Date of Award
2020
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Organizational Unit
Morgridge College of Education, Higher Education
First Advisor
Judy Marquez Kiyama
Second Advisor
Tayana Hardin
Third Advisor
Chris A. Nelson
Fourth Advisor
Frank Tuitt
Keywords
African American women, Black women, College, Institutional policy levers, Persistence, Retention
Abstract
This study is exploring how institutional policy levers impact retention for African American/Black women undergraduate students at a private four-year predominantly white institution in a mid-western state of the United States. Retention of African American/Black women undergraduate students is not a widely researched area. In this exploratory case study, eight African American/Black undergraduate junior and senior women, ten administrators and one focus group of six African American/Black women were interviewed. Artifacts were collected from the administrators. The data collected was analyzed using the culturally engaging campus environment model. The experiences of the African American/Black undergraduate women were examined in academic advising, administrative policies and procedures, student orientation programs, residential life and student affairs programming. This research is important for better understanding what institutional policy levers at predominantly white institutions (PWI) are and are not helping retain African American/Black women undergraduate students. African American/Black women undergraduate students (a) have complex race and gender issues to deal with on PWIs, (b) they come to PWIs with agency and develop more while there, and (c) they are surviving and retaining on these campuses because of themselves.
Publication Statement
Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
Rights Holder
Tamara D. White
Provenance
Received from ProQuest
File Format
application/pdf
Language
en
File Size
287 p.
Recommended Citation
White, Tamara D., "College, at What Cost? African American/Black Women Undergraduate Students’ Perception of Institutional Policy Levers" (2020). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1859.
https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/1859
Copyright date
2020
Discipline
Higher education, African American studies, Women's studies