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Critical (Re)Approach To Higher Education Admission Policy: The Impact Of Open Enrollment Policy Implementation, Shirdonna Yvonne Lawrence

Theses and Dissertations

Federal and state policies affecting higher education, like the Morrill Land Grant Act of 1832, Brown vs. Board of Education, and Higher Education Act of 1965 have posited change regarding the proliferation of diversity and expansion of access (Thelin, 2011).

I analyzed BOT policies for enrollment and conducted a socio-diagnostic CDA on the implementation of admission policy to understand the impact of the policies’ implementation. I focused on 1) exploring how open enrollment (OE) policies were constructed, 2) how institutions adopt and interpret these policies, and 3) how individuals at the institution enact these policies, by conducting a discourse-historical analysis …

First-Year Retention At Virginia Commonwealth University: Understanding Student Departure And The Potential Impact Of Academic Advising, Ben Plache

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines first-year enrollment at Virginia Commonwealth University to determine what factors are associated with an increased likelihood of a student not being retained, and for which of these factors there is evidence that academic advising is an effective intervention. A survey of common retention models identified six factors associated with retention likelihood: student background prior to enrollment (“pre-enrollment factors”), financial support, institutional support, institutional performance, institutional engagement, and student intention. Prior research has shown that academic advising is an effective intervention for two of these factors: institutional performance and institutional support.

The significance of these factors was tested …

Finishing On-Time: A Qualitative Examination Of Contributors To Timely Undergraduate Degree Completion, Diane Vermaaten

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the most significant factors that contributed to on-time undergraduate degree completion. On-time degree completion requires that a student complete all the requirements of their degree within 4.5 years or less. A grounded theory methodology was used to conduct the study. Narrative data was collected through semi-structured interviews. Thirty former students who completed their undergraduate degree at Virginia Commonwealth University were recruited for this study. To be eligible for the study, participants had to have completed their undergraduate degree in 4.5 years or less and graduated between 2004 and 2011. The analysis of …