Advancing an Equity Agenda through
Institutional Change
By John Saltmarsh, director, Glenn Gabbard,
associate director, and Sharon Singleton, senior program
and research associate—all at the New England
Resource Center for Higher Education (NERCHE), University
of Massachusetts–Boston
| Barriers Facing Low-Income Community College Transfer Students
|
| When considering
their options after high school, some low-income
students are unaware of the culture of higher
education or financial aid possibilities. Others
soon acquire the adult responsibilities of work
and family and will not consider higher education
as a viable choice until later in life.
Once in the community college setting, many
high-ability students commit themselves to their
academic work. However, these students’
academic support can be somewhat random and often
depends on the personal involvement and guidance
of faculty members, similarly aspiring peers,
and supportive programs.
Having matriculated to a highly selective four-year
institution, students find that the pace and volume
of work has increased dramatically. They must
be assertive self-starters who know what questions
to ask and where to find the answers. However,
these students often distrust their own abilities.
Low-income students are hungry for the educational
experience that an elite institution can offer,
but they find it hard to picture themselves in
that setting. These students have gained practical
experience in the world that may go unrecognized
by the culture of elite institutions.
—Adapted from Practices
Supporting Transfer of Low-Income Community College
Students to Selective Institutions
|
In recent years, colleges and universities have renewed
their deep commitment to equity and access for all students
by embracing the concept of “inclusive excellence”
(Milem et al. 2005). Thanks in part to this framework,
institutions are welcoming new populations, including
economically disadvantaged students, and recognizing
the valuable talents and perspectives these students
bring to higher education. Yet as few as 1,000 low-income
community college students enroll in highly selective
four-year institutions each year (Dowd and Cheslock
2006), despite the fact that these students graduate
at the same rates as students who enroll as freshman
at four-year institutions (Melguizo and Dowd 2006).
To address this pressing concern, the New England Resource
Center for Higher Education (NERCHE) at the University
of Massachusetts–Boston collaborated with the
Center for Urban Education and the Tomás Rivera
Policy Institute at the University of Southern California
to initiate the research component of the Community
College Transfer Initiative (CCTI) study.1
The CCTI study examined the route that low-income students
take to elite institutions. Through its participation
in the CCTI, NERCHE and its partners sought ways for
institutions to more fully embrace transfer students’
academic and social assets.
In keeping with NERCHE’s focus on organizational
change, our research focus for the CCTI study considered
the structures, policies, and practices that support
or impede the transfer of talented low-income community
college transfer students to highly selective settings.
NERCHE researchers conducted site visits to eight highly
selective colleges and universities and the community
colleges with whom they partner. We interviewed practitioners
to determine what programmatic features were critical
to the ongoing identification, recruitment, orientation,
and support of community college transfer students.
Recommendations for Facilitating Transfer Success
NERCHE’s contribution to the CCTI study—“Practices
Supporting Transfer of Low-Income Community College
Students to Selective Institutions: Case Study Findings”—identifies
six specific practices that increase transfer access
and success:
- Institutional commitment to ongoing transformation:
Colleges and universities should reinvent their practices
and policies so that they are consistent with an institutional
commitment that sees equity and access as intrinsic
to success.
- Leadership at multiple levels: Leaders at all levels
of the institution should exert their respective authority
to change policies and practices oriented to low-income
student populations.
- Student-centered practices: Highly selective colleges
and universities should adopt pedagogical strategies
that are inclusive of diverse learning styles and
provide ongoing student support.
- Financial aid: Universities and two- and four-year
colleges should assess current financial aid policies
to determine whether these should be modified so that
they do not disadvantage low-income community college
transfer students.
- Professional development: Community colleges should
provide faculty with opportunities to explore practices
in advising and pedagogy that best prepare students
for coursework at four-year institutions.
- Evaluation: Evaluation should document ongoing initiatives
focusing on recruiting, admitting, orienting, and
providing support to community college transfer students.
| Increasing Transfer
Access: CCTI Study Findings
|
| The CCTI study
identified key recommendations for community colleges
and highly selective institutions wishing to increase
transfer access:
- Institutionalize the perspectives of transfer
students in recruitment, admissions, financial
aid offices, and on curriculum committees by
including former transfers in administrative
and faculty roles or by asking current and prospective
transfers to inform the work of those offices
or committees based on their experiences.
