Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional & Community Planning / Alpa Nawre / Race tension has increased in America as contemporary issues occur. Riots and protests are becoming common once again. The research presented shows how park space can help foster diversity and in turn improve race relations in the Kansas City area. The study shows how communities in Kansas City became segregated based on historical laws, regulations, and common day practices that reinforced racial boundaries between communities. Many still feel racial tension stemming from historical events today. A focus on integration within communities can be the first step in creating harmony and healing people who have felt these negative impacts on their lives. A literature review, including historical documents from Kansas City and similarly structured racially divided cities, such as St. Louis, Missouri, Detroit, Michigan, and Chicago, Illinois, were analyzed. Research lead to focusing in on Swope Park and the surrounding community. Swope Park has a complex history of segregation and is located near Troost Avenue, which is one of the greatest racial divide lines in the United States. To the west of Troost Avenue the race is predominantly white while to the east is composed mostly of African Americans. On site observational surveys and short interviews with users of Swope Park were conducted to determine current use, users, and park qualities. Qualtrics Surveys were released to community organization to survey a larger group of people, some of whom might not currently use the park. The analyzed information gathered helped shape an innovative design suggestion and strategy to promote diversity and integration at Swope Park. This research can help shape a diverse future of racially integrated communities in the Kansas City area to promote economic stimuli, break down racial stigmas, and increase education, understanding, and celebration of diverse racial backgrounds.

Thesis advisor: Ana Martínez Alemán / Persistent critiques regarding the lack of racial diversity in higher education have sparked institutions to implement an array of diversity programs and policies. In concert, states have crafted policies mandating the benchmarking and reporting of institutional diversity efforts. These policies have resulted in the development of institutional reports that both monitor an institution's efforts and highlight aspirations. The increased focus on diversity has occurred within the landscape of shifting institutional diversity. The diversification of institution type is exemplified by the growth in Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), which in the past 20 years, have doubled and grown to educate over 60 percent of Latinx students (Galdeano, Hurtado, & Núñez, 2015). This dissertation considers unaddressed questions regarding diversity discourse within diversity plans and key institutional artifacts HSIs. Specifically, it examines the characterizations of racial diversity, how the discourse of race informs campus framing of Latinx students as raced subjects, and how policy problems and solutions are constructed within these institutions. Engaging critical discourse analysis, this study examines the diversity, equity, or inclusion report at 24 public institutions located in three distinct policy environments - Florida, New York, and California. Through a critical race theory framework, this work explores the discourse of racial diversity at these institutions. Key finding from this study includes the ways in which the diversity plans serve to both lay a foundation for a shared definition of diversity but, in so doing, advance the erasure and essentialization of various identities resulting in a narrow characterization of Latinx. Additionally, the research illustrates how institutions leverage their HSI identity for financial gains. Given the national discourse of advancing racial diversity in higher education, this research presents findings on the current landscape as well as provides recommendations for practitioners aiming to promote the construction of diversity policy that can deliver on this agenda. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2020. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

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Thesis advisor: Richard R. Gaillardetz / For the Catholic Church, the Second Vatican Council serves as a compass regarding its purpose and direction for the third millennium. Lumen Gentium defines the Church as “a sacrament – a sign and instrument” of “communion with God and the unity of the entire human race.” As a sacrament of unity, the Church calls all “to this catholic unity of the people of God, which prefigures and promotes universal peace” (LG,1). Such catholic unity or catholicity is neither a given nor an abstraction. Catholicity requires the cooperation of human effort with divine grace for the reconciliation of all peoples. To remain faithful to this mission, the Church must first recognize how its own damaged sense of catholicity has resulted in turning brother against brother in the name of Christ. Every time Catholics participated in the homogenizing logics of domination, such as the latinization of Eastern Christians, the colonization of the global South, and current expressions of Eurocentric white supremacy, they have contributed to the woundedness that harms the Body of Christ. In each of these broken relationships, the Church has wandered from its original purpose to the extent that it has allowed itself to become corrupted by forms of power that are not shaped by the foolishness of the Cross (1 Cor 1:18). To transform our wandering back into journeying, the Church must rediscover the meaning and purpose of its catholicity for the third millennium. It must allow the cries of the wounded to reveal the lack of concrete human communion that first exists among the faithful. Only by working towards the healing of these relationships within the Church can it have integrity in preaching unity to the rest of the world. To cultivate this culture of encounter within, I argue that we must reimagine catholicity from an interstitial perspective. This perspective locates catholicity not only between the cultural differences of the Roman Catholic church, but also the ecclesial differences between the Western and Eastern churches of the Catholic communion. The “third space” that emerges at the interstices between faith communities becomes a space of encounter, not only forcing the enunciation of difference, but also the question and the nature of catholic unity amidst difference. Resisting both the centripetal temptation to assimilate difference into the whole and the centrifugal temptation to maintain difference at the peripheries, a reimagination of catholicity from an interstitial perspective emphasizes how the Church itself is a liminal figure, encouraging the faithful to respond more authentically to the call to exist spatially as leaven – transforming society from within - and temporally as pilgrim between the promise and the fulfillment. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2019. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Theology.

