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Institutional agents' impact on tranfser student success through the avenue of social capital
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Institutional agents' impact on tranfser student success through the avenue of social capital
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Content
INSTITUTIONAL AGENTS’ IMPACT ON TRANSFER STUDENT SUCCESS
THROUGH THE AVENUE OF SOCIAL CAPITAL
by
Paul William Jimenez
_______________________________________________________________
A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION
May 2012
Copyright 2012 Paul William Jimenez
ii
DEDICATION
I dedicate my dissertation to my wife, parents, and sister, who have given me the
confidence to take risks in life.
iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The printed pages of this dissertation are the culmination of years of hard work
that could not have been completed without the generous support of many people that
have influenced my life over the last several years. First I want to thank my family for
always keeping me positive through this journey. Nathalia, my wife, I love you, you are
my best friend, cheerleader, drill sergeant, voice of reason, counselor, and teammate. We
decided to take this journey together several years ago… look at us now! I thank my
parents, Cornelio (papi) and Maria (mami), for their unconditional love and support. You
have given me the best example of a happy partnership between two individuals. I want
to thank my sister Patty for being the best big sister a little brother could have and for
always having high expectations of me. I would like to thank Claudio and Sandra for
raising a loving daughter and making me put away the computer during family vacations.
To Frederico for being the little brother that I always wanted. I want to thank my tios,
tias, primas, and primos for being a nice escape from writing at the holiday get-togethers.
To my advisor, Dr. Kristan Venegas, a mentor who graciously guided me through
the process. To my committee members, Dr. Estela Bensimon for her encouraging
words, thoughtful criticism, and time during busy semesters, and Dr. Cynthia Mosqueda
for her consistent feedback and encouragement. Thank you for helping me keep my
focus when I needed it. To my Ed.D. colleagues for being part of the weekend study
groups… we did it Doctas! Docta Annette Pijuan, Docta Chito Cajayon, and Docta
Cecilia Santiago. To Dr. Anne Prisco and Kathy Reed for checking up on me at work
and being understanding that at times this dissertation was essentially a second job. To
Dr. Marta Baltodano who gave me the confidence to continue my education. I will never
iv
be able to thank you enough for offering me my first job in higher education as your
research assistant.
To my invaluable network of supportive, generous, and loving friends without
whom I could not have survived this process. For being a great distraction and making
me come out even though I told you I was too busy with school (alphabetical order
because I don’t want to hear it later): Shayan Ali, Theresa Asuncion, Gemma Cacho, Jeff
Gould, Joe O’Boyle, Maribel Pulido, La' Tonya Rease-Miles, Nathaniel Reynolds, and
Khang Tang.
Lastly I would like to thank the 13 institutional agents who volunteered to share
their life stories for this study. You left me inspired by your everyday actions.
v
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Dedication ii
Acknowledgements iii
Table of Contents v
List of Tables vi
Abstract vii
Chapter I: Introduction 1
Chapter II: Review of the Literature 13
Chapter III: Methodology 46
Chapter IV: Findings 58
Chapter V: Discussion and Conclusions 122
Bibliography 138
Appendix A 149
Appendix B 159
Appendix C 162
vi
LIST OF TABLES
Table 4.1: Institutional Agent Demographics 60
Table 4.2: Institutional Agent Role Types: Direct Support 92
Table 4.3: Institutional Agent Role Types: Integrative Support 101
Table 4.4: Institutional Agent Role Types: System Developer 103
Table 4.5: Institutional Agent Role Types: System Linkage & Networking Support 107
vii
ABSTRACT
This study demonstrates that institutional agents at the community college make a
significant difference in the lives of students by supporting them during the transfer
process. This study brings a critical perspective to the education field by giving a voice
to institutional agents at the community college level. Utilizing the social capital theory
framework and Stanton-Salazar’s (2001a; 2001b; 2004; 2006; 2010) concept of
institutional agents, the researcher found that institutional agents played various support
roles and provided several types of resources. It was necessary for participants to play
several roles because students at the community college had a unique set of needs.
This study used a narrative approach. Data was collected through semi-structured
interviews, self-assessments, and narrative summaries with 13 institutional agents.
Findings suggest that: 1) institutional agents fulfill multiple roles; 2) establishing working
relationships is key to the transfer process; and 3) life histories impact the roles that
institutional agents perform. Connected to the three themes in this study, the data
analysis revealed that the types of roles played by participants and the level of support
they provided to students were based on four variables: 1) student’s needs; 2) the
institutional agent’s experience; 3) the institutional agent’s level of expertise; and 4) the
institutional agent’s professional role at the community college. Through the lens of the
13 participants, data emerged that can impact the work of practitioners at community
colleges and four-year institutions.
1
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Problem
For many students, transferring from a community college to a four-year
institution is viewed as a means to advance both professionally and socially.
Unfortunately, students face academic and financial challenges that often prevent a
smooth transition to a four-year institution. “In the highly stratified arena of
postsecondary education, community colleges are the home of second chances and fresh
starts, attracting students of a wide range of academic abilities and financial means”
(Dowd et al., 2006, p. 4). Research illustrates that the majority of students pursuing
second opportunities are being failed by the system. The U.S. Department of Education
(2008) reported that, among first-time freshmen who had declared transfer to a four-year
college as their primary goal, 39% had left college without attaining any type of degree,
while just 30% achieved their transfer goal. The percentages are even lower for Latina/o
students in California, as only 14% successfully transfer within six years (Moore &
Shulock, 2010).
Research throughout this study will illustrate that students who obtain support
from faculty and staff significantly benefit throughout their education tenure. As a result
of positional power and extensive networks, individuals employed by institutions have
access to types of resources known as social capital. The social capital that institutional
agents provide community college students can significantly impact their probability of
successfully transferring to a four-year institution. Therefore, it is imperative to examine
the actions of institutional agents at the community college that effectively support
2
Latina/o students who successfully navigate through the transfer process. This study will
provide the stories of institutional agents and their contributions to the transfer success of
Latina/o students at a four-year selective private institution.
National Statistics
As demand for higher education has risen, enrollment at community colleges has
dramatically increased and is expected to continue rising. By 2015, enrollment could
increase by as much as 46 % beyond the level of enrollment in 2000 (Martinez, 2004). In
2006-2007, there were 1,045 community colleges in the United States that enrolled 6.2
million students, which represents 35% of all postsecondary student enrollment (Inside
Higher Education, 2008). A fundamental reason for the growth of community colleges is
the increasing number of demands that have been placed on the U.S. education system,
one of which is to provide an education to students who are traditionally underserved by
four-year institutions (Cohen & Brawer, 2008).
The Civil Rights Project estimates that, nationally, close to 68% of high school
students earn a diploma within four years. However, graduation rates for Latina/o and
Black students were even lower, with only half of students from the two groups earning a
diploma within the four-year time frame (Swanson, 2005). American College Testing
(2007) found that, although there have been significant gains since 2002 in Latina/o
student achievement, these students still have lower test scores in mathematics, English,
reading, and science when compared to White, African American, and Asian students.
Their difficulties in completing rigorous college preparatory courses, low ACT and SAT
scores, and low enrollment in advanced placement courses, which have proven to
increase college readiness, are significant factors that affect the ability of Latina/o
3
students to enroll in four-year institutions after high school graduation (ACT, 2007).
Thus, the community college is essentially the only higher education option for a
substantial number of Latina/o students.
Provasnik and Planty (2008) found that there is significant diversity among
community college students and that students attend two-year institutions as a result of
varying circumstances. Two-year institutions are comprised of a greater percentage of
nontraditional, low-income, and minority students in comparison to populations at
universities. The report illustrated that a large number of students view the community
college as a means to enter the four-year college. Accordingly 65% of 2004 seniors who
enrolled immediately in a community college were intentionally pursuing a bachelor’s
degree or higher (Provasnik and Planty 2008). From the group, 28% had planned to use
community college as a means to a bachelor’s degree, and 39% who initially entered the
two-year college with no intentions to transfer revised their plans to include attending a
four-year college and earn a bachelor’s degree. Unfortunately, two years later, 45% of
those students had left school without completing a degree or certificate.
The U.S. Department of Education (2008) presented the persistence and
attainment rates for freshmen over a three-year period. The researchers found that,
among first-time freshmen who declared transfer to a four-year college as their primary
goal, 39% had left college without attaining any type of degree, let alone transfer. The
low transfer rates are a national concern and are at a crisis level in states such as
California that, by percentage, transfer an even lower number of students in comparison
to states that rely heavily on transfer as a point of access to the baccalaureate degree
(Wellman, 2002).
4
Latina/os in the California Community College System
California has approximately 2.3 million college students enrolled in its public
colleges. About 1.7 million of those students are at the community college (California
Postsecondary Education Commission, 2007). The 1960 California Master Plan for
Education shaped the structure and organization of the state’s postsecondary education by
aiming to provide every student in the state with an opportunity for a quality education
beyond secondary school. Under the plan, the University of California admits the top
one-eighth (12%) of California public high school graduates, the California State
University System admits the top one-third (33.3%), and the California Community
Colleges have an open admissions policy for all others (California Postsecondary
Education Commission, 1998a). The Master Plan placed several responsibilities on the
community colleges, including the preparation of students to successfully transfer to four-
year universities.
Statistics provided by the California Community College Chancellor’s Office
(2011) demonstrate that Latina/o students have the lowest persistence, retention, transfer,
and graduation rates, as well as the highest academic probation and dismissal rates, of all
ethnic groups enrolled in California Community Colleges. Seventy percent of Latina/o
students in higher education are at the community college (California Post Secondary
Education Commission, 2011). In comparison to the University California System and
private colleges, a disproportionate number of community college students who
successfully transition from the community college, transfer to the California State
University (CSU) System, making it the top destination for transfer students. Latina/o
students, as a group, have the largest percentage of students who transfer to CSU schools,
5
at 50%, which is significantly higher than that of White students, at 38% (California State
University, 2009).
Due to the current California budget crisis, CSUs lack the ability to provide
students with the support and resources that are often needed by Latina/o college
students. The lack of institutional support leads to low retention and graduation rates for
all students. In 2008, after four years from transferring from community colleges, 62%
of Latina/os had graduated, and approximately 30% had dropped out. For White
students, the percentages were 68% and 25%, respectively (Colleges State University,
2009).
Success Relating to Transfer Destination
Research indicates that community colleges are good fiscal options for
academically prepared students pursuing a bachelor’s degree (Dowd et al., 2006). In
particular, transfer students at highly selective institutions graduate in higher numbers
than do their counterparts at non-selective institutions. Melguizo and Dowd (2009) found
that 75% of students who attended selective institutions completed their degrees within
nine years of graduating high school. The opportunity for bachelor’s degree attainment at
non-selective institutions, where transfer students are concentrated, is much lower, with
only about half of the students earning a bachelor’s within the same time frame. Dowd et
al. (2006) also found that there is a 26% greater degree completion for students who
attend institutions at the highest level of selectivity compared to those at the lowest level.
Students who attend private colleges in California have higher graduation rates than do
students who attend University of California (UC) and CSU institutions with comparable
admission standards. The comparison between private institutions and UCs, after four
6
years, is 70% to 55%, and, for CSUs, it is 44% to 18% (Association of Independent
California Colleges and Universities, 2010a.). Research suggests that racial groups who
traditionally attend public non-selective institutions would benefit from transferring to
private college. Unfortunately only 10% of Latina/o students who transfer attend a
private college (Moore & Shulock, 2010); the majority transition to non-selective public
four-year colleges.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau (2011), 13% of Latina/o adults hold a
bachelor’s degree or higher degree and 60% of young Latina/os report that neither of
their parents attended college, which is twice the rate of non-Latinos (Menendez, 2009).
