Education Commons^™

"There Is Power In Being Out": A Three Article Approach Celebrating The Experiences Of Queer University Leaders, Andrew R. E. Lorenzana

Dissertations

Institutions of higher education were historically built to serve a wealthy, White, straight male student population and the leaders of these institutions still largely reflect these demographics. This project specifically aims to celebrate and amplify the life and career of university administrators who identify within the LGBTQ community. Mainly through the use of a portraiture methodology, this three-article study attempts to examine the ways in which LGBTQ identity and career influence one another.

Worldmaking and narrative will be used as a theoretical frame to help analyze the ways in which the telling of a queer individual’s story makes the world …

Type Vs. Turnout: Correlations Between Types Of Higher Education Institutions And Student Voter Turnout, Janea Mccoy

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Voter turnout in the youth demographic has been the subject of increased attention and research in the past several years, with many questions left unanswered. The 18-25 age demographic can play a crucial and impactful role in elections. However, many young adults do not vote. Higher education has often been viewed as a catalyst for civic engagement amongst this age demographic, with correlations between enrollment in higher education and increased rates of voter turnout being evident. Given there is much variation between different kinds of institutions, however, this raises the question: what types of institutions and their respective characteristics correlate …

Balancing Act: A Study Of Graduate Student-Parents And Their Experiences Navigating Family And Academic Demands At The University Of San Diego., Jessica Rammell

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

The purpose of this study was to learn about the experiences of graduate students who are raising children while enrolled in master’s and PhD programs at the University of San Diego. The question that guided this research was: What do the stories of graduate student parents inform us about the need to improve policies and practices at USD? Three cycles of action research were conducted at the University of San Diego between November 2022 and March 2023, with a total of seven participants. The methods of research included focus groups, interviews, and a creative group session. It was found that …

Becoming A Restorative University, David R. Karp Phd

School of Leadership and Education Sciences: Faculty Scholarship

This article describes the concept of a restorative university, an organisation that embraces restorative justice principles and practices. The article reviews the emergence of contemporary restorative justice; a framework for restorative justice in higher education; implementation in student affairs; the place of restorative justice in academic affairs; restorative justice and organisational culture; what we know about campus implementation, including results of a survey of universities; and suggestions for practical next steps for higher education institutions to become more restorative. Where possible, the article references restorative applications globally, but predominantly focuses on university campuses in the United States.

Supporting Reverse Transfer Students: From Trauma To Transition And Triumph, Stephanie Burga

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

This study explores the reverse transfer student identity, a population or group that transfers from a four-year college or university to a two-year community college. The research utilizes a San Diego two-year community college as the sample institute to discover more about a sample of the reverse transfer student identity. The theoretical framework includes a combination of intersectional stigma and the ethic of care that is implemented throughout the transition process for the student. The purpose of this study is to seek and uncover patterns as to why students reverse transfer and what support looks like for them. How does …

Asian American Undergraduates Sense Of Belonging At A Predominantly White Institution, Miso Jang

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

In the fall of 2019, institutionalized data reported that Asian American undergraduate students had a lower sense of belonging at the University of San Diego (USD) in comparison to white peers. This action research paper explores the needs and experiences of the Asian American undergraduate student population at USD— a predominantly white, private, religious-based institution. This research is centered around the question, “How can Student Affairs professionals better understand and support Asian American undergraduate students and their sense of belonging at a predominantly White institution?” Through ten semi-structured interviews and one community focus group, participating students associated their sense of …

Leadership And Professional Development Amongst Student Interns, Amanda Brown

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

Research shows that students who participate in an on-campus internship during their time as an undergraduate can have positive impacts on their leadership and professional development (Matteo & You, 2020). The positive impact of partaking in an on-campus internship has prompted higher education professionals to investigate the specific benefits that are provided through these internship programs as well as the structure of such programs. This study sought to improve my understanding of being a mentor and how I can create space and opportunity for my student interns to work towards leadership and professional development and how those skillsets can be …

First-Gen Mental Health: The Experiences Of First-Generation Graduate Students At The University Of San Diego, Edith Mendez

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

Higher education professionals can better support struggling students by having more of an awareness of their experiences and how their mental health is related to the identities they hold. As a first-generation Latina college student, I am reminded of my own experiences and struggles, which impacted my sense of belonging and academic success. My action research responds to the question: "What are the mental health concerns that first-generation students studying at the University of San Diego (USD) encounter?" After making changes to my research because of unforeseen circumstances, I designed a study focusing on graduate students with cycles consisting of …

Paving The Way: Enhancing The Transfer Admission Practices At The University Of San Diego, Andrew Alsoraimi-Espiritu