Thesis advisor: Karen Arnold / This study explored the relationship between pre-college and college racial environments and post-secondary outcomes for Asian American students at selective institutions. This research utilized a sample of API students (n=940) from the National Longitudinal Survey of Freshman (1998-2003) which examined the pre-college and college experiences of students from 28 universities across five separate wave instruments from freshman through senior year. A series of blocked, linear regressions investigated the impact of homogeneity and heterogeneity of three racial environments (childhood, adolescence, and college) and the transition between adolescence and college on post-secondary outcomes in six categories (GPA, assertiveness, psychological health, satisfaction, cross-racial interactions, and racial microaggressions). Additional considerations included possible mediating effects of peer group racial composition and racial identity variables. The major findings reveal that (1) diversity in adolescence predicted lower academic assertiveness; (2) college homogeneity predicted lower academic assertiveness, higher psychological distress, and fewer racial microaggressions; and (3) high school-to-college transitions in racial diversity decreased assertiveness. Additionally, peer composition of racial environment was found to mediate between GPA and college homogeneity. Several control variables (gender, ethnicity, college type, immigration) were also strong predictors in the model. These findings add a new dimension to the literature on Asian American college students by identifying some potential links between their racial environments and post-secondary outcomes. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2011. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Administration and Higher Education.

Art education scholars have redefined multicultural teaching practices to include a need for addressing social inequities. To understand art educators’ multicultural teaching practices, it is important to measure the extent to which they present cultural diversity in the classroom and present a racially diverse pool of artists. The purpose of this this quantitative, nonexperimental study was to measure the extent to which practicing K–12 art educators who are members of the National Art Education Association (NAEA) engage students with racially diverse artists and cultures within their curricula. The study aimed to measure the extent that educators address racial and cultural diversity in their classrooms. The study also gathered data on which resources participants indicated would help create and implement curricula that addresses racially diverse artists and cultures. Finally, the study explored the relationships between seven different teachers’ self-reported attributes and the extent that they taught about and valued racial/cultural diversity. The findings show that educators taught about racial and cultural diversity to regularly in their classroom practices and they also voiced a need for more resources to teach more about racially diverse artists and cultures, specifically visual resources and education/training regarding racially/culturally diverse content. Findings also indicated that educators who taught 21+ years, taught predominantly students of color, and those who were more comfortable with conversations pertaining to racial/cultural diversity were more likely to value the importance of racial/cultural diversity in their curricula. The results suggest that resources, such as education, training, or professional development, should be offered to educators in the field so that they may continue learning new language concerning diversity as perceptions and understandings continue to shift.

There are 34 state-supported historic sites that are managed by the Texas Historical Commission (THC) and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD). These sites have been acquired over the years with various justifications and acquisition histories and are not a planned system of historic sites. With the rapidly changing demographics in Texas, it is clear that new strategies need to be developed so that these sites better represent the history of all Texans. The thesis investigation begins with a history of diversity initiatives within the preservation movement. Next, I present an innovative method for identifying potential areas of focus for diversity initiatives at state historic sites using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). I developed a spatial analysis methodology to quantify the level of diversity of the web content of each of the 34 state historic sites. Each historic site’s web site was then ranked according to its relevance to four ethnic groups: African Americans, Hispanics, Asians and Native Americans. Additionally, I generated population maps, descriptive maps, and analytical maps in order to understand how historic sites interact with the surrounding population. Finally, I present a set of strategies for existing state historic sites that will provide greater diversity in interpretative techniques and promotion. The goal of the GIS-based spatial analysis and the subsequent development of strategies aimed at targeted sites is to broaden the appeal of historic sites to a more diverse audience. / text

Numerous studies have examined the relationship between a critical mass of women on corporate boards and firm performance. Despite convincing arguments that racially diverse board members contribute positively to the board's management oversight and strategy formulation responsibilities, literature examining race in the boardroom has been very scant and racial minority directors remain persistently under- represented on corporate boards. The purpose of this study was to examine whether a critical mass of 30% Black directors on boards and audit committees of public companies performed better than companies with less than 30% Black directors. The study was conducted using the mining and financial services companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. Quantitative research methodology was utilized to test the financial ratios of ROA, ROE, Tobin's Q, Share Price, P: E Ratio and Dividend Payout with companies that had a minimum of 30% Black directors compared to companies with less than 30% Black directors. The study revealed that there was no relationship between either a critical mass of Black directors on boards and financial performance or between a critical mass of Black directors on audit committees and financial performance. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / ccgibs2014 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / MBA / Unrestricted