In addition, the majority of Latina/os (55%) begin their higher education at community
colleges. Consequently, a significant number of Latina/o students in community colleges
are first-generation students. Because institutional agents have the ability to inform
students about transfer options and financial aid practices, these agents play a crucial role
in the college selection process.
Leonard (2010) found that high levels of interaction with faculty and staff at the
community college increase the ability of transfer students to earn a bachelor’s degree in
a timely fashion. The study found that the higher degree of interaction that students had
with institutional agents the more opportunities they were presented to access resources.
Frequently, due to the limited college-going knowledge of first-generation college
students, faculty and staff are the only means to address their academic and social needs.
By fulfilling different roles, institutional agents provide students support through the
transfer of various types of social capital. The type of roles that institutional agents fulfill
7
and the support that is provided is ultimately based on the needs of the students
navigating the transfer system.
Statement of the Problem
Latina/o students make up over 33% of all students enrolled in California’s
community college system (California Community College Chancellor’s Office, 2011)
but they have the lowest transfer rates of any ethnic group (Rivas, P., Alvarez, C., &
Solorzano, D, 2007). Rivas et al. (2007) found that for every seven Latina/o students that
successfully transferred from the community college, six transferred to the CSU system
and one to the more selective UC system. A major concern is that attainment of
baccalaureate degrees at the CSU system is extremely low. After Latina/os transfer to the
CSU system, 50% graduate within three years and the percentage only increases to 62%
after four years (California State University, 2009). This signifies that the small
percentage of Latina/o students who successfully transfer (13%), transition to an
environment that is not setting them up for success. The current historical trend is
thwarting the academic efforts of the majority of Latina/o students at the community
college from earning a bachelor’s degree.
Educational institutions cannot control the culture capital of Latina/o students.
Nevertheless, they are in a position to train their employees to better support students
whose households lack college-going knowledge. Through their roles at four-year and
two-year institutions, institutional agents can make a positive impact on the decision-
making process of students who seek to transfer to a four-year college. Through their
networks and resources, they have the ability to act as bridges for students between the
community college and a four-year college.
8
Institutional agents have the ability to provide students with the required
information to succeed academically through various types of social capital. Latina/o
students who lack college-going knowledge in their household are vulnerable to oversee
resources available to them because they are not components of their everyday schema.
For many students the only avenue to be exposed to social capital is through institutional
agents on their community college campus. Institutional agents are individual who have
different levels of “critical consciousness.” Stanton-Salazar (2010) defines critical
consciousness as “the ability to perceive and interrogate the social, political, and
economic forms of oppression that shape one’s life and to take collective action against
elements of society (or social structures)” (p. 35). It is critical for stakeholders involved
in the transfer process to locate these individuals and to learn from their practices.
Purpose of the Study
Community college Latina/o students who transfer to selective private universities
benefit academically, socially, and economically. Through interactions with support
faculty and staff, community college students have the opportunity be exposed to several
options with regard to four-year institutions, including selective private universities.
While evidence of the relationship between institutional agents and students has been
established from the perspective of institutional agents from four-year institutions
(Ornelas & Solórzano, 2004; Pendakur, 2010; Quintanar, 2007; Stanton-Salazar, Macias,
Bensimon, & Dowd, 2010), there is limited information on the perspectives of
institutional agents from the community college. The purpose of this study is to improve
the quality of knowledge on the contributions that community college institutional agents
make on the transfer process.
9
Research Question
Research illustrates that an effective community college system will not only
benefit potential transfer students but will also lead to more proficient spending of federal
and state funds (Melguizo, Hagedorn, & Cypers, 2008). When a student’s time is
extended in navigating the transfer pipeline, additional funding is allocated to their needs,
which could be applied to the education of other students. Students who obtain various
types of social capital from institutional agents increase their probability of obtaining
support that leads to successful transfer experiences. Therefore, it is imperative to
examine the actions of institutional agents that effectively support Latina/o students who
successfully navigate the process. Through this study I will seek to answer the following
research question: How do institutional agents contribute to the transfer experiences of
Latina/o college students who successfully transition from a community college to a
selective private university?
Methodology
Estancia University (EU) was chosen as the destination institution for the
qualitative study. Snowball sampling was used to locate institutional agents to participate
in the study. The participants chosen are employees from three community colleges
within California. The three institutions were assigned the following pseudonyms:
Mount Vernon College (MVC), Green Hills College (GHC), and Crescent View College
(CVC). The community colleges were chosen for the study because they are the top three
feeder schools into EU, comprising over 50% of all incoming community college
students.
10
Peers who are employed by one of the partnering institutions nominated the
institutional agents. The first group (four participants) of institutional agents was
nominated by EU staff that worked in the enrollment management department. EU
employees were provided information on the study and asked to nominate individuals
whom they identified as agents engaging in actions that supported Latina/o students
transfer to the university (Patton, 2002). The remaining nine participants were nominated
by the initial group of institutional agents. In total, 13 institutional agents participated in
the study: four from MVC, four from GHC, and five from CVC. The information gained
through their interviews will contribute to creating a comprehensive understanding of the
level and types of support that institutional agents provide community college transfer
Latina/o students who accomplish a goal that is rarely attained.
Overview of the Theoretical Framework
The social capital framework (Bourdieu, 1986; Coleman, 1988) and the concept
of institutional agents (Stanton-Salazar, 2001a; 2001b; 2004; 2006; 2010) are utilized to
understand the relationships between students and the participants. Social capital is
defined as “a resource that actors derive from specific social structures and then use to
pursue their interests; it is created by exchanges in the relationship among actors” (Baker
1990, p. 619). Through the exchange of social capital, one or both individuals in the
relationship gain access to resources. The resources include the delivery of knowledge
and assets that provide access to higher degrees of education, career, and social
advancement (Stanton-Salazar & Dornbusch, 1995).
Through the transfer of social capital, institutional agents utilize their leverage to
support students through the education system (Pak, Bensimon, Malcolm, Marquez, &
11
Park, 2006). An institutional agent validates a student’s role in the process by fulfilling
the role of an advocate. Stanton-Salazar (2010) stated, “An individual, situated in an
adolescent’s social network, manifests his or her potential role as an institutional agent,
when, on behalf of the adolescent, he or she acts to directly transmit, or negotiate the
transmission of, highly valued resources” (p. 5). Specifically, this study focuses on how
institutional agents have an effect on the successful transfer process of Latina/o students
at community colleges.
Stanton-Salazar’s (2001a; 2001b; 2004; 2006; 2010) concept of an institutional
agent will define and distinguish the difference between one who works for an institution
and an institutional agent. The key distinction between non-kin adults who care about
youth and contribute to their personal development and institutional agents is that the
latter possess a high degree of human, social, and cultural capital that can impact the
social mobility of youth from working-class backgrounds (Stanton-Salazar, 2010). The
social capital framework and the concept of institutional agents will provide a lens to
examine the types of roles that institutional agents fulfill at the community college. By
gaining insight into these role types, the researcher will decipher the forms of social
capital that are transferred to students who successfully navigate the transfer process.
Significance of the Study
Research is needed to develop policies and programs that will increase the
attainment of bachelor’s degrees by Latina/o students who enter higher education through
the community college. In this regard, this study is significant, because the findings,
drawn from a narrative research approach, will advance the limited literature on
practitioner impact at the community college. An understanding of the professional and
12
personal experiences of institutional agents as well as their roles in social capital
exchanges will lead to the development of policies and practices that will improve the
support students receive in the transfer process. It will also offer institutional agents at
the community college and four-year institutions a better understanding of the
experiences associated with the transfer pipeline as well as the successes and struggles
faced by their colleagues.
Summary
This chapter reviewed the background to the problem, the statement of the
problem, and the purpose of the study. The research question was presented and the
methodology was introduced. The chapter concluded with an overview of the theoretical
framework and the significance of the study. Chapter two provides a review of the
relevant literature in three sections. Chapter three offers a description of the
methodology. The results are presented in chapter four, and a summary of the study, a
discussion of the findings, implications, and recommendations are presented in chapter
five.
13
CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
The previous chapter illustrated the need for a study on the contributions that
institutional agents make on community college Latina/o students who transfer to four-
year private universities. This chapter presents a review of the literature in three sections:
Latina/o students in the education pipeline; institutional agents and institutions in higher
education; and social capital and institutional agents in education. The number of
Latina/o students in the state has more than tripled in the past 20 years and a majority of
this growth in higher education occurred at two-year colleges (National Center for
Education Statistics, 2009). It is common for those students who successfully transfer, to
transition to less selective public institutions. The chapter begins with literature
illustrating the social and academic actions that have created the current Latina/o
education pipeline.
Research shows that students who attend private colleges achieve higher success
rates than students who attend institutions with comparable admission standards
(Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities, 2010b). A major
factor is that students at private selective institutions are exposed to greater levels of
resources (Melguizo & Dowd, 2009), which lead to a higher probability of interacting
with institutional agents (Umbach & Wawrzynski, 2005). Institutional agents play a key
role in diminishing barriers by providing timely streamlined and accurate information on
coursework and financial aid, as well as access to transfer agreements, required courses
and other forms of social capital (Hagedorn & Cepeda, 2004; Hagedorn, Cypers &
Lester, 2008; Kraemer, 1995; Nora, 1987). In addition, agents have the ability to socially
14
and academically integrate students into the fabric of the campus (Nora & Rendon, 1990;
Stanton-Salazar, 1997). The following section presents literature on institutional agents
and institutions in higher education that play significant roles by providing students
various types of social capital.
Latina/o community college and transfer students who capture social capital in
relations with institutional agents create opportunities that lead to actions and choices
(Lin, 2001). Frequent contact between students and institutional agents can enhance
student motivation, involvement, and intellectual commitment (Chickering & Gamson,
1987). As a result, through these relationships, practitioners can have a significant
impact on the academic success of students. Institutional agents are critically aware of
the policies, structures, and practices in education that prevent students from achieving
academic and personal goals. Based on their awareness of a disproportionate class
structure and relatively high status in education, institutional agents can use social capital
to advocate for students (Stanton-Salazar, 2010). The third section of chapter two
provides a discussion on the social capital framework and the concept of institutional
agents. The chapter concludes with a summary.
Latina/o Students in the Education Pipeline
The journey through the education pipeline for Latina/o students is shaped by
their expectations and goals, which are socially constructed through their interactions
with institutional agents and with significant others in their lives (McDonough, 1994;
McDonough & Calderon, 2006). As early as Pre-K, Latina/o students are ill-positioned
to thrive academically (Solórzano et al., 2005). In addition, Latina/o students in low
socioeconomic communities often have low levels of capital with which to use to attend
15
college and, thus, have to rely on institutional agents for opportunities to advance
academically. Notably, those who are positioned to advance to higher education must
address the social pressures of leaving their community. Tierney and Venegas (2007)
refer to this broader context of the college choice process as the “cultural ecology” (p. 20)
of student decision making, where choices are influenced in educational environments by
families and “fictive kin” (Tierney & Venegas, 2006, p. 1688), such as peers and
mentors, and the “social environment of the neighborhood and community” (Tierney &
Venegas, 2007, p. 21).
