There were concerns regarding the decline in four-year college enrollment suggesting that fewer students persist to continue education beyond high school levels or two-year college levels. Despite the decline in four-year college enrollment, the persistence to graduation with an associate degree was stable. There was a gap in literature regarding…

With 1.8 million students, California Community Colleges (CCC) are often the primary point of access to higher education for low-income, Black, and Latino students. Given the role of community colleges in creating a strong pipeline of college graduates, improving transfer rates to four-year colleges has become an increasingly important policy…

Community colleges are frequently an affordable, accessible entrance to a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education and career, but the transition from a 2-year program to a 4-year institution can be tumultuous. In this mixed-methods study, we explore the experiences of transfer and prospective transfer students. Through…

This dissertation contains three essays that examine the influence of state policies on transfer enrollment at 4-year institutions. The first essay is a systematic review of 16 studies that provide an understanding of the literature on state policies and transfer enrollment at 4-year institutions. In the review I provide an understanding of who…

Latinx students already constitute the largest minority group of students graduating from the United States secondary school systems and projections show the Latinx population continuing to increase between now and 2036 (WICHE, 2020). Both in the United States overall, and within the Appalachian Region, the increase in the Latinx population and…

For the U.S. to regain the top ranking in the world for college degree attainment, Latinos will need to earn 6.2 million degrees by 2030. To reach the degree attainment goal by 2030, the U.S. can: close the degree completion gap by accelerating Latino completion while increasing for all students and scale up programs and initiatives that work for…

In higher education, significant efforts have been made to improve student success outcomes. In this dissertation, two important problems related to student academic success are considered. The curriculum plays a crucial role in shaping student success. Curricular complexity has been shown to be inversely related to the graduation rate of…

Limited research is available on transfer students who are athletes and on student-athletes from non-NCAA institutions. This study sought to determine if Tinto's theory of student departure can be applied to transfer student-athletes at smaller institutions. A mixed-methods approach was chosen to gain a more in-depth understanding of the…

Transfer students from the College of Agriculture (COA) at Iowa State University graduate at a higher rate than their university peers (non-COA). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine if differences exist between COA and non-COA transfer students in their pre- and post- transfer experiences. A survey instrument was developed, and…

The impact and benefits of undergraduate research experiences (URE) in the first two years of post-secondary education have been well documented. Early exposure to research experiences is effective in recruitment, diversity and persistence in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) degree programs, particularly among…

This article explores the connection between curiosity and feelings of joy in information seeking. The authors interviewed 41 transfer students about their transition to their new campus. As part of the interviews, the investigators asked students to describe a time when they felt curious or excited to learn more about something. The researchers…

Peers can play an invaluable role in helping a student to learn, and peer support is a means to help collaborative students learn well in teams. Students who communicate well with peers understand multiple points of view, and peer support allows students to achieve a shared goal. In higher education, a student can enroll on an undergraduate…

Associate in Applied Science (AAS) degree graduates often enter the workforce immediately upon graduation. This study examined the vertical transfer decision-making processes of these students as they considered whether to enter the workforce upon graduation or transfer to a four-year university in search of an applied engineering degree. The…

Improving community college transfer pathways in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields is an urgent educational equity issue in the United States. While there is abundant literature documenting the challenges community college transfer students face in their pursuit of a STEM bachelor's degree, there is limited research on the…

Much public discourse surrounds the intractable problem for some community college students in attaining a bachelor's degree through vertical transfer. Scholars have found 80% of entering community college students plan to transfer, yet this intent to transfer is somehow diverted for most (Jenkins & Fink, 2016). Although a new report showed an…