This dissertation is an examination of influences that have contributed to the retention of a group of minority students attending a predominately white postsecondary institution. The focus of the study is on the students' perspectives and the meaning and personal interpretation students draw from influences that impinge upon them and from their interactions with the college experience. From a sociological perspective this view and emphasis on meaning is described as the sociology of everyday life. The component of the sociology of everyday life which directed the methodology is symbolic interactionism. The data collection instrument was a focused interview. Variables from the Metzner and Bean (1987) Conceptual Model of Nontraditional Student Attrition and Tinto (1987) Student Integration Model served as the starting point for the formation of the open-ended questions. The selected group of students were participants in a collaborative program between a school district, a community college, and a state university designed to encourage minorities to pursue careers in education. Twelve out of 25 qualified participants volunteered for the study. They represented a heterogeneous group of African-American, Hispanic-American, and Asian-American students. The data indicated that while the students had divergent family and educational experiences prior to entering the college, certain circumstances took place that were in many instances similar. The findings were multifaceted and represent institutional, environmental, and personal influences. Institutional influences included the encouragement of faculty and staff, introduction of college as a choice either early in their lives or when they were ready to make career changes, academic supports, ethnic and multicultural studies, a familiar site on campus to go for assistance, and the availability of supportive administrators and faculty. Environmental influences included familiarity with the lack of employment opportunities without a college degree, and experience in racially integrated environments. Personal influences included assistance with college expenses from a family member, awareness of the economic limitations without advanced training, and personal commitment and determination to persist. Supportive relationships within the context of the students' families, educational experiences and the broader society of which they were an integral part all played influential roles in the persistence of the students.

This qualitative study explored the experiences of self-identified White students currently enrolled at a predominantly White institution who were cross- racially involved for at least ten weeks in a multicultural association, club, or organization that had students of color as the racial majority. This study also examined students' consciousness of Whiteness and the development of students' White identities based on their cross-racial experiences. Utilizing a sample of 4 students in concert with a review of relevant literature, the principal findings of this research are that cross-racially involved students have heightened awareness of difference based on race, including their own White racial identity. Although racial tension exists between individuals' White identities and the collective organization’s multicultural identity, White students who were more deeply involved in multicultural organizations indicated that they (a) had a higher sense of belonging with their peers of color, (b) became more conscious of their Whiteness both inside and outside of their multicultural organizations to a certain degree, and (c) desired to more completely understand their ethnic heritage. Findings from this study can contribute towards literature on the development of racial justice allies in college. In order to influence racial justice ally development at a predominantly White institution, findings from this research suggest that student affairs administrators should encourage White students to engage in multicultural organizations so they can understand how their Whiteness "shows up" for others including the impact of privilege and oppression in a multicultural society. / Graduation date: 2012