Pre-K through High School
At any given point in the education pipeline, Latina/os are academically less
successful than other groups (Solorzano, Villalpando, & Oseguera, 2005). To understand
the cumulative effects of inadequate educational preparation and the schooling conditions
of Latinas/os, one must look at their experiences as early as preschool and how these
experiences have an impact on educational attainment in college and beyond (Malcom,
1990). This lack of attainment and success at each point in the education pipeline has
resulted in a loss of talent to U.S. society and role models for the next generation of
Latina/o students who aspire to become professionals (Solórzano et al., 2005).
Early childhood provides a window of opportunity to dramatically shape a child’s
brain when it is rapidly developing (Knudsen, Heckman, Cameron, & Shonkoff, 2006)
and provides a strong foundation for a student’s education well through K-12 and into
adulthood (Shonkoff, Boyce, & McEwen, 2009). During this time, children develop the
linguistic and cognitive skills that form the building blocks for later development
(Knudsen et al., 2006) found that, when children enter kindergarten, those who attended
16
preschool are ahead in math and reading skills. In addition, such students are better
prepared emotionally and socially to succeed in school.
The education stumbling block for the Latina/o population is established at a very
young age. Latina/o children seldom attend preschool. In 1998, researchers (Padrón,
Waxman, Rivera, & Center for Research on Education, Diversity & Excellence, 2002)
found that approximately 20% of Latina/o three-year-olds were enrolled in early
childhood programs, compared to 42% of their White and 44% of African American
peers. Barriers preventing a higher enrollment of Latina/o students include cost, lack of
transportation, unavailability of health care, and lack of information on the positive
outcomes related to preschool enrollment (Livingston, Miranda, & National Center for
Education Statistics, 1995).
The proportion of Latina/o students enrolled in elementary and secondary school
has increased from 12.7% to 19% between 1993 and 2003, but the proportion of college
graduates continues to lag behind in comparison to other racial groups (Kohler &
Lazarin, 2007). Impacting the racial gap in education is a lack of teachers who resemble
students of color in the classroom. Research illustrates that 80% of elementary educators
are White women who come from middle-class, monolingual and monoculture
backgrounds (Haberman, 2007). Teachers, as institutional agents, make decisions that
have lasting effects on the educational attainment of students. They are positioned to
determine which students are provided with opportunities over others. Research (Garcia,
2001) illustrates that often, low-income, non-English-speaking, and immigrant students
are often overlooked.
17
Teachers and administrators act as gatekeepers who are involved in a subjective
practice in which they choose to provide higher levels of social capital to students who
exhibit abilities that are designated by dominant groups as socially accepted. They close
or open gates to specialized programs that can make a dramatic impact on the lives of
students. Gonzales, Stone, and Jovel (2003) interviewed two groups of 22 Latina
students in higher education institutions. The first group consisted of 12 female students
who completed their K-12 schooling with the opportunity to attend two of the most
highly selective universities in the nation. The second group consisted of 10 female
students who began their postsecondary education at a California community college.
The key component that separated the groups was that all of the students in the first group
were enrolled in the Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) program while in elementary
school. Even though students can test into the GATE program, the majority of the
students were placed into GATE based on a teacher referral. From the onset of their
academic career, these students were exposed to encouraging institutional agents who
placed high expectations on them. Many of the students in the study described the
extraordinary support that they received from their GATE teachers, a form of social
capital that was not present for students in the second group.
Educational institutions can be environments for institutional neglect and abuse as
well as advancement (Gonzalez et al., 2003). Valenzuela (1999), in a study of high
schools in Latina/o communities, found that schools have a subtractive nature when
institutional agents deprive students of important resources. Valenzuela found that
students had to adhere to policies and practices by agents that minimized their culture and
language. These negative interactions with institutional agents lead to a lack of academic
18
social capital, which becomes apparent in secondary school statistics. In 2009, only 62%
of Latina/os over the age of 25 completed high school, compared to the national rate of
87% (U.S. Census Bureau, 2009). In 2008, for individuals between the ages of 16 and
24, 18.3% of Latina/os students had dropped out of high school, compared to the national
rate of 8% (U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics,
2010).
Transfer Pipeline
One of the primary purposes of community colleges is to accept students from
secondary school, provide them with general education and introductory collegiate
studies, and send them on to four-year institutions to earn a baccalaureate degree (Cohen
& Brawer, 2008). Considered open-access campuses, the only admission requirement is
that a student be 18 years of age or older. Although open-access allows all students equal
admittance to the college, students do not enter on a level playing field because they
arrive with various levels of social and economic capital (Bourdieu, 1986).
Navigating the transfer pipeline for a community college student can be
confusing, time consuming, frustrating, disappointing, and expensive. The experience
can have a detrimental effect on the self-esteem of a student who is attending college for
the first time. The complexity of the transfer process can be decreased, however, for
students who have access to an institutional agent to serve as a guide through the process.
Regrettably, the current community college structure does not require interaction
between a student and an institutional agent. The lack of such a requirement can have
negative consequence for students who are not knowledgeable about the policies within
the two-year system. Consequently, many students are set-up for failure before attending
19
their first day of class. To understand the transfer process, the ideal steps to successfully
navigate the process are presented below.
The first step, prior to enrolling in courses at the community college, is for a
student to meet with a counselor. The meeting accomplishes three important objectives.
The first is for the student to become acquainted with an institutional agent; the second is
to discuss the student’s academic future; and the third is for students to be informed of
the math and English placement exams. Placement exams can be damaging to a student’s
academic tenure when taken without the appropriate preparation. Because the exams are
used to place students in math and English course levels, a low score can dramatically
elongate the time that a student spends at the community college. Students cannot
transfer to a UC or CSU school or the majority of private colleges without meeting a
required standard in both areas. Once the placement exams are taken, the next step is for
the student to attend a second meeting with a counselor to create an educational plan for
the upcoming academic year.
The educational plan is a key component of a student’s academic journey, as it
consists of semesters made up of classes that students are required to take in order to
transfer to the four-year institution. The educational plan varies based on the student’s
major, the community college that the student attends, and the choice of future four-year
college. The ideal education plan consists of a minimum of 12 units that transfer to the
four-year college, including math and English courses. Thus, enrollment in math and
English classes at the onset of a student’s community college academic tenure is
imperative. Moore and Shulock (2010) found that 55% of students who passed college
20
math within two years completed a certificate or degree, or transferred within six years,
as compared to 21% who did not; for English, the percentages were 50% and 20%,
respectively.
The student needs to successfully complete courses with the required grade point
average that the four-year college establishes, based on the desired major and other
institutional factors. Through the process, the student should keep in constant contact
with counselors, faculty, and other mentors who provide ongoing social capital to
improve the student’s ability to transfer to a four-year college. Depending on the desired
four-year institution and the access that the student has to enroll in courses, the process
can vary. A student who has the goal to transfer as a junior has to complete 60
transferable units over two years. Due to the current California budget crisis, some
community college courses have been cut, and many students are unable to enroll in the
courses that are needed to complete their educational plans. Nevertheless, the transfer
process can take as little as a semester (for private institutions) and, for some, more than a
decade. However, the majority of students who transfer take less than six years (Moore &
Shulock, 2010).
Latina/o students whose goal is to earn a bachelor’s degree are placed at a
disadvantage at the onset of their community college experience, because they encounter
obstacles that are substantially different from those experienced by students who go
directly to four-year institutions (Dougherty, 1994). The California Postsecondary
Education Commission (1998b) found that that, for every 100 first-time Latina/o college
students who attended college, 75 took the community college route. Of those 75
students, one successfully transferred to the UC system and six to the less-selective CSU
21
system. This trend certainly evidences that the California higher education system is
ineffective and needs to be improved to meet the needs of students. Due to the current
economic crisis, there is limited financial support that can be provided to students, which
further emphasizes the need for effective institutional agents.
Institutional Agents and Institutions in Higher Education
Institutional agents in higher education are the primary source for many Latina/o
students who seek institutional knowledge. Administrators, in particular, senior-level
administrators, are in positions to advocate or deplete resources to programs that support
transfer initiatives. Specifically, counselors play a pivotal role in the process, as they are
placed in positions to have intimate one-to-one counseling sessions with students. The
majority of two-year and four-year institutions do not require students to attend
counseling sessions throughout the transfer process. This adds to the crucial role that
faculty play because they are often the few institutional agents who interact with students.
Institutional Agents in Higher Education
Research shows that institutions and their agents have a lasting effect on a wide
range of causes that facilitate as well as impede the transition to a four-year college
(Bensimon, 2007; Bensimon & Dowd, 2009; Clark, 1960; Deil-Amen, 2010; Dougherty,
1994; Hagedorn & Cepeda, 2004; Hagedorn, Cypers, & Lester, 2008; Kraemer, 1995;
Nora, 1987; Nora & Rendon, 1990; Ornelas & Solórzano, 2004; Rendon, 1999; Stage &
Hubbard, 2007; Stanton-Salazar, 1997; 2001a; 2001b; 2004; 2006; and 2010; Suarez,
2004; Tinto, 2000). Research has shown the various factors that contribute to a
successful transfer experience. In such research, institutions are frequently credited for
these factors, but often the individuals within the institution who affect the lives of their
22
students are overlooked. Institutional agents are placed or place themselves in positions
to become “important builders (or destroyers) of social capital” (Warner, 1999, p. 384)
and, therefore, should be recognized.
A number of factors associated with Latina/o students’ interactions with the
institutional environment have been identified as important to student academic success.
For example, Latina/o students who receive a high degree of encouragement from
friends, counselors, faculty, and administrators tend to earn more college credit hours and
have higher levels of commitment to both their educational goals and to their respective
institutions (Nora, 1987; Nora & Rendon, 1990; Rendon, 1992). Consequently,
institutions are in a position to transfer significant college-going social capital. Students
at the community college rely on these institutional agents for advice regarding choice of
college, choice of major, and transfer expectations, including details regarding transfer
coursework. For many, the idea of transferring is engendered during these interactions.
This is particularly important when research shows that the intent to transfer has the
strongest impact on actual transfer behavior (Kraemer, 1995).
Deil-Amen (2010) conducted a qualitative study that involved 238 participants
from two-year colleges. Latina/o students from the urban colleges made up 37% of the
reported population. Deil-Amen explored the experiences of students and how they
influenced integration into the school and motivated their behavior. The researcher found
that, “Although many students noted family support, 92% highlighted a college-specific
‘agent’ or ‘agents’ who were instrumental to their sense of adjustment, comfort,
belonging, and competence as college students” (p. 61). This demonstrates that Latina/o
students benefit from the actions of institutional agents, who are seen as sources of
23
support and who serve as role models for students who go through the transfer process.
Students are aware that they want to succeed academically, but they need access to
certain types of social capital that, for many, are available only through relationships with
institutional agents.
A significant contribution to a successful transfer culture for Latina/o students is
provided by exposure to positive role models. In Suarez’s (2004) study, interviewees
highlighted the importance of these key figures in promoting the successful transfer of
Latina/o community college students. Suarez found that counselors, faculty,
administrators, and peers served as significant role models for students, especially if they
were Latina/o. The researcher found that it was important for students to be able to
identify with individuals on campus who had similar experiences, either academic or
personal, and who had succeeded. To be familiar with others who had gone through
similar hardships and succeeded provided a certain degree of comfort and security.
