Recognizing and Serving Low-Income Students in Higher Education ─ An Examination of Institutional Policies, Practices, and Culture

Written for administrators, faculty, and staff in Higher Education who are working with low income and first-generation college students, Recognizing and Serving Low-Income Students in Higher Education uncovers organizational biases that prevent post-secondary institutions from adequately serving these students. This volume offers practical guidance for adopting new or revised policies and practices that have the potential to help these students thrive.

This contributed volume is based on empirical studies that specifically examine the policies and practices of postsecondary institutions in the United States, England, and Canada. The contributing authors argue that discussions of diversity will be enriched by a better understanding of how institutional policies and practices affect low-income students. Unlike most studies on this topic, this volume focuses on institutional rather than federal, state and public policy. Institutional policies and practices have been largely ignored and this volume lifts the veil on processes that have remained hidden.

Adrianna Kezar is Associate Professor for Higher Education at the University of Southern California.

Preface, Adrianna Kezar with assistance from MaryBeth Walpole

Part I: Background and Context

1. Rethinking Post-secondary Institutions for Low-Income Student Success: The Power of Post-structural Theory, Adrianna Kezar
Part II: Access to Postsecondary Institutions

2. Lesson Learned from Indiana’s Twenty-first Century Scholars Program: Toward a Comprehensive Approach to Improving College Preparation and Access for Low-Income Students, Edward St. John

3. Chances and Choices of Low-Income Students in Canada and England: A Post-Structuralist Discussion of Early Intervention, Tony Chambers and Fiona Deller

4. Showing Them the Money: The Role of Institutional Financial Aid Policies and Communication Strategies in Attracting Low-Income Students, Laura Perna, Valerie Lundy-Wagner, April Yee, Leykia Brill, and Teran Tadal
Part III: Entering and Transitioning to College

5. Academics, Campus Administration, and Social Interaction: Examining Campus Structures using Post-Structural Theory, MaryBeth Walpole

6. Strangers in a Strange Land: Low-Income Students and the Transition to College, Julia Colyar

7. Welfare Students in Community Colleges: Policy and Policy Implementation as Barriers to Educational Attainment, John S. Levin, Virginia Montero-Hernandez, Christine Cerven, and Genevieve Shaker
Part IV: Persistence, Success, and Graduation

8. Demography is Not Destiny: What Colleges and Universities Can Do to Improve Persistence Among Low-Income Students, Jennifer Engle and Mary G. Lynch

9. Minority Serving Institutions – What Can We Learn? Alisa Cunningham and Lacey Leegwater

10. The Hidden Curriculum: The Difficulty of Infusing Financial Education, Adrianna Kezar and Hannah Yang
Part V: Transfer and Moving On To Graduate School

11. Rethinking Transfer Policy and Practices, Alicia Dowd

12. Post-Baccalaureate Preparation and Access for Low-Income Students and the Myth of a Level Playing Field, Alex Jun and Kristin Paredes-Collins

13. Re-Orienting Our Understanding of Low-Income Students, Adrianna Kezar

List of Contributors