1st Edition
Creating a Campus-Wide Culture of Student Success An Evidence-Based Approach to Supporting Low-Income, Racially Minoritized, and First-Generation College Students
Offering a new approach to institutional practices, this book describes evidence-based strategies to create a campus culture conducive to truly supporting all students. We are at a critical crossroads in higher education, where large numbers of low-income, racially minoritized, and first-generation college students – referred to in this book as "at-promise students" – are attending college in greater numbers than ever, yet access has not translated to significantly improved retention and graduation rates. This book, therefore, proposes a realignment of existing initiatives to create campus-wide support through a new model of coordination.
The ideas presented in this book are the culmination of one of the largest studies of comprehensive college support programs for at-promise students. Chapters include illustrations of the key concepts and promising practices of the Promoting At-promise Student Success (PASS) Project, as well as guiding questions that can be used to facilitate conversations on campus. In this helpful resource, the authors address how student supports are delivered in validating ways, rather than focusing solely on what supports are offered, as has typically been the way institutions address the issues that at-promise students face.
This book is intended to provide guidance and support to educators who want to be a part of changing how higher education supports at-promise students toward increased equity.
1. Introduction Section One: Understanding the Institutional Challenges to Serving At-promise Students 2. At-promise Student Challenges and Inequities 3. Siloed Institutional Structures That Limit At-promise Student Success 4. Program of Study, Research Design, and Student Outcomes Section Two: Introducing a Culture of Ecological Validation 5. Theoretical Underpinnings 6. A Culture of Ecological Validation That Supports At-promise Student Success 7. Educator Enactment of Ecological Validation to Center At-promise Students 8. Promising Practices Used to Support Ecological Validation 9. Student Experiences with Ecological Validation Section Three: Expanding a Culture of Ecological Validation Across the Campus 10. Stakeholder Support of a Culture of Ecological Validation 11. Shared Leadership to Support Creating a Campus-wide Culture of Ecological Validation
Biography
Ronald E. Hallett is a lead research associate at the Pullias Center for Higher Education in the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California and a Professor of Education in the LaFetra College of Education at the University of La Verne, USA.
Adrianna Kezar is Dean’s Professor of Leadership, Wilbur-Kieffer Professor of Higher Education, at the University of Southern California, USA, and Director of the Pullias Center for Higher Education within the Rossier School of Education.
Joseph A. Kitchen is an Associate Research Professor in the Pullias Center for Higher Education at the University of Southern California, USA.
Rosemary J. Perez is an Associate Professor in the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education at the University of Michigan, USA.
“Creating a Campus-wide Culture of Student Success offers a timely, theoretically rich, and evidence-backed framework to understand how college campuses can more effectively help their students thrive. This book is a must-read for anyone who wants a deeper understanding of higher education institutions’ role in fostering success and cares about students.”
Samuel D. Museus, Professor in the Department of Ethnic Studies; Director of the National Institute for Transformation and Equity, University of California, San Diego
“This is a thorough and thoughtful treatment how campuses can intentionally build a culture of student success, specifically for students for whom colleges and universities were not originally intended. The book methodically lays out the challenges faced by such students and introduces the concept of an ecology of validation, using original research by the authors and existing theoretical concepts. Most importantly for the reader and for college students everywhere the book provides actionable, empirically grounded suggestions to implement ecological validation to support student success.”
Robert Reason, Professor of Higher Education and Student Affairs; Associate Dean for Undergraduate Academic Affairs, College of Human Sciences, Iowa State University
"Creating a Campus-wide Culture of Student Success represents a dramatic advancement in the theory and practice of higher education. Combining organizational and student development perspectives into a new conception of a Culture of Ecological Validation, the authors offer a way forward for creating equitable postsecondary environments where all students can learn, thrive, and graduate. Academic and student affairs professionals can use the Culture of Ecological Validation model to guide practice, assessment, and professional development."
Kristen A. Renn, Mildred B. Erickson Distinguished Professor of Higher, Adult, & Lifelong Education and Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies for Student Success Research, Michigan State University
"As colleges and universities strive for equitable student success, they must look beyond silver bullet interventions, predictive analytics, and technology solutions, and instead envision shifts and re-calibrations in the institutional environment emphasizing how student supports are enacted. Creating a Campus-wide Culture of Student Success offers higher education a much-needed new way of thinking by introducing a culture of ecological validation and outlining the necessary shifts in institutional practice that move from fragmented support to comprehensive approaches, build collaborative and trusting relationships, and engage educators in professional development."
Jillian Kinzie, Associate Director, National Survey of Student Engagement, Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research
“Grounded in rigorous mixed methods and longitudinal research, this book offers an array of actionable strategies to broaden opportunity structures for communities that typically have not been well served in higher education. It is highly recommended reading for higher education leaders and practitioners who want to transcend individualistic approaches and implement collaborations to enact collective responsibility for student success.”
Anne-Marie Núñez, Executive Director, Diana Natalicio Institute for Hispanic Student Success; Distinguished Centennial Professor, Educational Leadership and Foundations, The University of Texas at El Paso
"A solidly researched, exceptionally well written, impressively organized, and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in presentation, Creating a Campus-Wide Culture of Student Success will prove to be of particular value to readers with an interest in Higher Education and Continuing Education curriculum development and student support."
Library Bookwatch, Midwest Book Review