When students saw others who looked like them, who had similar experiences, and who
had successfully transferred to the four-year college, they too began to see their own
opportunities for success. The opportunity to build bonds with role models can occur
organically through consequential interactions. But it is essential for student
development that experiences are created through deliberate programming that is
supported through administrators and other institutional agents.
Administrators as Institutional Agents
The 112 California community college transfer directors at their respected
institutions are charged with creating a transfer-friendly culture. The environment that
they create sets the tone for the rest of the institution. Students who attend a community
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college that develops a culture of promoting the benefits of a successful transition to a
four-year university are more likely to transfer (Handel, 2007). Administrators have the
ability to create an environment in which students view transfer as one of several steps
toward earning a baccalaureate degree. This can be accomplished by providing resources
for a viable transfer center, staff to address transfer issues, honors programs, four-year
campus visitation programs, and full-time articulation officers as well as by working with
fellow administrators committed to building collaborations with four-year institutions
that close the policy and knowledge gaps between colleges (Handel, 2007).
There are Latina/o students who successfully transfer to the university, but, very
often, these students have to navigate upstream through the transfer pipeline. Some
researchers suggest that community colleges do not emphasize the transfer function in
their overall student services and activities (Rendon, 1999). Dougherty (1992) noted that,
“Far too many community colleges provide at best cursory and haphazard encouragement
and advice for their transfer aspirants” (p. 197). The findings of a study by Ornelas and
Solorzano (2004) of Esperanza Community College supported this contention. From a
population of 20,000 students, only 667 (3%) students successfully transferred to a four-
year college. The study also found that institutional agents, including administrators, did
not agree on key issues that contributed to the philosophy of the campus. Some
administrators were under the belief that Esperanza students were best served through the
support of vocational careers, while others saw the transfer of students as an institutional
priority.
Ornelas and Solorzano (2004) also found that key senior administrators were not
aware of the needs and wants of students. One administrator voiced the belief that a
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vocational education was appealing to students at Esperanza even though research later
illustrated to the contrary. This lack of understanding can lead to decisions that have
negative effects on students’ academic aspirations. For example, based on stereotypical
notions, Esperanza expanded the automotive technology program even though clear
evidence was not provided to support the decision. Brint and Karabel (1989) found that
two-year institutions tend to invest in vocational programs and channel students into non-
academic fields. These are contradicting actions based on findings that students prefer
academic programs.
Non-research based choices make an even larger negative impact on an
institution’s scarce resources that, ideally, should be utilized to provide a full complement
of services to assist students from the time that they first enroll until they became transfer
ready. One of many reasons for the lack of contact between students and counselors is
the low number of counselors in California, where the counselor-to-student ratio is, on
average, 1,900:1, and even higher in some community colleges (Academic Senate for
California Community College, 2003). Meeting with a counselor, however, does not
guarantee that students will leave the counseling session with the confidence and tools to
navigate the transfer pipeline. Counselors vary in expertise and experience. However,
counseling sessions have the potential to lead to positive or negative life-altering
decisions.
Many students see community colleges as an opportunity for a second chance to
access a four-year education. Because a majority of Latina/o students lack professional
role models, many view counselors as a main source of institutional knowledge and
social capital. Students utilize information gained in counseling sessions to make
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important academic and career decisions (e.g., the courses to take, careers to pursue).
Unfortunately, as research demonstrates, there are institutional agents in California
community colleges who have contributed to ill-equipping students for the transfer
process. Clark (1960) studied the interactions between counselors and students at a
California community college. Clark found that counselors involved in the study, guided
several students out of the four-year transfer track and into a vocational career path.
Clark found that students who were not recognized as university material were subjected
to a process that incrementally caused students who initially entered the two-year college
with the intention to transfer to alter their goals.
Faculty as Institutional Agents
Faculty are the most consistent point of contact for students, particularly for
commuter community college students (Stage & Hubbard, 2007; Tinto, 2000). They
serve as institutional agents because they have the ability to transmit directly or to
mitigate transmission of institutional resources and opportunities (Stanton-Salazar &
Dornbusch, 1995). Faculty play a critical role for students through individual
relationships and as part of an entity that is highly respected in the community (Dowd et
al., 2006). As the intellectual entity of the college, it is vital that faculty set a positive
tone in the classroom in regard to the transfer culture of the community. Ornelas and
Solorzano (2004) found that the lack of cohesion between faculty at a community college
contributed to the low transfer rates at the institution. Although faculty felt that transfer,
as a function, was “fundamental” to the role of the community college, they disagreed
about the level of the institution’s success in transferring students; some believed that the
transfer numbers were adequate, while others stated that there was a severe transfer
27
problem. Disagreement between educators can create confusion among students, who
often base the importance of transfer on interactions that take place with faculty in and
out of the classroom.
Faculty have the ability to provide various levels of social capital through their
multiple and varied interactions with students. These interactions include the exchange
of messages about academic capability, belonging, transfer goals, and the nurturing of a
classroom climate that involves student interaction as well as social and academic
integration (Stanton-Salazar, 1997; Tinto, 2000). Through their daily interaction with
students, faculty are viewed as educational role models in their capacity as institutional
agents. They are also representatives of the institution in which they are employed.
Research illustrates that faculty values, beliefs, attitudes, and teaching practices
contribute to student experiences and outcomes (Bensimon, 2007; Dougherty, 1994;
Stage & Hubbard, 2007). Through their professional roles, faculty have the ability to
mentor students in negotiating policies and expectations from other institutional agents
(Stanton-Salazar, 1997). Faculty have the capacity to contribute messages that reflect the
institutional climate as well as encourage or discourage subsequent involvement in social
and academic networks (Leonard, 2010; McDonough, 1997; Stanton-Salazar, 1997). The
classroom is one of the few educational forums where students have the ability to interact
with institutional agents over a long period of time, which can lead to their access to
valuable social capital.
The educational setting places faculty in a critical role in the integration of
students, and faculty-student interactions provide the foundation for a trusting
relationship. Deil-Amen (2010) found that teachers were a primary source of social
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capital. As institutional agents, community college educators are in a position to guide
students toward resources. Educators’ expectations of students also contribute to the
manner in which they guide and mentor their students. The messages that community
college teachers communicate to their students about themselves, transfer options, and
higher education are critical to the transfer process. They play key roles as institutional
agents in the integration of students by creating a climate that can increase student
confidence, and by transmitting valuable information to students (Stanton-Salazar, 1997).
Leonard (2010) examined the journey of 10 community college students who
successfully transferred to a top research institution, specifically focusing, from a student
perspective, on the contributions that faculty had on the successful transfer experience.
Leonard found that students who persisted through the transfer process on their way to
their bachelor’s degree indicated that they were influenced by at least one faculty
member whom they described as “supporting, inspiring, motivating, guiding, and models
for their potential goals” (p. 131).
Leonard (2010) illustrated the manner in which students interpreted day-to-day
interactions and how they were affected by those experiences. The meaning that students
attribute to these interactions is paramount to understanding their goals and their
decisions in regard to how to achieve them. Student interpretations affected their social
and academic integration, both in terms of belonging as a college student, and as
belonging to an intellectual community. Faculty became transmitters of social capital by
providing students with support that created a smooth integration into an otherwise
foreign experience.
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Collaborative Efforts by Institutional Agents
As research illustrated, administrators and faculty have the ability to provide
support for students through one-to-one interactions, but support can be augmented
through collaborative efforts between agents. By working together, agents have
increased access to social capital. These collaborations can be created through
serendipitous events or be purposefully developed by institutional agents. The Puente
Project is a state-funded program that creates an environment for counselors, faculty, and
other institutional agents to support community college students who seek to transfer to a
four-year college (Myers 2006).
The Puente Project is an academic preparation program that was created in 1981
by two faculty members. The majority of the population served by the program are
Latina/o high school and community college students. The primary goal of the program
is to increase the number of educationally disadvantaged students who enroll in four-year
colleges and obtain baccalaureate degrees. Through the program, students receive social
capital and, as alumni, are expected to serve as institutional agents by mentoring future
Puente students (Myers, 2006). An integral aspect of the program is that students are
placed in situations to develop relationships with institutional agents.
The program builds a sense of kinship for Puente students, who are often
intimidated by the higher education culture. Students who participate in the program are
expected to abide by set guidelines. One requirement is to meet with a program
counselor at least one time per semester. Puente students meet with the same counselor
from the onset of their experience in the program until they transfer to a four-year
college. They continually interact with the counselor through on-site programming,
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counseling sessions, and campus visits. Students also have weekly communication with a
faculty member, as they are required to take two consecutive writing classes through the
program. Another requirement is for students to have a mentor, with whom they must
meet at least one time per semester. Community leaders and other individuals with high
levels of social capital are frequently recruited as mentors. At the onset of the program,
the tone is set that collaborative relationships are key to the program’s success. Mentors
are required to attend a training that is facilitated by both the faculty member and
counselor (Myers, 2006).
The program is effective on various levels, and it has proven to increase retention
rates, graduation rates, and the expansion of student opportunities to enhance their
network. Close to 90% of Puente students are retained in community college after a year
of participation in the program, and 73% are retained two years after completing the
program. In terms of transfer rates, between 1999 and 2003, Puente transfers to four-year
institutions grew by 67% (Myers, 2006). The Puente Project is effective because, similar
to other successful programs, agents are able to socially and academically integrate
students into the institution communities through personal bonds. In addition, Puente
students build community with peers who undergo a similar experience of working with
faculty and counselors, and of building a relationship with a mentor. Through the
program, a student gains the ability to obtain social capital from, at minimum, three
institutional agents who support the student’s academic and transfer journey.
Research supports the benefits of a transfer friendly culture, similar to that of the
Puente program, at the community college, but due to a lack of resources, leadership, and
motivation, these programs are few and far between (Jain, Herrera, Bernal, & Solórzano,
31
2011). Currently, Puente is at 56 of the 112 community colleges in California (Myers,
2006). As noted, 87% of Latina/o students who enter a California community college
with the intention to transfer to a four-year college do not reach their goal (Moore &
Shulock, 2010). Four-year colleges, as the receiving institution, play a critical role in
making the transfer dream a reality.
A major factor in the small number of Latina/o students who transfer to selective
institutions is the lack of outreach from selective four-year institutions. By working
collaboratively, institutions can foster a transfer process that supports and validates
students as they make this critical transition in the education pipeline (Turner, 1992). A
committed effort would not only create opportunity and reward student talent, it also
would improve diversity at selective institutions (Dowd et al., 2006). In the section
below, the literature on programs and institutional agents at selective colleges who
contribute to the successful transfer of students will be presented.
Transfer Access at Selective Four-Year Institutions
Dowd and Cheslock (2006) found that transfer access from two- and four-year
colleges to elite institutions has become increasingly more limited. From 1984 to 2002,
the percentage of transfer students among the entering student class declined from 10.5%
to 5.7% at highly selective private institutions. These findings make clear the difficulty
of admission to a selective private institution for Latina/o students. In 2004, nearly 60%
of Latino students who were academically prepared to attend selective colleges and
universities attended non-selective colleges. This is of particular concern because
Latina/o students who attend selective universities are more likely to finish a bachelor’s
degree than those who choose less selective colleges (Haveman & Smeeding, 2006). In
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addition, community college transfers who do manage to gain access to highly selective
and selective institutions graduate in high numbers. Specifically, 75% complete their
degrees within 8.5 years of graduating high school. The chances of bachelor’s degree
attainment at non-selective institutions, where transfer students are concentrated, are
much lower, with only about half of the students earning a degree within that timeframe
(Melguizo, 2008). In addition, students who attend highly selective institutions benefit
from the higher levels of resources provided at these institutions. These include
additional interaction with institutional agents as well the use of materials that aid in the
overall quality of education (Bensimon & Dowd, 2009).
