Women and Feminism in Higher Education Scholarship: An Analysis of Three Core Journals

Today, more women than ever before are active participants in higher education. For example, more than 50% of all undergraduate students are women and the numbers of women graduate, professional, and doctoral-degree recipients and faculty are increasing (“The nation,” 2003). In fact, for the first time, American women have earned more doctorates than American men have (Smallwood, 2003). Given this shifting postsecondary climate, more scholarship by women and about women, as well as an increase in feminist scholarship from previous generations, should be part of the discourse. Thus, the purpose of this article is to investigate the academic literature in the field of higher education, using gender and feminism as lenses due, in part, to the increased presence of women in the academy. By analyzing data collected from three leading journals in higher education, The Journal of Higher Education (JHE), The Review of Higher Education (RHE), and Research in Higher Education (ResHE), I hope to better understand how feminist scholarship and how women are treated in the scholarly work contained in these journals

Seeing through different lenses: How the higher education community views diversity

Abstract only availableOver the years, the societal differences that contribute to the concept of diversity have evolved and expanded. Because of this, the understanding of the term diversity and its implications for higher education vary greatly and no one clear definition emerges. This qualitative study seeks to answer how diversity is understood and experienced at a women's liberal arts college. Three-hundred and thirty-nine faculty, staff, and students participated in interviews and focus groups for this study. The preliminary findings indicate that although there are some similarities, there is no clear definition of diversity across any group. Overall, "everyone is diverse" in some way. But what does this belief mean for historically underrepresented groups in higher education? Implications and recommendations based upon the findings and existing literature are presented.Emerge Summer Undergraduate Research Internshi

Hispanics/Latinos: Higher education [abstract]

Abstract only availableGiven the increasing numbers of Hispanics/Latinos in the U.S. population, and given the opportunities associated with a college degree, there is a need for understanding how predominately white institutions can provide support for students from these cultures to attend and complete college. Through this research, factors that have helped and hindered Hispanic/Latinos' success as undergraduate students at large mid-western, predominately white universities were identified. Two focus groups were conducted in the fall semester of 2006; discussions were transcribed and analyzed by a team of researchers, including an African American minority student. Several common themes emerged from the analysis, including perspectives that were different from those of the African American minority involved in the study. Findings included the feeling of being overshadowed by the predominant minority group on campus, African Americans. Through transcript analysis, data suggested that the Hispanic/Latino students interviewed, felt that their culture and ethnicities, as well as other small minorities, was over generalized when it comes to looking at minorities as a whole. Additional findings suggest that the underrepresation of Hispanic/Latinos on campus limits the individual voice for their own culture and thus hinders the educational experiences of these students. The students suggest that the responsibility to make things change lies on the whole student body, not just them. They go on to say that they have to work together as one, and stop being divided, if any goals are ever to be accomplished. These findings lead to various implications and recommendations for ways to improve educational experiences for this population. Some of these include a multicultural center, a cultural day/week, as well as more Hispanic/Latino courses for them to take on campus.College of Educatio

Exploring the obstacles hindering the academic attainment of Latino/a students [abstract]

Abstract only availableThere are many obstacles that work to hinder the academic attainment of Latino/a students; not only are these students a minority population on most university campuses, but the ratio of Latino/a students to actual state population is disproportionately low as well. There are numerous cultural differences that work to stifle the chance that Latino/a students will attend college in the first place, and even less of a chance that they will graduate. In fact, recent studies by the U.S. General Accounting Office estimate the attrition rate of Latino/a students to be as high as 34.3%. The aim of this research project is to explore the factors that contribute to the resiliency of Latino/a students at a large Mid-western state-funded university. The study aims to understand what programmatic support is currently in place, and what further support systems could be implemented, to help these students as they leave their families to attend college. Through exploring the viewpoints of Latino/a students, a better understanding of their needs and concerns can be addressed. The study is devised for the research team to conduct focus-group based interviews of the research subjects. The transcripts of these interviews will be coded and analyzed to determine what Latino/a students perceive to have helped or hindered them during their collegiate experience. By the completion of the study, we aim to interview twenty percent of the undergraduate Latino/a-identifying population at the university. The results of this study will help university officials and state legislators as they devise spending initiatives and craft programming decisions that relate to the recruitment and retention of Latino/a students at their universities

Forgotten: Support for minority students on the MU campus [abstract]

Abstract only availableThe diversity of students in today's institutions of higher education has brought, to national attention, issues related to how campus' seek to meet the needs of the variety of student groups that currently seek an advanced degree. A large mid-western university was cited in 2006 as receiving a 'D' on an 'A-F' scale, by a non-for profit national organization. This grade reflects the degree to which minority students are supported on this particular campus. This research focused on Latino students and their sense of institutional support both academically and socially. Data were gathered through a process of three focus groups held in the fall semester of 2006. The fifteen participants discussed issues of academic and social support found on campus. Each group of primarily undergraduate Latino students was asked a range of questions about their own personal experiences as students on campus. Participants were encouraged to answer questions and expand on their thoughts about diversity in relationship to their campus experience. Findings suggest that the majority of students create an unsupportive environment for Latino students on campus. Participants described a range of experiences in which they felt unsupported as students in a social manner. However, participants also described experiences in which they received academic and social support from a variety of organizations on campus. Overall findings, however, suggest that Latino students did not feel supported as a minority group. These findings suggest a need to further investigate the level of support required to provide Latino students with positive social and academic experience on a predominately white campus.College of Educatio

The architecture of collaboration: defining networks, developing methods

This poster presents information about the Mizzou Advantage project the Architecture of Collaboration, including its goals, methodology, and findings