Western Carolina University (WCU) enrolls students from many different backgrounds and demographic categories. While access to the institution has expanded over the years, equity gaps still exist relative to retention and graduation outcomes for students in different demographic groups. Several offices at the University offer programing and…

Findings from this descriptive psychological phenomenological study identify distinct patterns of identity expression in multiracial Native American students. Participants used selective invisibility to avoid monoracialism or feeling invisible to their institution and there were personal reservations about the authenticity of their Indigenous…

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to explore the lived experiences of Latina higher education leaders at four-year predominantly White institutions (PWIs). The number of Latinas in leadership positions within higher education does not reflect the growing Latina college student representation. A qualitative research approach using…

Drawing on focus group, interview, and participant-observer data collected as part of this IRB-approved [19.177] qualitative research project, this dissertation provides insights about how Black American students develop academic identities through coursework and extracurricular involvement in a Black culture center on the campus of a historically…

This article focuses on the college experiences of 19 Black men who attended historically white institutions (HWIs). Using a hermeneutic phenomenological approach, we explore how these students articulate, make sense of, and are confronted by antiblackness during their college years. We find and detail three specific forms of anti-Black racism…

The experiences of Black counseling students at Predominantly White Institutions are well documented. Using a transcendental phenomenological environmental research design, we explored how 12 Black counselor education graduates experienced their respective institutions across three types of academic institutions--Predominantly White Institutions,…

This sequential explanatory study focuses on two forms of sight: Sankofa (hindsight) and surveillance (close observation or monitoring (Foucault, 1995, 2000; Temple, 2010; Quarcoo, 1972). These two ways of seeing can provide a unique perspective on Black women's career experiences in historically white institutions. I focus on how European…

This article explores entanglements of matter, space, and temporalities in shaping academic subjectivities in Norwegian higher education. Drawing on conversations with foreign women working at a major university, I explore the forces (re)producing what matters in academia, creating assumptions of who can be a real academic. Leaning on Karen…

Islamophobia and anti-Muslim racism pose a unique experience, especially when one is readily identifiable as a Muslim through hijab, a head covering worn by some Muslim women. Although frequently conflated with racial identity, Muslim women are uniquely impacted by the intersection of race, gender, and religious identity. In this paper, I explore…

Food insecurity is more prevalent on college campuses than within the general population. This qualitative case study explored the ways in which the small liberal arts context shapes food insecure students' experiences. Based on interviews with students and members of an emergency funding committee, and document analysis, we found that the liberal…

This study utilized a basic qualitative design and Burns's transformational leadership theory, Crenshaw's intersectionality theory, and Collins's Black feminist theory to examine African American women in senior academic leadership positions at predominantly White institutions (PWIs) who have experienced gender, racial, and/or organizational bias…

The racial and ethnic diversity of faculty in the United States is not keeping pace with that of students. Still, the majority of faculty are white despite improvement over the past twenty years (Davis & Fry, 2019). The need for faculty to enhance their cultural awareness and multicultural efficacy in higher education is evident…

Students of color in predominantly White institutions (PWI's) encounter racial microaggressions, the often subtle, but powerful, offensive experiences that are steeped in racism and occur in the course of everyday life. They also experience racial microaffirmations--moments where their racial identities or racialized realities are affirmed,…

Background: The potential for broadening participation in engineering among Black undergraduates via transfer pathways is considerable, given their large share of the community college population. By understanding the opportunities and challenges presented within the context of transfer, this potential can be realized. Purpose/hypothesis: The goal…

HBCUs have contributed to the formation of strong leaders who have challenged many assumptions of our nation's founders, defended our sovereignty when attacked by internal and external enemies, and sacrificed for the betterment of their communities. HBCU campuses include opportunities for Black students to engage in religious and community service…