Unfortunately, many Latina/o students fall into the transfer “choice gap,” which
prevents them from attending selective institutions. Bensimon and Dowd (2009) refer to
the choice gap as “the phenomenon of students who are academically eligible for transfer
to a selective university but elect to transfer instead to a less selective institution or not
transfer at all” (p. 635). The 2009 (Bensimon & Dowd) study at Long Beach City
College found that about 2% (520 out of 27,422) of first-time freshman students
completed education plans to transfer to a UC or CSU within three years. Among the
520 students, 198 (38%) completed requirements for transfer to a UC campus. However
only 20% of UC-eligible students transferred to a UC institution. Over 50 % of UC-
eligible students chose to transfer to a CSU campus and 19% did not transfer at all. This
illustrates how the majority of students who were eligible to transfer to a selective
institution fell into the transfer gap. Students who have continuous interaction with
institutional agents can benefit from the relationship that they develop with these agents,
which can decrease the possibility of falling into the choice gap. The study found that it
33
was uncommon for counselors and students to interact as often with students at the
community college. Students’ lack of interaction with counselors from the community
college and selective institutions prevented many from gaining vital transfer knowledge
(Bensimon & Dowd, 2009).
Latina/o students who attend selective colleges, when compared to those in non-
selective institutions, have a greater likelihood of attending graduate programs and a
greater likelihood of assuming leadership positions in the community (Bowen & Bok,
1998; Bowen, Kurzweil, & Tobin, 2005; Gansemer-Topf & Schuh, 2006; Horn, 2007;
Melguizo & Dowd, 2009; Titus, 2006; Wyner, 2006). In addition, those who graduate
from elite institutions experience substantially higher earnings in comparison with peers
who earned equivalent degrees from less-selective institutions (Zhang, 2008).
Creating a Transfer Responsive Culture at Selective Four-year Institutions
From a revenue and reputation perspective, outreach to community college is not
advantageous for selective private institutions. Fiscally the majority of these universities
have a sufficient number of students who apply. In addition, in the eyes of the majority
of donors, an incoming class of transfer students does not increase an institution’s
reputation. Research by Dowd et al. (2006) found that these types of factors deter private
institutions from collaborating with two-year institutions in regard to enrolling students.
After controlling for the larger size of public institutions, public institutions had a 7%
higher transfer enrollment rate than did private universities.
Critical relationships between institutional agents at four-year institutions and
students at community colleges often occur by chance, which indicates the need for
programming that positions students and institutional agents in situations to interact
34
(Dowd et al., 2006). Through the interactions, students increase their opportunity for
success because institutional agents can serve as culture guides to academically and
socially prepare them for the transition to the four-year university. As institutions that
receive transfer students, four-year universities benefit from creating transfer receptive
cultures that lead to an increase in retention and graduation rates, by strategically
connecting institutional agents and resources to incoming students. Jain, et al. (2011)
define a transfer receptive culture as:
An institutional commitment by a four-year college or university (which)
provide(s) the support needed for students to transfer successfully—that is, to
navigate the community college, take the appropriate coursework, apply, enroll,
and successfully earn a baccalaureate degree in a timely manner. (p. 253)
Central to the concept is the belief that students will be successful because they
are transfer students. Jain et al. (2011) suggest it is key to create resources and outreach
that specifically focus on the needs of transfer students. By providing literature that is
transfer specific, universities make potential students aware that they are a significant
part of the incoming student class. The most comprehensive strategies for increasing
transfer access are those that bring together the community college and the four-year
campus cultures. The best approach is one that provides accurate information and
acculturates students to the environment (Pak et al., 2006) through a range of programs.
Dowd et al. (2006) found that transfer-friendly programs included student support prior
to transfer, cohort programs that create inclusive communities and networks of support,
and opportunities that expose students to four-year institutions while enrolled at the
community college.
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Social Capital and Institutional Agents in Education
Social capital and institutional agents are interrelated in education because they
have a cause-and-effect relationship. Institutional agents are positioned to provide
various degrees of social capital to improve the educational experiences of students. The
concept of social capital would not exist in education if institutional agents did not utilize
social capital as a commodity. This interrelation is continually negotiated between
students and institutional agents involved in the education pipeline (Lareau & Horvat,
1999).
Social Capital
Social capital is captured in social relationships and evokes structural constraints
and opportunities as well as actions that impact both individuals involved in the process
(Lin, 2001). The term social capital originated in the 1920s, but is attributed to the
sociologists Bourdieu and Coleman from the 1980s (Dika & Singh, 2002). Their
followers have taken this concept and applied it to education. Central to respected
definitions is that social capital resides, belongs, and exists in the relational bonds of
human society (McGonigal et al., 2007). Without relationships, social capital does not
exist.
Social capital is made up of three elements: form, norms of obligation and
reciprocity, and resources (McNeal, 1999). Form refers to the positioning of
relationships involved in social ties and interactions, the extensiveness of the network, the
level or intensity of the relations, and the length of time that relationships have been
structurally embedded. Norms of obligations and reciprocity are emotional connections
that create social obligations to provide certain individuals access to types of resources.
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Based on schemas established within group relationships, feelings of trust, obligation,
and actions play a role in social capital. Resources include additional social networks,
information, money, physical goods, and other capital (Monkman, Ronald, & Théramène,
2005).
Relationships within social networks can be characterized by the strength of ties
(strong or weak) and the shape or direction of the relationships (horizontal or vertical).
Ties relate to the degree of intimacy between individuals (Granovetter, 1973, 1982, 1985;
Portes, 1998). An example of a strong tie is that which occurs between two siblings close
to the same age who lived in the same household growing up, shared similar experiences,
and maintained consistent contact through adulthood. An example of a weak tie is that of
two individuals who live in the same neighborhood, attend separate schools, and interact
periodically every few years at social events.
Horizontal ties are those among social equals, while vertical ties occur between
people situated in different social circles. Through both types of relationship ties,
individuals and groups have potential access to resources and to other social entities
(Monkman et al, 2005). Vertical ties between individuals are often relatively weak
because they occur between individuals who are differently situated, but they can be
beneficial because there is potential for an individual to gain access to a new subculture.
Such access can occur at the workplace when a supervisor introduces his or her midlevel
administrator to senior management at social functions. This interaction provides the
administrator with the opportunity to engage in interactions that can potentially earn
future access to subcultures with higher levels of social capital.
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In a horizontal tie, individuals tend to have access to similar resources. These ties
can also be beneficial to both individuals because they can provide opportunities to
obtain similar degrees of access in different subcultures. An example of this occurs when
a counselor at a community college obtains access to an admission counselor at a
selective four-year institution. The counselor is now in a position to provide his
colleagues at the community college counselor access to the admission counselor at the
four-year institution. The attainment of increased access to differentiated, more highly
valued social capital affects the social structure (Monkman et al., 2005).
Social norms of obligation and reciprocity direct the relationships and interactions
that lead to the obtainment of resources during an exchange. Norms encompass the
interactions that have been established by a subculture. Social norms place individuals
who are rooted in different subcultures in positions to orient one another to the norms of
each other’s newly encountered environments. Social capital places institutional agents
in positions of influence. Through their various degrees of vertical and horizontal
relationships, they have the potential to introduce students to educational opportunities
that may not be readily available. In the following sections, social capital will be
discussed from the normative perspective and social resource perspective.
Normative Perspective
The normative perspective is rooted in the structural functionalist schools of
sociology and anthropology (Dika & Singh, 2002). This perspective is based on the
belief that an individual will act based on the assumed reaction of others who are part of
an approved subculture. Through daily interactions, collections of people create distinct
communities that become subcultures of society. Consequently, within the subcultures,
38
activities occur that lead to collective decision-making and thus creating a group’s
distinctive qualities (Quintanar, 2007).
Coleman came to prominence in the 1980s with his studies of adolescents,
schooling, and community. In the context of education, he views parents as the key
figures in the exchange of social capital. He proposes that social capital is intangible and
encompasses three distinct forms: trust, information channels, and norms and sanctions
that promote the common good over self-interest (Coleman, 1988). Coleman’s (1994)
view of social capital is embedded in a normative perspective. He defines social capital
as a set of resources that are innate in family relations as well as in community social
organizations and that are valuable for the cognitive or social development of a young
individual.
The utilization of social capital as an information channel is illustrated in research
by Bell (2005), who studied parents during the selection process of schools for their
children. She found that parents used their interactions within their subculture to obtain
information on new schools and used their networks to gather multiple perspectives on a
particular school. With few exceptions, parents saw a great deal of value in the
information gathered through their networks, particularly when their networks were
comprised of other parents. In addition, Bells found that parents would not send students
to schools that they perceived were not academically and/or socially approved by their
shared subculture.
Coleman (1994) believes that it is imperative for individuals within a subculture
to trust that members within their group promote the common good over self-interest.
Familiarity and trust are created through the social interactions within the subculture.
39
The building of trust is particularly important because it allows actors within the group to
develop a sense of camaraderie. Coleman (1994) also believes that trustworthiness plays
a significant role during the balancing and repayment of previous exchanges of social
capital. The process of repayment is beneficial, as it shows that an individual has worth
in the subculture and it supports the capacity to solicit social capital in the future.
Subcultures that successfully exchange social capital have a sense of social closure
(Coleman, 1988) within the group that is also acknowledged by outsiders. Social closure
is developed and strengthened through interactions that occur over time. Through those
experiences that occur in subcultures, actors create relationships that develop kinship
with one another. Subcultures become more exclusive as members in the subculture
create stronger ties.
Social Resource Perspective
The social resource perspective pays focus on the impacts on social capital of
generations of networks and social ties. Dika and Singh (2003) credit Bourdieu for
providing the initial explanation of social capital through a social resource perspective.
Bourdieu (1986) defined social capital as “an aggregate of actual or potential resources
connected to possessions of a network that consists of essentially institutionalized
relationships of mutual acquaintance and recognition” (p. 248). He views social capital
as the investment of the class in power to maintain and reproduce group solidarity as well
as to preserve the group’s dominant position (Lin, 2001).
Bourdieu and his successors have examined the hold that the dominant class has
on assets that perpetuate the social and economic class structure. Bourdieu argues that
individuals do not live in a meritocratic society in which all have access to similar
40
amounts of social capital. He believes that the levels of opportunities to succeed vary on
one’s capital and that opportunities fluctuate based on the accumulation of social capital
that is banked through life experiences. Through continuous interactions in which
relationship ties are established, opportunities are created that allow for the accumulation
of social capital. This places individuals who begin life with larger amounts of social
capital at an advantage in gaining access to opportunities and resources. Consequently
families play a significant role in establishing a network for their children.
Horvat et al. (2003) found that parents utilize their funds of social capital by
tapping into their networks to contest the judgments or the behavior of school officials.
