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A Case Study of the University of Blue Ridge Scholars and Persistence

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A Case Study of the University of Blue Ridge Scholars and Persistence University of North Georgia Nighthawks Open Institutional Repository Higher Education Leadership and Practice Dissertations College of Education Summer 8-1-2020 A CASE STUDY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF BLUE RIDGE SCHOLARS AND PERSISTENCE Donna Caldwell University of North Georgia, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.northgeorgia.edu/highered_etd Part of the Higher Education Commons Recommended Citation Caldwell, Donna, "A CASE STUDY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF BLUE RIDGE SCHOLARS AND PERSISTENCE" (2020). Higher Education Leadership and Practice Dissertations. 4. https://digitalcommons.northgeorgia.edu/highered_etd/4 This Open Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the College of Education at Nighthawks Open Institutional Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Higher Education Leadership and Practice Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Nighthawks Open Institutional Repository. A CASE STUDY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF BLUE RIDGE SCHOLARS AND PERSISTENCE by DONNA CALDWELL (Under the Direction of Sheri Hardee) ABSTRACT The purpose of this case study is to conduct research on the impacts of the University of North Georgia’s (UNG) Blue Ridge Scholars (BRS) program offered on the UNG Blue Ridge campus in Fannin County, Georgia. The UNG Blue Ridge campus, one of five campuses that comprise the entire UNG institution, provides college courses for the first and second years of study only. Fannin County is located in the most northern service area of the university. The location is significant due to the purposeful selection of a north Georgia area in the Appalachian region that had no post-secondary institution for local students to attend; thereby the creation of the Blue Ridge campus was incentivized to increase the opportunity for rural students to begin their collegiate education. The Appalachian region, including Fannin County, Georgia, constitutes culture and community to be celebrated, yet demographics continue to show low college completion rates. The BRS program was created with the intention to identify students at risk of not completing college. Being a first-generation college student, having lower test scores, and holding a job are some of the recognized factors for risk of leaving college. The UNG BRS program provides additional advising, academic support, and student engagement by service- learning activities to increase retention, reduce barriers and provide a pathway for students to continue their post-secondary education at a four-year campus. Findings were centered on transitions from high school to college, and from a small college campus to a larger, four-year campus, and show positive results stemming from participating in the BRS program. INDEX WORDS: First-generation, low-college attainment, poverty, barriers, opportunity, retention, engagement, Appalachia A CASE STUDY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH GEORGIA BLUE RIDGE SCHOLARS AND PERSISTENCE by DONNA CALDWELL BBA, North Georgia College, 1984 MPA, North Georgia College & State University, 1999 A Dissertation Submitted to the University of North Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF EDUCATION in HIGHER EDUCATION LEADERSHIP and PRACTICE 2020 © 2020 Donna Caldwell All Rights Reserved A CASE STUDY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH GEORGIA BLUE RIDGE SCHOLARS AND PERSISTENCE by DONNA CALDWELL Major Professor: Sheri Hardee Committee: Donna Gessell Adam Jordan DEDICATION I dedicate this work to my family. My parents, Ralph and Catherine Mote, would be very proud to see this happen-if only it had happened during their lifetime. They had a strong desire for my brother and me to have a college education, something neither of them had. My husband, Troy and my children, Jared, Brooke, and son-in-law Josh have provided the support and encouragement that I needed to work toward and complete this dissertation. Thank you to my brother, Brad – I have always looked up to you and wanted to be like you. Many thanks to all my family and friends as their love and support continually give me joy and happiness, especially my baby granddaughter, Emmie. Lastly, I dedicate this work to all the first-generation, Appalachian students, as I am also a first-generation, Appalachian student. I hope this work can encourage you to work toward your dreams and be happy in life. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to acknowledge the support, encouragement, guidance, and help given to me by Dr. Sheri Hardee, my major advisor. She has been my constant guide during this entire project, and I only hope to help others as a tribute to her. I could not have done this without her. I would like to thank the committee members, Dr. Donna Gessell and Dr. Adam Jordan, for their willingness to assist me and lend their guidance and support without ceasing. I would like to thank my supervisor, Dr. Frank J. (Mac) McConnell, for his encouragement. I applied for this program due to his belief that I could be successful and without his encouragement I would not have pursued this degree. I thank him for his mentorship and his professionalism that has taught me how to be better at anything I try to do. To all the instructors that taught my EDD classes, I have learned so much from each of you! You are part of the whole that has brought me to this stage, and I thank each of you very much. I would like to recognize and give thanks to the research participants, the former UNG Blue Ridge Scholars. Without their willingness to volunteer, this research would be incomplete. I would like to thank those who helped to develop the UNG Blue Ridge Scholars program. You had foresight and concern for students in this area to persist in college and it’s working! Thank you to Ms. Sandy Ott and Dr. Nathan Price for all your assistance and support during this project, and the many unnamed faculty and staff who make it possible for students to be successful. To my cohort – also known as “The Terrific Ten” – thank you! Our motto, “I will persist until I succeed,” kept me going. Guys, I have learned so much from each of you, and I appreciate my project partners and all the discussions. I will never forget our combined efforts and will remember you always. I would like to thank my coworkers as I have only received encouragement and good wishes as I pursued this dream. I work with a fantastic group of people! Lastly, I would like to thank my school, the University of North Georgia. My university continues to open doors for students to step into their future. “…with God all things are possible” ⁓Mark 10:27 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS LIST OF TABLES LIST OF FIGURES CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................1 Problem ....................................................................................................................4 2 LITERATURE REVIEW AND CONCEPTUAL FRAMING ....................................13 Historical Background ...........................................................................................13 Previous Studies on Higher Education Preparation, Access, and Success ............24 Theoretical Framework ..........................................................................................35 3 METHODOLOGY ......................................................................................................49 Research Design.....................................................................................................51 Case Participants ....................................................................................................53 Data Collection ......................................................................................................55 Data Analysis .........................................................................................................58 Validity, Reliability, Trustworthiness, and Transferability ...................................60 Positionality ...........................................................................................................61 Ethical Considerations ...........................................................................................63 Assumptions, Delimitations, and Limitations ........................................................64 4 RESULTS ....................................................................................................................65 Introduction ............................................................................................................65 Difficulties with Transitioning to College .............................................................68 Success in College .................................................................................................86 Mentorship ...........................................................................................................108 5 DISCUSSION ............................................................................................................118 Recommendations ................................................................................................128 Limitations ...........................................................................................................130 Areas for Future Research ...................................................................................132 REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………………………134 APPENDICES A UNG Blue Ridge Scholars Checklist……………………………………………….149 B UNG Blue Ridge Scholars Parent Support
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