This article analyzes 255 articles published in seven peer-reviewed journals over a 10-year period and presents examples of how higher education researchers undertake the study of campus racial climates; racial differences in access, outcomes, and attainment; and the experiences of students, faculty, and administrators of color on predominantly…

Persistent disparities in doctoral degree completion have led many institutions to hire graduate diversity officers (GDOs) to increase the presence of underrepresented minorities in graduate programs. This qualitative study of 14 GDOs considers how the dimensions of campus racial climate (CRC) influence the ability of GDOs to carry out this work.…

Residential colleges in large, public research universities purport to create a small liberal arts environment with the resources of a major university, but little empirical attention has been paid to their claims of effectiveness. This study examined one facet of the liberal arts ideal, the development of lifelong learners. Hierarchical Linear…

Framed within the debate on African American "anti-intellectualism," this study examined a longitudinal sample of 460 African American students' intellectual self-concept and college grades (GPA) through regression analyses resulting from their college experiences. The findings showed that the college environment had a modest influence on African…

Despite theoretical evidence positing a positive relationship between campus residency and collegiate outcomes, prior research has not established a causal link. Utilizing propensity score matching and national longitudinal data, this study investigates whether living in university-owned housing impacts retention. The results suggest that the…

This study explored how students' precollege racial environments shaped their diversity experiences in college, and it tested whether diverse college experiences interrupt the cyclical effects of precollege segregation. Using longitudinal survey data collected at nine public universities, the study concluded that students' precollege racial…

Using a national longitudinal dataset of college students, this study examines satisfaction with the ethnic diversity of the student body and faculty at traditionally White institutions. The strongest predictor of satisfaction with diversity for White and Latino/a students was the heterogeneity of the institution; the strongest predictors for…

Racial minority student persistence is of paramount importance to higher education policymakers and practitioners. This study was aimed at understanding racial differences in the direct and indirect effects of campus racial climate on degree completion using structural equation modeling techniques and a nationally representative sample. The…

Recent research and critiques of affirmative action in college admissions raise questions about popular approaches for enhancing learning outcomes, suggesting that a diverse student body is neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for experiencing diversity, creating supportive learning environments, or fostering desired outcomes of college.…

Investigated the relationship of collegiate desegregation policy to institutional enrollment, examining the nexus between transdemography and tipping-point theory in an effort to conceptualize what happens to the culture of one historically Black college in West Virginia as non-Black students enroll in increasing numbers. (EV)

If colleges and universities were to examine closely the results of research on student persistence, they would find several ways to change their academic organization to promote greater educational community among students, faculty, and staff, including supporting connected learning experiences; reorganizing the first year of college; and…

At four colleges, 135 African American women students completed measures of self-concept, gender identity, and ethnic identity, and were interviewed. Results suggest that women's self-concepts of race and gender are experienced differently depending on their school's racial and gender composition. Colleges should reexamine diversity efforts to…

Examines the prospects for protecting academic freedom in American higher education, addressing three areas of potential conflict and tension: pressures to divorce the protection of academic freedom from formal tenure systems; increasing regulation of harassment and other forms of incivility in the collegiate community; and academic freedom in…

Summarizes research findings on campus racial climate according to a four-dimensional model: (1) an institutions' historical legacy of inclusion/exclusion of various racial/ethnic groups; (2) structural diversity, or numerical representations of various racial/ethnic groups; (3) psychological climate (perceptions, attitudes among groups); and (4)…

A case study explored attempts to change the culture related to sexual orientation at a small, Catholic college. Focus was on the perceptions and experiences of gay, lesbian, and bisexual students, staff, faculty, and their allies. These participants experienced a culture filled with contradictions and paradoxes. The report delineates and…