Date of Award

Spring 6-13-2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D. in Higher Education

Organizational Unit

Morgridge College of Education, Higher Education

First Advisor

Cecilia Orphan

Second Advisor

Laura Sponsler

Third Advisor

Tim Casey

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

All Rights Reserved
All Rights Reserved.

Keywords

Civic engagement, Policy discourse analysis, Political polarization, Regional public universities, Rural consciousness, Rural-serving institutions, Political engagement, Stewardship of place, Community capitals framework

Abstract

This qualitative embedded single-case study explored how a rural-serving regional public university (RPU) contributed to the political well-being of its politically polarized service region ahead of the 2024 presidential election. Guided by the stewardship of political place theoretical framework, which integrates rural consciousness, the Community Capitals Framework, and the stewardship of place framework for RPUs’ public engagement, the study utilized policy discourse analysis to examine regional residents' and internal constituents' perceptions regarding WPU’s role in promoting regional political well-being. Data collection included semi-structured interviews, direct observations of campus civic engagement events, and institutional document reviews.

The study demonstrates that regional residents co-construct political well‑being through shared rural identity, interdependence, and collaborative governance amid demographic change and rising partisan polarization. Findings reveal that the university advances political well‑being by investing in human, social, cultural, and political capital via workforce development, civic programming, and community partnerships, yet funding classifications, perceptions of partisan bias, and uneven trust limit its effectiveness. The study extends rural consciousness by theorizing institutional rural consciousness and a rural consciousness continuum and proposes actionable recommendations for higher education policy, practice, and future research aimed at strengthening rural‑serving RPUs’ capacity iii to foster inclusive, resilient democratic engagement. This research underscores the need for targeted institutional support, robust resources, and explicit policies that recognize and amplify RPUs' capacities to sustain democratic resilience, political well-being, and community vitality amid rural America's ongoing political polarization and socioeconomic challenges

Copyright Date

1-2025

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Rights Holder

Katie Kleinhesselink

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Format

application/pdf

Language

English (eng)

Extent

329 pgs

File Size

2.8 MB

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