Horvat et al. utilized ethnographic data to examine social-class differences in the
relations between families and schools. They found that working-class parents maintain
weak social networks to other parents in their child’s school and to professionals. As a
result, many of these parents tend to negotiate their children’s problematic situations on
an individual basis or concede authority to the school altogether. In comparison, middle-
class parents have larger sources of networks by which they obtain social capital that they
use to advocate for their children. It was not social capital, per se, that was useful but the
quantity and quality as well. In addition to utilizing their individual social capital,
middle-class parents have the option to react collectively or act individually but maintain
the possibility of collective involvement in reserve. Theoretically, working class parents
had the option to advocate for their children but the majority did not feel socially
comfortable or were limited by economic constraints to advocate for their children
41
(Horvat et al., 2003). There are working-class parents who gain access to higher-levels
of social capital, but it requires the development of a bicultural network (Stanton-Salazar,
1997).
Stanton-Salazar (1997) examined the capital exchanges that occur between
working-class youth and institutional agents, using a social capital framework. They
focused on students who develop a consciousness that facilitates the crossing of social
borders and the overcoming of institutional barriers. He found that there were students
who were able to facilitate entry into multiple community and institutional settings that
gave them opportunities to attain social capital. Through a set of actions, a person learns
to negotiate and participate in multiple and simultaneously existing social worlds.
Individuals with these skills are aware of the beliefs and dispositions needed to develop
relationships that will create social capital (Stanton-Salazar, 1997). Effective social
mobility requires the execution of certain aspirations, ways of using language, accepted
responses familiar to the subculture, and effective acculturation to a system of values and
beliefs (Gee, 1989; Phelan, Davidson, & Yu, 1998).
A student who learns to act with the approved discourse in the context of relations
with authority figures, socialization agents, and other institutional agents is provided with
access to an array of resources, privileges, and rewards. Learning multiple discourses
and participating in distinct, non-familial socio-cultural worlds, in preparation for
adulthood, requires active engagement with various agents (Stanton-Salazar, 2010).
Relationships with institutional agents are not only vital in providing direct access to
social capital but also lead to better psychological well-being, more rewarding
relationships with parents and others, academic success, higher school completion, better
42
employment experiences, and fewer problems with peers (Bryant & Zimmerman, 2003;
McDonald, Erickson, Kirkpatrick Johnson, & Elder, 2007; Rhodes, Ebert, & Fischer,
1992; Zimmerman, Bingenheimer, & Notaro, 2002).
Institutional Agents
Through exchanges of social capital, institutional agents have the ability to
provide students with the required information to succeed academically. Working-class
students have less access to types of social capital that can lead to academic success.
They have few opportunities to build relationships with institutional agents who can be
rich academic sources of social capital. Institutional agents have different levels of
“critical consciousness.” Stanton-Salazar (2010) defines critical consciousness as “the
ability to perceive and interrogate the social, political, and economic forms of oppression
that shape one’s life and to take collective action against elements of society (or social
structures)” (p. 35). It is a critical awareness in regard to the policies, structures, and
practices in education that prevent students from achieving academic and personal goals.
Based on their awareness of a disproportionate class structure and relatively high status in
education, institutional agents can use networks to advocate for students (Stanton-
Salazar, 2010).
Agents have access to two major categories of institutional resources, positional
and personal. Positional resources are those that are linked to an advantageous position
within an organization, network, institution, or social system that consists of a hierarchy.
(Lin, 2001). Personal resources are in the possession of individual actors who can use or
transmit these resources “without needing to receive specific authorization or be
accountable to other actors” (Lin, 2001, p. 42). These resources are attained through
43
personal relationships that have been established through private networks and
professional relationships.
Through positional and personal resources, institutional agents within educational
institutions have the ability to reproduce race and class social inequalities as well as to
function as banks of knowledge and opportunity that allow often-overlooked students to
surmount social structural barriers. Through exchanges of social capital, agents can
contribute to providing students with the ability to experience school success and social
mobility (Stanton-Salazar, 1997). The exchanges commonly occur through multiplex and
multi-stranded relationships (2001a). In a multiplex relationship, the student depends on
the institutional agent to provide “multiple forms of support for different problems and
across different situations” (p. 225). Multi-stranded relationships involve multiple roles
or functions on the part of the institutional agent. For example a faculty member in a
multi-stranded relationship with a student will often play the role of teacher, counselor,
and mentor. Due to a lack of resources, institutional agents are in positions to provide
multiple forms of support and play several roles to appropriately support students seeking
to academically thrive.
Dowd et al. (2006) examined the opportunities and barriers related to transfer to
the most elite colleges and universities in the United States for low-income community
college students. An analysis of interviews found that institutional agents increased
access to elite institutions by either by acting on their own or collectively to advocate for
students. The researchers found that many individuals who advocated for transfer
students had, themselves, successfully navigated the transfer process in their own
educational experience. These individuals were sensitive to the journey of transfer
44
students and, as a result, appreciated their difficulties, particularly the barriers that they
had to overcome to enter postsecondary education.
Summary
The primary objective of this study is to examine the support that institutional
agents provide students who have successfully transferred to a selective private
university. Specifically viewing the types of social capital that is provided through an
institutional agent lens. As a racial group, Latina/o students in the education pipeline find
themselves at a high disadvantage to academically succeed due to current social,
academic, and economic structures in the U.S. education system. They are ill-positioned
to succeed as early as Pre-K and those who reach the community college face a
burdensome system that is difficult to navigate without college-going culture or social
capital.
Individuals employed in higher education are in positions to provide community
college students with types of social capital that supports the transition to four-year
selective institutions. This literature review has illustrated that there is limited
knowledge on the exchanges of social capital between students and institutional agents in
higher education. In addition, research rarely provides the experiences of social capital
transactions through the lens of institutional agents at the community college.
Social capital theory will provide the theoretical framework necessary to explore the
experiences of institutional agents. The theory presents the foundation for understanding
the types of support that institutional agents contribute that impact the successful
transition of students to selective four-year institutions. Stanton-Salazar’s (2001a; 2001b;
2004; 2006; 2010) concept of institutional agents provides the means to determine how
45
these individuals cultivate experiences opportunities in community colleges that are
failing the majority of students who enter the system with the goal of obtaining a
baccalaureate degree. The next chapter will provide the methodology that will be used to
conduct this study.
46
CHAPTER 3
METHODOLOGY
Chapter three presents the methodology used in the study. The chapter begins
with a restatement of the research question, followed by a presentation of the framework
related to the method, site selection, and participant selection. Next, the instrumentation
and the data collection, as well as the process of data analysis, are reviewed. Finally, the
trustworthiness of the data, researcher bias, and limitations are discussed. The chapter
concludes with a summary.
The research question guiding the study is: How do institutional agents contribute
to the transfer experiences of Latina/o college students who successfully transition from a
community college to a selective private university?
Framework Related to Method
A narrative research approach is the most effective method for capturing the
detailed stories of a small group of individuals (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000). The
method bases itself upon the development of the respondent's viewpoint through the
interview process. The qualitative approach captures the emotion of the moments
described in the story. As the experience is shared, the experience is further illustrated by
the mannerisms and emotions of the storyteller (Polkinghorne, 1988).
This approach allows the reader to view the exchanges of social capital from the
perspective of individuals employed by the institution. It is imperative to capture the
practitioner’s lens because their awareness and level of experience can create an
environment that perpetuates or reverses inequalities in the educational outcomes of
students (Bensimon et al., 2007). This approach not only informs the reader about the
47
exchanges between students and institutional agents but also determines their meaning.
The study will provide the practices of institutional agents at the community college
through a personal perspective.
The social capital theory framework and the concept of institutional agents were
discussed in chapter two. This study builds on Stanton-Salazar’s (2010) article, which
elaborates on the concept of institutional agents. By researching the actions of
institutional agents, the framework moves away from the student-centered approach and
emphasizes the high level of dependency that is placed on practitioners to provide
students access to college-going resources and networks. The article also introduced
Stanton-Salazar’s (2010) Institutional Agent Role Types Framework, which is utilized as
a reference to decipher the kinds of support institutional agents provide to students
through multiple roles. Data collection and analysis for this study was based on the
categories and subcategories found in Stanton-Salazar’s (2010) framework.
Site Selection
Four institutions were selected for the study: a four-year transfer destination,
Estancia University (EU) and three partnering community colleges, Mount Vernon
College (MVC), Green Hills College (GHC), and Crescent View College (CVC). The
researcher assigned the pseudonyms for the participating institutions. EU is a Western
Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) accredited non-profit private four-year
university (Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities, 2010a). The
selective institution is comprised of seven colleges/professional schools and has
approximately 9,000 students, 6,000 of whom are undergraduates (U.S. News and World
Report, 2011). Over 50 majors and 50 minors are offered at the undergraduate level.
48
The mean grade point average (GPA) for incoming transfer students is 3.3 (Estancia
University Admissions, 2011).
In the 2010-11 academic year, 24% (462) of the incoming class was made up of
transfer students. Of that group, 61% (282) were from a community college. The racial
breakdown of the transfer group was 52% Caucasian, 22% Latina/o, 8% Asian/Pacific
Islander, 3% Black/African American, and 8% International. This is similar to the ethnic
breakdown of the entire EU undergraduate population (Estancia University, 2011).
The three partnering two-year colleges MVC, GHC, and CVC were selected
because they are the top three community college feeder schools for EU. All three
community colleges are Hispanic-Serving Institutions, meaning they each have a
population of at least 25% Latina/o students. Based on transfer rates, there were
established transfer responsive environments at the three institutions. Data illustrated that
each institution had transfer rates of at least 35% (within six years), which is higher than
the average rate (30%) for California Community Colleges.
During fall 2009 and spring 2010, EU had a total of 146 students enrolled from
the three community colleges (MVC 28; GHC 24; and CVC 94). The combined group
comprised 52% of the entire incoming community college population. All three
community colleges were among the largest in Southern California, each with over
20,000 students. As of fall 2010, MVC had a total of 24,775 students. The ethnic
breakdown of the student population was 37.5% Latina/o, 18.7% White, 17.8%
Asian/Pacific Islander, 17.1% Black/African American, 2.8% multi-ethnic, 3% Native
American, and 5.8% unreported (Mount Vernon College, 2011). Of the incoming 2010
students, 38% reported transfer as their educational goal. From the 2004 cohort of
49
students, 35% of students successfully transferred to a four-year university within six
years (Mount Vernon College, 2011).
GHC had a total of 26,237 students during the fall 2010 semester. The ethnic
breakdown of the student population was 39.8% Latina/o, 28.0% Asian/Pacific Islander,
19.9% White, 6.3% Black/African American, 0.5% Native American, and 5.5% other
(Green Hills College, 2011). Of the incoming 2010 students, 51% reported transfer as
their educational goal. From the 2004 cohort of students, a total of 36% successfully
transferred to a four-year university within six years (Green Hills College, 2011).
During the fall 2010 semester, CVC had a total enrollment of 30,052 students.
The ethnic breakdown of the student population was 31.2% White, 31.8% Latina/o,
18.8% Asian/Pacific Islander, 9.8% Black/African American, 2.9% multi-ethnic, 0.3%
Native American, and 5.3% unreported. Of the incoming 2010 students, 68% reported
transfer as their educational goal (Crescent View College, 2011). From the 2004 cohort
of students, 57.9% successfully transferred to a four-year university within six years
(Crescent View College, 2011).
