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Teacher-Scholar: The Journal of the State Comprehensive University

Abstract

In the face of tightening state funding and increased reliance on tuition and growing enrollment, regional comprehensive universities continue to focus on the retention of students. Underserved students continue to represent areas of growth in college enrollment at regional comprehensive universities; yet these students are often at the highest risk of attrition. Overall institutional satisfaction is among the most useful indicators of student persistence, but research demonstrates that students of color report lower levels of overall satisfaction than their white counterparts. Scholarship on college student persistence documents several variables that predict higher retention, progression, and graduation rates among students. Research suggests that students of color at Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) may be at a distinct disadvantage regarding these attributes. Utilizing multinomial regression and random sample survey data from a regional comprehensive university, we find that faculty relationships, campus climate, sense of belonging, help-seeking aversion behaviors, and academic engagement all play significant roles in satisfaction among students of color. Among white students, only gender and a sense of belonging predict satisfaction. The differences between white students and students of color are especially pronounced at the extremes of having a poor experience versus an excellent experience. These findings highlight the need for regional comprehensive universities to consider the unique experiences of minoritized students to aid in retaining students at risk of attrition.

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