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

The purpose of this study is to examine how the University of San Diego’s (USD) Office of Undergraduate Admission can better serve prospective students from local community colleges by striving towards a Transfer Receptive Culture (Jain, Herrera, Bernal, & Solórzano, 2011). Using my positionality as an admissions counselor at USD, I explored the following question with current and prospective transfer students, as well as local community college partners: how can I enhance the practices of my department to better support transfer students during the pretransfer phase at USD? My findings indicate that the transfer path to USD is hectic and …

How Navy And Marine Corps Veterans Make Meaning Of The College Choice Process In The Post-9/11 Gi Bill Era, Derek Abbey

Dissertations

The Post-9/11 GI Bill was implemented in 2009. Since then more than 1,900,000 people have used the benefit and more than $90 billion have been paid to institutions of higher learning and to Post-9/11 GI Bill users. During this period there has been a shift in the types of college and universities veterans attend, as well as the educational models they select. These shifts are different than the general population of students. This period also included a spike in questionable recruiting practices by some colleges. In response to many institutions taking advantage of veterans, the President of the United States …

Support Services For Formerly Incarcerated Students, Janelle Brown-Peters

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

The purpose of my study was to improve and/or create support services for formerly incarcerated students at the University of San Diego. I sought to discover first if there were any existing support services available for these students at USD. I also sought to discover what kinds of support services existed at other local colleges and universities in order to compare and contrast with USD. Through 1:1 interviews, surveys, focus groups, and community restorative justice organizations, I learned that USD was one of the only higher education campuses in San Diego not currently providing support services for this population of …

Restorative Justice In Colleges And Universities: What Works When Addressing Student Misconduct, David R. Karp Phd, Meghan Schachter

School of Leadership and Education Sciences: Faculty Scholarship

This chapter examines what we know about what works when employing RJ for college student misconduct. We begin with a brief review of published studies that focus on “Campus RJ” and then examine six case studies from universities across the United States that illustrate how RJ benefits harmed parties and enhances student learning.

Developing A Study Abroad Program For Student Veterans, Andrea Dame

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

Universities across the nation are seeing an increase in student veterans who are taking advantage of the educational benefits offered for life after the military. These students are non-traditional and come from diverse backgrounds bringing in a unique perspective to higher education institutions (Howard and Brode, 2013). Since 2009, there have been more than 1.7 million Post-9/11 GI Bill users (Department of Veteran Affairs, 2017). This educational benefit has been instrumental in helping veterans and their dependents go to school and obtain a two or four-year degree but there is a 36-month limit to this educational benefit which reduces the …

Underrepresented Student Involvement With The Office Of Sustainability, Jelitsa Fonseca

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

The purpose of this study is to further understand the disconnect between sustainability efforts and the underrepresented student population at the University of San Diego (USD). One of the main concerns of this study is why underrepresented students are not getting involved in sustainability activities on campus, and whether or not that is due to being a minority on campus, which may impact how they choose to get involved in these efforts. The main research questions are: How can I help the Office of Sustainability at USD reach out to underrepresented students who may have stigmas and/or stereotypes towards sustainability? …

Addressing Individual And Community Needs In The Aftermath Of Campus Sexual Misconduct: Restorative Justice As A Way Forward In The Re-Entry Process, David R. Karp Phd

School of Leadership and Education Sciences: Faculty Scholarship

Restorative justice is an approach to incidents of harm involving a high level of support and accountability for people who cause harm. To date, there is no federal regulation nor commonly applied standard of care for re-entry to campus by a student who has been found responsible for sexual misconduct. Restorative justice re-entry circles represent a promising approach to the reintegration of students, taking into account the needs of the individual survivor, the student who violated policy, and the safety concerns of the campus community. Using a case study, this article outlines an example of a re-entry circle and discusses …

Student Conduct, Restorative Justice, And Student Development: Findings From The Starr Project (Student Accountability And Restorative Research Project), David R. Karp Phd, Casey Sacks

School of Leadership and Education Sciences: Faculty Scholarship

The STudent Accountability and Restorative Research (STARR) Project is a multi-campus study of college student disciplinary practices in the United States, comparing traditional conduct hearings that use restorative justice practices with traditional college student misconduct hearings. This study provides a coherent set of learning goals in college student conduct administration and a robust data set capable of measuring student learning across different types of disciplinary practice, in particular, comparing traditional “model code” practice with emerging restorative justice processes. Integrating several student development theories, we identify six student development goals: just community/self authorship, active accountability, interpersonal competence, social ties to institution, …