Participant Selection
To locate the initial group (four) of institutional agents for the study, the
researcher utilized a snowball sampling method. Through the process, information-rich
informants were located (Patton, 2002) and requested to nominate individuals from the
three partnering colleges with whom they have collaborated in the past to support
Latina/o transfer students to the institution. The informants were EU staff in the
enrollment management department whose responsibilities involved working with
transfer students. The enrollment management department was comprised of the
50
admission office, the financial aid office, and the office of the registrar. EU staff ranged
from counselors, whose major responsibilities included direct support to potential EU
transfer students and management who had consistent contact with leadership at
partnering community colleges. Two examples of informant for the study are Albert and
Melissa (all participants in this study were assigned pseudonyms). Albert, a White male
alumnus of EU was responsible for overseeing admission of transfer students at the
University. Melissa was a first-generation college student. She attended EU and was
responsible for coordinating the admission of Latina/o students to the university.
The researcher met with each informant from EU that contributed to the study.
He provided the individuals a definition of an institutional agent as well as examples of
institutional agents at EU who could be recognized for supporting current students
attending the University. Next the researcher provided the EU staff members time for
questions or to clarify any confusion regarding the meaning of an institutional agent.
Lastly the group was asked to nominate individuals who had collaborated with them in
the past to support Latina/o students who had transferred to EU.
Based on nominations provided by the EU staff, four institutional agents were
selected to participate in the study. Toward the end of the interviews, these four
participants were asked to nominate their colleagues to participate in this study. An
additional ten institutional agents were nominated and contacted, and nine agreed to
participate. In total, 14 institutional agents were contacted and 13 agreed to participate.
Instrumentation and Data Collection
The initial step in the data collection process was to obtain approval from the
University of Southern California’s (USC) Institutional Review Board (IRB) for the
51
protection of human subjects. Once IRB approval was granted by USC, the researcher
applied and received approval to conduct research from the three partnering community
colleges. In the following weeks the participants were contacted by telephone. They
were provided an overview of the study and their questions were addressed. At the
conclusion of the conversations, participants were informed that they would be receiving
an email with an attached consent form. After the consent forms were returned,
interviews were set up and participants were emailed a link to a survey adapted from the
Center of Urban Education (CUE) Institutional Agent Self-Assessment Inventory
(Appendix A). The participants were asked to complete the self-assessment prior to the
interviews. The self-assessment is based on Stanton-Salazar’s (2010) sociological
perspective of institutional agents (CUE, 2010).
The instrument is divided into two main sections. The first section is made up of
six multiple choice questions and one opened ended question. The purpose of the section
was to gather the participants background information (professional role, level of
education, parent level of education, etc.). The second section is composed of over 50
questions that followed the following sequence. First participants were asked to respond
to a statement/question related to her/his roles as institutional agent (i.e. “I’ve been
actively involved in helping a significant number of students assess problems, gather
information, and make appropriate decisions related to their success within the institution
and within the educational system”). Next the following question was proposed “How do
you do this?” Following the participants were asked to provide challenges connected to
the statement/question, and lastly the following question was proposed “To what extent
have you done this specifically for Latina/o students?”
52
The solution-oriented self-assessment is based on the notion that, for individuals
to form relevant and effective goals, they initially must be aware of and familiar with the
conditions of the subject (CUE, 2010). The purpose of providing the self-assessment
prior to the interview multi-tiered. First it contributed additional information to the study
based on the institutional agent’s own perception of her/his actions. Second the results
provided the researcher insight on the practitioner’s self-assessment as institutional
agents prior to the interview. Lastly the assessment further informed the participant on
the concept of an institutional agent while also given her/him time process their
participation in the study prior to the initial interview.
The second instrument contained a series of 33 questions that were organized by
three themes: race, socioeconomic status, and early influences; education; and
institutional agent experiences (Appendix B). The standardized, open-ended interviews
were based on Patton’s (2002) work on qualitative evaluation and research methods. The
use of standardized, open-ended interviews ensures that each participant is asked
identical questions and in the same order, with the goal of gathering information from all
participants in a similar fashion (Patton, 2002). The first section of the interview protocol
provided questions regarding the background of the participant; the second section
involved questions related to their educational experiences; and the third section was
made up of questions associated with the participant’s experiences as an institutional
agent.
Participants were given the option to pick the location for the interview. All
participants chose to be interviewed in their office at their respective institutions. The
interviews were coordinated with the purpose of creating an interactive, personal,
53
collaborative environment (Creswell, 2007). Prior to the interviews, the participants were
provided extensive information on the study and at the beginning of each interview the
researcher allotted time for the participant to ask questions related to the dissertation.
Immediately after each interview, the researcher wrote reflective summaries (Bryne,
2004).
Data Analysis
Data analysis began prior to the conclusion of data collection. All interviews
were transcribed, and field notes, self-assessment results, and reflective summaries were
organized. Once the interviews were completed transcriptions, field notes, and reflective
summaries were analyzed extensively and themes were created. Comments from
transcriptions were coded based on the themes within Stanton-Salazar’s (2010)
Institutional Agent Role Types Framework (Appendix C). The framework contains 14
institutional agent role types that are grouped into four categories: Direct Support,
Integrative Support, System Developer Support, and System Linkage and Networking
Support. The Direct Support category includes five types (resource agent, knowledge
agent, advisor, advocate, and networking coach) of institutional agents that directly
support students through daily interactions. Integrative Support (integrative agent and
cultural guide); System Developer (program developer, lobbyist, and political advocate);
and System Linkage and Networking Support (recruiter, bridging agent, institutional
broker, and coordinator) are comprised of role types that require institutional agents to
advocate for students through interactions with colleagues and the education system.
Through roles within integrative support, institutional agents guide students through the
transition phase into new educational and professional venues. The system developer
54
category involves types of support that strategically place or advocate for programming
that will lead to student advancement. System linkage and networking support comprises
roles that enable institutional agents to utilize extensive networks to connect students to
resources (Stanton-Salazar, 2010). Chapter four provides a detailed description of each
institutional agent role at the onset of each role type analysis.
Trustworthiness of the Data
In any research, there are concerns in regards to the trustworthiness of the data
that is collected. This study used a narrative research approach, which holds the potential
for validity threats. Validity threats could arise if the descriptions provided by
participants are not exact due to a lack of full disclosure or a participant’s limited
memory of an event. In addition, the validity of the interviews are impacted during the
interpretation of the transcriptions by the researcher. It is not guaranteed that the
researcher will fully comprehend and interpret the actual meaning for the participant.
Polkinghorne (2007) explained:
The disjunction between a person’s actual experienced meaning and his or her
storied description has four sources: (a) the limits of language to capture the
complexity and depth of experienced meaning, (b) the limits of reflection to bring
notice to the layers of meaning that are present outside of awareness, (c) the
resistance of people because of social desirability to reveal fully the entire
complexities of the felt meanings of which they are aware, and (d) the complexity
caused by the fact that texts are often a co-creation of the interviewer and
participant. (p. 10)
This study took three approaches to ensure that the data collected represented the
experiences of the participants. The use of multiple approaches is known as
triangulation. Denzin and Lincoln (2003) emphasize the importance of triangulation in
data analysis because each method of data collection provides a different perspective of
55
the same problem or issue. The use of multiple sources in the data collection process
creates a clearer, deeper picture of focus of the study.
In this study, data were collected from participants through both self-assessments
and interviews. Additionally, the researcher wrote notes immediately after each
interview. By doing so, the interviews were summarized and notable statements were
highlighted. Taking such action immediately after an interview helped to ensure the
accuracy and validity of the interview data (Patton, 2002). Finally, all the interviews
were conducted in environments chosen by the participants, which provided them the
opportunity to openly express their experiences.
Researcher Bias
A major bias that could have contributed to the study is that the researcher is an
employee at EU who works with the transfer population and who is also an adjunct
faculty member at CVC. The researcher has been an employee at both institutions for
roughly five years. Consequently, the researcher has a significant amount of knowledge
regarding the transfer process at the institutions discussed in this study. In addition, the
researcher is familiar with a few of the individuals who were nominated for the study.
Researchers bring their own perspectives, paradigms, or sets of beliefs to each
research study, and these inform the writing and the conduct of the qualitative research
(Creswell, 2007). Thus, it is important for individuals to reflect upon their experiences
when gathering the perspectives of participants. Qualitative research is socially
constructed, and, as a result, full objectivity is impossible (Denzin & Lincoln, 2003). The
experiences that the researcher has encountered throughout his life may have contributed
to his interpretation of the findings. As a Latino who successfully transferred from a
56
community college, it was natural for the researcher to reflect on his experiences
throughout this study. Further, the researcher graduated from a highly selective public
university that had limited resources for transfer students. In addition, as a graduate
student, the researcher attended EU, a selective private university, and experienced the
benefits of such an institution. Importantly, the researcher’s professional and student
experiences were motivating factors for choosing the topic of this dissertation.
As a practitioner at the community college and a private selective university, the
researcher had his own lens in regard to the varying levels of support that students
receive based on the institution they attend. The researcher acknowledged that this
perspective potentially influenced his interpretation of the data in the present study;
however, throughout the data coding and analysis, his goal was to remain committed to
following the methodological practices of the qualitative research process. In addition,
the researcher used his background in counseling to guide him toward a more “client-
centered” or objective standpoint.
Limitations
The limitations of this study included time constraints and lack of resources,
which limited the amount and type of information gathered for the study. Due to limited
resources, it was not possible to create a protocol that would gather information on the
personal lives of the institutional agents and that would address each of the 14 role types
directly. Also the limited amount of time restricted the researcher from conducting
longer and additional interviews. This is viewed as a limitation because an informant’s
comfort level increases through time, leading to more in-depth information.
57
In addition, due to a lack of resources the researcher did not have the ability to
contact all transfer Latina/o students at EU to provide them an appropriate understanding
regarding the concept of institutional agents. Consequently, students were not solicited to
nominate practitioners for the study but instead were nominated by their colleagues
within their networks. Accordingly besides the anecdotal evidence gathered by the
nominations, self-assessments and interviews, student data was not provided to exemplify
the effectiveness of the participants as institutional agents.
Summary
This chapter provided a detailed description of the methodology used for this
study. Through the narrative research approach, the researcher utilized the social capital
framework to further examine Stanton-Salazar’s (2010) concept of institutional agents.
The site selection of EU, MVC, GHC, and CVC were discussed as well as the selection
process of the participants, which were nominated through snowball sampling.
Information was drawn from semi-structured interviews, self-assessments, narrative
summaries, and data provided by participating institutions. Stanton-Salazar’s (2010)
Institutional Agent Role Types framework was utilized to analyze the data for this study.
Trustworthiness of the data, research bias, and limitations were also presented in this
chapter. In chapter four, the findings that resulted from this methodology and an analysis
of the results will be discussed.
58
CHAPTER 4
FINDINGS
In this chapter, the findings of this study are presented in four sections. The first
section consists of introductions for each institutional agent participant. The second
section provided data from CUE’s Institutional Agent Self-Assessment Inventory. The
third section features the findings organized using Stanton-Salazar’s (2010) Institutional
Agent Role Types Framework, and closes with additional results. The third section
introduces three major themes that emerged within the findings of this research. These
themes will be discussed more extensively in chapter five.
Overview of the Data Analysis
Data were analyzed utilizing Stanton-Salazar's (2010) Institutional Agent Types
Framework to answer the following research question: How do institutional agents
contribute to the transfer experiences of Latina/o college students who successfully
transition from a community college to a selective private university? Interviews were
the primary source for this study, while field notes and self-assessments served as
secondary research sources. The participants were institutional agents at one of three
community colleges, MVC, GHC, or CVC. The data collection method involved
snowball sampling. Four initial participants were nominated by colleagues who were
employed at EU. The participants were recognized for their efforts as institutional agents
that support Latina/o who successfully transfer to selective private universities.