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Between 2000 and 2010, the Asian population within the U.S. increased more than four times faster than the total U.S. population. Accordingly, school-aged immigrant children from Asia constitute a sizeable portion of the U.S.’s student population. The percentage of students enrolled in elementary and secondary public schools who are Asian/Pacific Islander is projected to increase from 2.6 to 3.1 million between 2014 and 2025, and will account for 6 percent of total enrollment by 2025. Asian American youth have shown distinct characteristics among other racial minority groups in the U.S. Compared to their White and Black counterparts, Asian American students perform better in secondary education and have higher college admission test scores. In addition to educational success in secondary education, Asian Americans also tend to enroll in college at higher rates, and are more likely to attend highly selective four-year colleges compared to other racial minority groups. Although the research on Asian American students’ educational success in secondary education and transition to college is well-established, neither their experiences in the early stages of schooling or in higher education have been investigated in depth, which leads to a general misunderstanding of Asian American students and their educational outcomes. For the children of immigrant parents, early childhood is the most important period for adjustment, providing opportunities to prepare socially, psychologically, and intellectually for formal institutional settings. Despite this, researchers have paid relatively little attention to the educational experiences of young Asian American students and their families. Research on Asian American college students is equally important, with some social scientists reporting that the educational success of Asian Americans in secondary education is not necessarily maintained through higher education. Research on these two stages of education will help us better understand the educational attainment of Asian American students in terms of life course perspectives. In order to address the evident gaps in research, I have chosen to investigate the relationship between parents’ race/ethnicity and parental involvement in pre-secondary education, as well as the association between students’ race/ethnicity and educational experiences in post-secondary education, focusing primarily on Asian American students. In the first study, I examine how the race/ethnicity of parents with first grade children contributes to parental involvement within school and outside of school, after controlling for potential confounding factors at both the child and parent level. I further explore whether parents’ socioeconomic status (SES) influences the parental involvement of Asian parents. Using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-2011 (ECLS-K:2011) data, I employ ordinary least squared (OLS) regression to examine the extent to which parent’s race/ethnicity or SES (within-race/ethnicity analysis) predict parental involvement in their children’s educational activities, in school and outside of school. To adjust for weighting and design effects in the data set, I used the specific first grade weights designed for each teacher, parent, or school administrator response in 2010-2011 cohorts, respectively. I found that while Asian parents had significantly lower participation in school-based parental activities compared to White parents, such parents tended to participate more heavily in their children’s educational activities outside of school. Within-race/ethnicity analysis for Asian parents, I found an overall positive effect of SES on parental involvement both in school and outside of school. Interestingly, the determinants of parental involvement changed depending upon the types of parental involvement. In the second study, I analyze the 2016 Student Experience in the Research University (SERU), a multi-institutional data set, to examine the relationship between students’ race/ethnicity and college outcomes, as well as the extent to which students’ college experiences and perceptions mediate this relationship. I found that Asian American college students had a lower college GPA, as well as lower scores in self-assessment of gains in critical thinking and communication skills, compared to their White peers. Students’ academic engagement and perceptions of how well they belonged accounted for the largest share of the relationship between students’ race/ethnicity and college outcomes. I further explore how parental education, as a proxy of parents’ SES, influences the college outcomes of Asian American college students. I found that Asian American students with parents who did not attend any college had higher GPAs than those Asian American students with parents who both earned four-year degrees. However, Asian American students with parents who did not attend any college had lower scores in self-evaluation of gains in critical thinking and communication skills than those with parents who both earned four-year degrees. This dissertation contributes to the existing literature on Asian American studies and higher education by pushing the boundaries of sociological knowledge of the experiences of Asian American students in U.S. schools. Focusing on the influence of race/ethnicity and family background from the early years to the post-secondary level, this research provides a rich and far more comprehensive understanding of immigrant success than is currently available in the literature. Given the statistical evidence of higher educational attainment among Asian American students, many policy makers view Asian American students and their families as members of a model minority; researchers typically describe these individuals as successfully overcoming some racial minority status, and wrongly assume that they do not need to receive specific policy or program support. These perspectives imply that Asian American students are a homogeneous racial group. In response, my dissertation attempts to reveal the disadvantages of those Asian American parents who struggle to involve themselves in their children’s school-based activities, as well as how SES can impact parent involvement among these Asian parents. My dissertation also attempts to highlight the fact that success in secondary education for Asian Americans does not necessarily lead to successful college outcomes. These findings indicate that Asian American students and their families have been misunderstood and misrepresented, particularly with regard to the early stages of schooling, as well as higher education. My dissertation seeks to inform policy for those programs targeting disadvantaged racial minority students. Educational institutions, for instance, could design policy interventions for those racial minority parents with children in pre-secondary education wanting to involve themselves more heavily in their children’s school-based activities. Postsecondary educators might also be able to more effectively foster the academic success of their students (specifically Asian Americans) by increasing their awareness of their students’ particular immigrant and family backgrounds.