Master of Arts in Higher Education (MAHE) Theses

Date of Award

2021

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

First Advisor

Kim Case

Second Advisor

Skip Trudeau

Third Advisor

Dara Berkhalter

Distinguished Theses

1

Abstract

Over the last several decades, access to higher education for students of color has rapidly expanded. Yet while the population of students of color continues to grow in higher education, faculty diversity has not matched pace. This disparity creates curiosity regarding the relationship between faculty representation and persistence in college. In light of this reality, this study examined the relationship between faculty representation and graduation rates by race and ethnicity at predominantly white institutions. This study used publicly available IPEDS data to measure the 6-year graduation rates for varying racial groups and the percentage of faculty of those groups at sample institutions. Findings suggest that Latino/a faculty representation is positively related to Latino/a student graduation rates. Findings also point to, though indirectly, the benefits of a more diverse faculty on the graduation rates of all students.

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