- Support programs and people that create trusting
community environments and provide “extra
mile advising” to transfer students.
- Provide institutional aid in equal amounts
in the financial aid awards of transfer and
native four-year students through endowed scholarships
dedicated to transfer students. Announce the
award of these scholarships and the accomplishments
of award winners through extensive media publicity
to enhance the cultural and informational aspects
of this financial commitment.
- Conduct data collections, program evaluations,
and assessments of participation and academic
performance in transfer programs to ensure extra
resources intended to expand access are directed
to socioeconomically disadvantaged students.
—From Alicia C. Dowd, Estela Mara Bensimon,
Glenn Gabbard, Sharon Singleton, Elsa Macias,
Jay R. Dee, Tatiana Melguizo, John Cheslock, and
Dwight Giles, Transfer Access to Elite Colleges
and Universities in the United States: Threading
the Needle of the American Dream—The Study
of Economic, Informational, and Cultural Barriers
to Community College Student Transfer Access at
Selective Institutions, 2006 (reprinted by
permission of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation) |
Combined with the overall findings of the CCTI study
(see sidebar), these guidelines constitute a comprehensive
set of recommended practices for promoting transfer
access for low-income community college students. By
implementing these informational, cultural, and structural
changes, community colleges and their partner four-year
institutions can improve climates and opportunities
not only for low-income community college transfer students,
but for all stakeholders in their communities.
Our work is not yet complete. On the basis of the findings
from the CCTI study and with the funding of the Nellie
Mae Education Foundation, NERCHE initiated Project Compass
in 2007. Project Compass aims to improve the retention
and success of underserved students through grants to
six New England campuses. With the support of these
grants, cross-functional institutional teams coordinate
and carry out inquiry-driven, evidence-based research
aimed at determining effective strategies for addressing
retention and success of underserved students. NERCHE
connects these individual campus-based teams through
learning community meetings and disseminates their findings
to a broader audience. The project thus aims to take
the CCTI study’s findings to the next level, improving
the effectiveness of institutions in the retention and
success of underserved students.
For more information about NERCHE’s programs
and projects, visit www.nerche.org. To read the full
CCTI report, Transfer Access to Elite Colleges and
Universities in the United States: Threading the Needle
of the American Dream, visit www.jackkentcookefoundation.org/jkcf_web/content.aspx?page=1493126
REFERENCES
Dowd, A. C. and J. Cheslock. 2006. Community college
transfer students at selective colleges and universities
in the United States: An estimate of the two-year transfer
population at elite institutions and of the effects
of institutional characteristics on transfer access.
In Dowd, A.C., et al. www.jackkentcookefoundation.org/jkcf_web/Documents/Section%20II.pdf
Dowd, A.C., E. M. Bensimon, G. Gabbard, S. Singleton,
E. Macias, J. R. Dee, T. Melguizo, J. Cheslock, and
D. Giles. 2006. Transfer access to elite colleges
and universities in the United States: Threading the
needle of the American dream—The study of economic,
informational, and cultural barriers to community college
student transfer access at selective institutions. www.jackkentcookefoundation.org/jkcf_web/content.aspx?page=1493126
Gabbard, G., S. Singleton, A. C. Dowd, E. M. Bensimon,
J. Dee, D. Fabienke, T. Fuller, D. Giles, E. Macias,
L. Malcom, A. Márquez, D. Pak, and T. Parker.
2006. Practices supporting transfer of low-income community
college students to selective institutions: Case study
findings. In Dowd, A.C., et al. www.jackkentcookefoundation.org/jkcf_web/Documents/Section%20IV.pdf
Melguizo, T. and A. C. Dowd. 2006. National estimates
of transfer access and baccalaureate degree attainment
at four-year colleges and universities. In Dowd, A.C.,
et al. www.jackkentcookefoundation.org/jkcf_web/Documents/Section%20I.pdf
Milem, J. F., M. J. Chang, and A. L. Antonio. 2005.
Making diversity work on campus: A research-based
perspective. Washington, DC: Association of American
Colleges and Universities.
NOTES
1. The research component of the CCTI was sponsored
by the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation in partnership with
the Lumina Foundation for Education and the Nellie Mae
Education Foundation. The other components of the CCTI
include grantmaking, a national conference, and evaluation
to inform policy change.
