This dissertation is composed of three essays in which I examine the influence of formal institutions on entrepreneurs and new firms. In the first essay, "The Influence of Institutions on the Likelihood of Self-Employment: A Multilevel...
Community college students--Transfer; Academic achievement; College attendance
The reverse transfer literature contains studies investigating the demographic characteristics of postsecondary students that attended a community college after attending a four-year institution, and their proportion in the community college...
African American male college students--Social conditions; African Americans--Race identity; Academic achievement
This dissertation examines the influence of collective racial esteem (CRE) on the quantity and type of involvement for African American male undergraduate students in public four-year institutions of higher education in the U.S. In addition, this...
College students; College attendance; Educational attainment; Prediction of scholastic success
This dissertation explored the four-year college experience of first-generation and continuing-generation students at a small private institution. Using Astin's I-E-O model (1970), the following variables in the student experience were considered:...
College cost--United States; Higher education and state--United States
The purpose of this study was to understand variance in state system performance in affordability using variables describing the state political environment and the higher education governance structure. Understanding how the political culture of...
Universities and colleges--Alumni and alumnae--United States--Societies, etc.; Universities and colleges--Alumni and alumnae--Charitable contributions--United States
Public higher education institutions are presently faced with a perfect storm of financial crises. State appropriations are on the decline, endowments have been substantially reduced as a result of the declining stock market, generally poor...
African American college students; Academic achievement--Social aspects; College attendance
The study examined the relationship between African American student engagement and student background variables through the context of institution type. The study focused on the impact of student background variables (mother's level of education,...
College dropouts; Dropout behavior, Prediction of; Prediction of scholastic success
The persistence of second-year college students is gaining attention nationally. Vast resources have been dedicated to the retention of first-year students only to lose them at some point during the second year. Much of the research about the...
College dropouts--Kentucky; Academic achievement--Kentucky; Private universities and colleges--Kentucky
The persistence and attrition of second year college students is a growing concern of colleges and universities as second year college students face some of the greatest challenges (Gahagan & Hunter, 2006; Lemons & Richmond, 1987; Morgan...
Community college students--Kentucky; Transfer students--Kentucky; Academic achievement--Kentucky; College attendance; University of Louisville; Jefferson Community and Technical College
More students now begin their postsecondary education at the two-year college level with the intention of transferring to earn a bachelor's degree, making the transfer function more important. Recent government mandates in Kentucky brought about...
College attendance--Kentucky; College dropouts--Kentucky; Academic achievement--Kentucky; Mathematics--Study and teaching (Higher)--Kentucky
From 1988 to 2006, between 40% and 60% of all first-time community college students are referred to and enroll in at least one developmental education course; some colleges reported as high as 80 percent (e.g. Attewell, Lavin, Domina, & Levey,...
One of the most nationally-recognized, two-year legislative reform initiatives in the U.S. began in Kentucky with the passage of the Kentucky Postsecondary Education Improvement Act of 1997 (HB1). This exploratory, cross-sectional, correlational...
Dropout behavior, Prediction of; Nontraditional college students; College dropouts; Academic achievement
For more than 100 years, nearly half of all undergraduate students have failed to persist to degree completion (ACT, 2010; Tinto, 1993; U.S. Department of Education, 2008). To make matters worse, adult students have consistently been victims of...
Minority college students--Texas; Universities and colleges--Admission--Law and legislation--Texas
This qualitative case study explored the experiences of 10 Top 10% African American and Hispanic students at Texas A&M University. The purpose of the study was to examine how the Texas Top 10% Law influenced underrepresented students'...
College students--Kentucky--Psychology; College students--Social networks--Kentucky
The purpose of this dissertation is to examine group differences in psychosocial development by affiliation, gender, and race of undergraduate students. The design was causal-comparative. The independent variables were gender (female/male), race...
Counseling in higher education; Faculty advisors--Attitudes; College students--Attitudes
The best style of advising to offer students has been questioned over and over. The
literature review revealed uncertainty related to national surveys of advisors and students and
encouraged smaller institutional reviews. The Academic Advising...
African Americans--Politics and government; Local elections; Metropolitan government; Voting research
Literature on religious involvement in public affairs typically examines the
national scene, particularly public opinion and political behavior in presidential elections.
Few scholars examine religious actors in urban politics and policymaking....
College dropouts--Indiana; Educational attainment--Indiana; College freshmen--Indiana; Community college students--Indiana
The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine if student background variables (age, gender, race, academic preparation); student status (part/full-time student), and student circumstances (commuting distance, independent/dependent...
New firms face financial constraints that could hinder firm performance. Yet founders exhibit persistence and resourcefulness in building their new ventures and finding solutions to their financial constraints. The use of financial theories that...
