Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 2 of 2
Full-Text Articles in Education
Why Do They Go? Community College Students And Post-Secondary Pursuits In Central Appalachia, Christina Jo Wright
Why Do They Go? Community College Students And Post-Secondary Pursuits In Central Appalachia, Christina Jo Wright
University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations
This dissertation focuses on how rural community college students make decisions regarding their post-secondary plans. To understand these decision processes, I interviewed students, faculty and administrators at Southeast Community and Technical College in Harlan County, Kentucky. The literature informing my research reflects on rural college going patterns. Most studies connect place and post-secondary plans. Central Appalachia has among the lowest population percentages with Bachelor degrees in the country. Studies argue this is because of limited application for such degrees in the region. Matching their education and training to local job market requirements, people hesitate to complete advanced degrees when little …
Alumni Engaging Students From Under-Served Groups In Southern Appalachia, Mitchell R. Williams, Laura Leatherwood, Laura Byrd, Monica S. Boyd, Kevin Pennington
Alumni Engaging Students From Under-Served Groups In Southern Appalachia, Mitchell R. Williams, Laura Leatherwood, Laura Byrd, Monica S. Boyd, Kevin Pennington
Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications
The study explores how alumni can help community colleges in Southern Appalachia to create greater access for people in groups which are traditionally under-served by higher education. Semi-structured interviews conducted with alumni program directors and admissions officers at seven community colleges in the Southern Appalachian Region explore how they use alumni to recruit and retain students from non-dominant groups as well as students from generationally poor families. Examples of "best practices" illustrate ways alumni can help recruit, motivate, and retain students from historically under-served groups.