Higher Education Ph.D. Dissertations

A Labor of Love: How Student Affairs Professionals in U.S. Caribbean Territories Support Student Success at Public Universities

Date of Award

2022

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Department

Higher Education Administration

First Advisor

Ellen Broido (Committee Chair)

Second Advisor

Emily Brown (Other)

Third Advisor

Christopher Frey (Committee Member)

Fourth Advisor

Maureen Wilson (Committee Member)

Abstract

Although research has been conducted to understand the specificities and nuances of how student affairs operates within various institution types (e.g., community colleges, liberal arts colleges, research institutions) to support student success, the role that student affairs professionals have supporting student success in U.S. unincorporated territories remains a gap in the higher education and student affairs literature. The purpose of this study was to begin to address this gap by understanding how these professionals described their experience of supporting student success. I conducted in-depth interviews with six student affairs professionals at public higher education institutions, one working in Puerto Rico and five working in the U.S. Virgin Islands. I used bricolage to create a multi-theoretical and multi-methodological study design grounded in a decolonizing qualitative research approach and transcendental phenomenology. By conducting this study, I sought to study places and experiences that exist on society’s margins and challenge dominant conceptualizations of “U.S.” student affairs work. I found that by showing care to students and helping them define success for themselves, these student affairs professionals experienced the work of supporting student success as a labor of love. Accepting that their support would not always be enough to help students succeed and dealing with region-specific challenges such as environmental threats and economic challenges, these student affairs professionals still expressed feeling professionally fulfilled by supporting college students. Findings also suggested that the racial significance of HBCUs and HSIs within the U.S. continental states does not translate to the territories. Further research could explore the ethnic and racial implications of being a minority-serving institution when the location that the institution is located is not situated within a majority White, Non-Hispanic region. I also included implications for practice, which include considering regional context, assessing a culture of care, knowing on-campus and local resources, using data to address barriers to student success, participating in appropriate training, and assessing factors out of one’s control as a student affairs professional.

Link to Full Text

Share

COinS