety of ways by participants, which included immediate family, non-kin, and extended family. Participants faced several challenges and obstacles including transitioning to college, family issues at home, and being a burden, particularly financially, on other family members. Several coping strategies were utilized by participants. Family support, religiosity, peer relationships, and music were cited most often by participants in this study. The study concluded that family relationships and support are indeed important in academic persistence of African American college students. / Ph. D.

Both cultural and social capital have been used in the existing literature to understand the differences in student persistence. Bourdieu's theories (1986, 1993, 1973), through their various applications, have provided evidence that the influence of social and cultural capital on student achievement varies based on the context of the study (Sternberg et al. 2011; Farruggia et al. 2018; Grodsky 2007). This research will build on the existing research and expand the focus of the research to a broader application of both cultural and social capital together. Through this method, this dissertation examines differences in college readiness students possess when they enter Urban Center University. This research also examines differences in the type and level of social capital students report activating in their first semester of college, primarily measured through students' sense of belonging. Finally, it will examine differences in support for students' cultural communities as measured by academic/social support for their cultural community and strain with family and friends from home. A binary logistic regression operationalizes all three components of cultural and social capital to investigate the likelihood of the following: persistence to year two and year three, on-time graduation, and attainment of satisfactory academic performance (SAP) toward degree completion. Finally, high degrees of belonging for Latino/a students, men, and first-generation students are compared to overall persistence rates for these populations to examine how belonging impacts persistence for students who identify as members of these groups. / Doctor of Philosophy / Many students choose to attend a college or university and never graduate. This dissertation examines the ways that their high school experience, family and friends, and relationships forged at Urban Center impact their persistence and likelihood of graduating in four years. The research will combine several forms of relationships and academic measures in one model to understand the ways they interact to impact persistence. The research will help colleges and universities understand the way that both pre-college behaviors and academic effort, relationships forged in college, and maintaining home relationships impact the likelihood of persistence. The context for Urban Center was selected because it offers insight into a campus with a very diverse student body based on race, gender, sexual orientation, Pell Grant utilization, and status as the first in their immediate family to attend college.

Thesis advisor: Kenneth C. Williams / Thesis advisor: Welkin Johnson / Understanding the persistence of viral reservoirs despite durable antiretroviral therapy (ART) is essential to addressing the challenge of viral clearance and chronic immune activation with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV). It had not previously been demonstrated that HIV or SIV- infected macrophage traffic out of the CNS to reseed the periphery, potentially contributing to viral recrudescence. This thesis proposes the central hypothesis that persistent traffic of monocytes and macrophages out of the CNS and subsequent viral reseeding of the periphery plays a key role in viral dissemination, particularly in the context of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), with ART, and following ART interruption. In Chapter 2, utilizing Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION) as a novel in vivo method to label CNS macrophages, we demonstrate that under normal conditions, CNS macrophages migrate out to the deep cervical lymph nodes. However, during SIV infection, we observe an accumulation of macrophages within the CNS and a reduction in traffic out to the periphery. Importantly, with SIV-infection, we found that SIV-infected macrophages traffic out to deep cervical lymph nodes. From these, we find that under normal conditions, macrophages traffic out of the CNS. However, during SIVinfection, macrophages are retained within the CNS, contributing to inflammation in the brain, and those that do migrate out are virally infected. In Chapter 3, we hypothesized that ART restores CNS macrophage traffic and prevents viral dissemination from the CNS reservoir by eliminating the traffic of virally infected macrophage out of the CNS, as seen with AIDS and SIV-induced encephalitis (SIVE). We also hypothesized that following four weeks of ART interruption there would be expansion of the CNS viral reservoir with traffic out of virally infected macrophages to the deep cervical lymph node. Utilizing a rapid AIDS model with CD8 depletion to induce a high incidence of SIVE and intracisternal injection of SPION, we found that SIV-infected macrophages accumulate in the perivascular space, meninges, choroid plexus, and traffic out at a low rate to the deep cervical lymph node, spleen, and even to the dorsal root ganglia (DRG). With ART, we found clearance of virally infected macrophages in the brain perivascular space but not in the meninges or choroid plexus. Importantly following four weeks of ART interruption, the perivascular space remained clear of virus but there was a rebound in the meninges and scattered virally infected macrophages in the choroid plexus. With ART and following a brief ART interruption, there was no traffic of CNS virally infected macrophages out to the deep cervical lymph node, spleen, or DRGs. These data demonstrate that ART effectively clears virus-infected perivascular macrophages and eliminates the traffic of virus-infected macrophages out of the CNS to the deep cervical lymph node and spleen but does not eliminate virally infected macrophages in the meninges or choroid plexus. By using two differently colored SPION injected early and late, we observed an increase in early SPION+ macrophages within and outside the CNS with SIVE, ART, and ART interruption, indicating that SIV-infected perivascular macrophages establish an early viral reservoir with ongoing seeding in the meninges and choroid plexus throughout infection. These findings are consistent with the retention of CNS macrophages in the presence of inflammation and viral infection, as well as the potential for viral rebound in the CNS from sources such as the blood, meninges, and choroid plexus with ART and following ART interruption. In Chapter 4, we propose a novel pathway for virus-infected macrophages to traffic out of the CNS via cranial and spinal nerves. Due to the persistence of virally infected macrophages in the meninges with durable ART and continuity of the CNS meninges with peripheral nerves, we hypothesize that virally infected macrophage traffic out of the CNS via cranial and peripheral nerves with AIDS and SIVE, on ART, and following ART interruption. To test this hypothesis, we tracked SPION+ macrophages by quantifying them at central (spinal cord and cranial nerves) and peripheral sites (dorsal root ganglia, DRG). Similar to our previous findings in the brain, SIV infection increased the numbers of macrophages in the spinal cord and decreased them in peripheral sites. Staining for viral RNA and GP41 identified virus-infected SPION+ macrophages in cranial nerves and DRG, which were significantly reduced but not eliminated by ART. In animals with AIDS, late- and dual-labeled SPION+ macrophages decreased, suggesting reduced macrophage trafficking late in infection. ART appeared to restore traffic, as higher numbers of late- and dual-labeled macrophages were observed, though this reversed to levels seen in AIDS/SIVE upon ART interruption. Our findings reveal a previously understudied pathway that allows CNS macrophage viral reservoirs to reseed virus to the periphery, a process that persists despite ART. In Chapter 5, we performed a literature review to better understand the effects of HIV infection on aging, as age is a primary risk factor for the development of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders and HIV-associated sensory neuropathy. With ART extending the lifespan of people living with HIV, they now also experience accelerated aging, leading to earlier onset of age-related conditions like cardiovascular disease and neurocognitive disorders. Evidence suggests this is due to chronic immune activation, co-infections, and possibly ART itself. HIV and aging both alter immune cell populations, increasing inflammatory markers and contributing to "inflamm-aging." While ART slows this acceleration, it cannot prevent aging or related comorbidities. This thesis explores the role of macrophage traffic from the CNS and its contribution to the spread of the virus to peripheral tissues. To investigate this, we utilized a novel in vivo labeling method to track CNS macrophages, identify migration out of the CNS, and evaluate how ART and ART interruption influence the traffic of virally infected macrophages to peripheral tissues. Our findings underscore the role of CNS macrophages in the resolution of inflammation by trafficking out of the CNS, viral rebound from blood- derived sources following ART interruption, and the role of perineural pathways in viral dissemination even with durable ART. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2024. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Biology.