After being nominated, individuals were contacted and provided information
regarding the study. Based on their understanding of the project, participants were asked
to nominate their colleagues for the study. Through snowball sampling, nine additional
59
participants were selected. A total of 13 institutional agents agreed to participate and
were instructed to complete online self-assessments. During the following weeks, each
institutional agent was interviewed at his or her respective college.
Institutional Agents
Research (Dowd et al., 2006) illustrates that the behavior of individuals
recognized for effectively supporting transfer students is shaped by their past
experiences. Consequently, it was critical to this study that there was an ample
introduction to the life history of each institutional agent participant. The participants
represented a broad array of professional, gender, socioeconomic status (SES), and
educational backgrounds. Four participants were employed at MVC (Theresa, Ken,
Patty, and Nathalia), four were employed at GHC (Cornelio, Maria, Shayan, and
Claudio), and five were employed at CVC (Gemma, Frederico, Joseph, Sandra, and
Maribel). Participants were asked to self-identify the professional role that best described
their capacity at their institution. The options provided to participants were faculty,
counselor, faculty/counselor, administrator, and staff. The institutional agents self-
identified as either faculty/counselor (n = 9) or counselor (n = 4).
The gender breakdown of participants was seven females and six males.
Individuals self-identified their race and/or ethnicity as Asian (1), Caucasian (2), Latina/o
(8), and Other (2). The two individuals that self-identified as Other supplied Chicano and
Multi-Ethnic as their responses. During the interviews, individuals were asked to share
their SES background for the majority of their life growing up in their household of
origin, nine reported growing up in a working class home environment and five grew up
in a middle class household.
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Nine of the institutional agents were first generation college students. From that
group a significant number of their parents did not go past an elementary level education.
Dowd and Gabbard (2006) found that “transfer agents and champions are often former
transfer students themselves and are motivated by an appreciation of the complexity of
student experiences, particularly the barriers many students have overcome to enter
postsecondary education” (p. 9). This study further supported the 2006 report as the data
illustrated that 11 of the participants were transfer students. Ten of the participants
transferred from the community college and one transferred from a four-year college. All
13 institutional agents earned a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, and one completed a
doctorate degree. Table 4.1 presents the relevant demographic information by
participant.
Table 4.1
Institutional Agent Demographics
Name College Race Position SES* 1st Gen Transfer
Theresa MVC Latina Faculty/Counselor WC Yes Yes
Patty MVC Asian Faculty/Counselor MC No No
Ken MVC Latino Counselor WC Yes No
Nathalia MVC Latina Counselor WC Yes Yes
Cornelio GHC Multi-Ethnic Counselor WC Yes Yes
Maria GHC White Counselor MC No Yes
Shayan GHC Latino Faculty/Counselor MC Yes Yes
Claudio GHC Chicano Faculty/Counselor WC Yes Yes
Joseph CVC Latino Faculty/Counselor WC Yes Yes
Sandra CVC Latina Faculty/Counselor MC No Yes
Gemma CVC Latina Faculty/Counselor WC Yes Yes
Frederico CVC White Faculty/Counselor MC No Yes
Maribel CVC Latina Faculty/Counselor WC Yes Yes
Note. WC = working class; MC = middle class.
Theresa
Theresa worked at MVC for over 11 years. She held the role as faculty
coordinator for a program supporting transitioning students to the community college for
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the previous five years. In addition to directing the program, she was responsible for
oversight of faculty members of the program. She was a Latina in her thirties who
emigrated with her parents from Latin America as a child. Her parents had a limited
formal education. Her father never attended school and her mother stopped attending in
middle school. They lived in a low-income community when arriving to the US.
Through her parent’s hard work, they eventually became owners of a restaurant, which
increased the families’ SES level.
Her experiences as a first-generation college student were both positive and
negative. She had the opportunity to accomplish goals that no one else in her family had
reached, which allowed her to help her brother and sisters. She shared that she made a lot
of the same mistakes made by a majority of first generation college students. For
example, she was not aware of the required courses to complete an education plan or to
which colleges she could apply to during the application process. Theresa acknowledged
that if not for a lack of college going social capital, her undergraduate experience would
have taken another direction: “I wish that I had known more, then I would have made
different decisions.”
Theresa attended MVC at age 16 after taking an exit exam in high school. In
addition to her student worker position as a peer mentor, she was involved in leadership
roles as ASO President and Club Council President. After a few years at the community
college, Theresa transferred to a local public university and obtained a degree in
psychology. She reflected back on her decision to attend her local public college and was
resentful that her mentors did not challenge her at the time:
They should have said you’re at a 3.87 GPA you could apply to Berkeley. Instead
they were saying stay local. When you are [a] first-generation you don't know you
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have these options. The only colleges I applied to were the local Cal States. I
didn't even bother applying to UCLA, Berkeley, or any of those colleges. I wish
that somebody would have told me that. I do think that faculty play a big role on
where students apply to.
After obtaining a bachelor’s degree, Theresa reflected back on her student
experience at MVC. As a student she was extremely familiar with the institution and had
a great experience as a peer counselor. She had created a community for herself and
received support by various institutional agents. She came to the realization that she
wanted to be back at the community college and be a provider of the support that was
shared with her. Theresa returned to school and earned a master’s degree, but upon
graduation, she found that positions were limited. She worked in the movie industry
where she was introduced to political frameworks that later taught her the ability to
maneuver within the community college. She shared that some of her roles models were
negatively impacted because they were not politically savvy:
I think I learned it at [media corporation] . . . It's kind of funny because I think that's
one thing that my role models didn't do well. They said what was always on their
mind and I saw a lot of their programs either cut or not funded. I think I made a
very conscious effort at an early age that I wasn't going to fall into that. I was going
to play the cards right because I knew that I needed funding…
After a few years in the movie industry, she returned to education by working in
K-12 for about three years. During that period she kept in contact with an institutional
agent at MVC who was responsible for hiring counselors. She emailed him on a monthly
basis, and eventually he informed her about a part-time counselor position. Theresa
immediately applied. Due to her network at MVC, she knew everyone on the interview
panel. Theresa was eventually hired back to the place where she first flourished socially
and academically.
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Patty
Patty was an Asian American female in her fifties. She has worked at MVC for
over 22 years. Patty began her career with the college as a counselor and was eventually
promoted to director of the transfer center. She was raised in a middle class household in
Northern California and both parents attended college. Her father completed a bachelor’s
degree and her mother completed some college. From a young age, Patty had an activist
background, which she partly attributed to attending high school and college in the
1970’s in Northern California. The era and the social setting influenced her choice of
university and her choice to support students as a profession.
She attended a public university in Southern California because the Asian
American Studies program was well recognized and there was an Asian American
Student Association that was creating momentum for a strong student movement. As an
undergraduate, she worked as a peer counselor in a program that provided services to
non-traditional college students. Patty continued to develop her social construct through
her college years by taking Asian American, Black, and Chicana/o Studies courses. She
earned a certificate in Asian American Studies and a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies.
After earning her bachelor’s degree, she was promoted from peer counselor to
counselor in the same program. During this time she decided to pursue a master’s degree
in education. She recalled gathering with other students of color to discuss issues
regarding youth in their own communities, ill prepared students, and low-income
students. They discussed the type of change that would be created once they became
professionals and for Patty counseling was an avenue to pursue those initiatives.
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When Patty graduated with a master’s degree she had been a counselor at the
university level for several years. She continued her work at the university and was
eventually assigned community college outreach as one of her responsibilities. During
visits to local community colleges, she reflected on the initial goals that she hoped to
accomplish in her profession and realized that a large number of students of color were
attending the community college. She felt that it would be more rewarding and that she
could make a larger impact by supporting students who are striving to attend a four-year
college as opposed to those that already accomplished that goal. She explained that her
past professional experiences contributed to her role as an institutional agent:
Maybe because [of] my background with the university and being on the
recruiting end trying to get students to come to university . . . that’s always been .
. . my mission. [At] this end, trying to get students to transfer is really is important
to me. I am in my dream job.
Patty’s experience at the four-year level assured her that professionally she was in
a position that personally fulfilled her. As the transfer director, she had the opportunity
to support a diverse community, which initially motivated her to choose the college she
attended and profession.
Ken
Ken was Latino in his thirties and who had worked at MVC for over 11 years.
Prior to his role at the community college, he was a college representative for a selective
institution. His roles at MVC have included advisor in the transfer center, adjunct
counselor, and adjunct faculty member. He recently completed his third year as a full-
time counselor.
Ken’s family immigrated to a low SES community. He lived in a garage with the
rest of his family for the greater part of his childhood. Both of his parents attended high
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school in Latin America but did not earn a diploma. He reflected on how his personal
experiences motivated him to pursue college:
I mean coming as an immigrant from Mexico with nothing and living in a garage
with my family was the hugest motivator for me in going to school because I saw
our surroundings and realized that my God I don’t want to live like this when I
grow up. It’s interesting how sometimes people credit parents who went to
college as an influence to go to college I would say for me it kind of worked in
the opposite. It was harder to learn it but it was also the biggest motivator to say
wow I don’t want to live like this when I grow . . .
Ken was a first generation college student who attended a selective university
after high school. He was proud of breaking the cycle of non-education in his family.
Due to a lack of academic institutional exposure or knowledge it was extremely difficult
to maneuver the system without consistent guidance. When he arrived at the university,
he knew that he wanted to obtain a diploma but his lack of familiarity with the
infrastructure prevented him from strategically picking a major and understanding the
general education requirements to graduate. During his undergraduate years, Ken took
classes where he learned about the history of his country, the political issues that have led
to its underdevelopment, and the impact that religion made to the country’s current
standing.
He credited three institutional agents for helping him accomplish his goals. The
first was a mentor that he met during his freshman year. They met through a university
program that supported underrepresented students. His mentor would take him to study
and introduced him to other Latina/o students in the dorms. The second mentor was his
best friend, Thomas, whom he met during his freshman year. Thomas was a junior at the
time. Ken recognized him as instrumental in socially and academically exposing him to
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student life. The third mentor was his supervisor at the university who guided him
through his initial position in higher education after earning a bachelor’s degree.
Ken’s first role in the admission office at his alma mater consequently led to his
position at MVC. As a university representative, he educated himself on the community
college system and was introduced to the population served by the community college.
Through the experience he realized that students from his community were not directly
attending the university. He shared that this awareness subsequently led him to MVC:
The reality is that the low-income, Latino people were going to be here, not there.
And that if anything, I could play a much bigger role being here and encouraging
them . . . I mean that was the biggest decider for me as to why I decided to hop
onto the community college because in fact a lot of people questioned me why are
you leaving [the school at which he previously worked], you’re in admissions,
you’re at [the school at which he previously worked]. For me it was like that was
my answer for everybody if I’m going to help out my own people, that’s the place
to go to. We have to go to where they are . . .
Ken was passionate about his work at the community college system and the
students he served. He stated that he would continue to fulfill his role without financial
compensation from MVC. His colleagues as well as the students he served recognized
his genuineness. Through the snowball sampling process, Ken was the institutional agent
most nominated for the study.
Nathalia
Nathalia had been working at MVC for 14 years. She was an advisor for ten
years and was a full-time counselor for the last four years. She supported a diverse group
of students including those on probation and students in a specialized support program.
She was a Latina in her thirties who immigrated to the US when she was eight years old.
Nathalia had a challenging transition in school because she did not speak English.
She started third grade in the U.S. but did not have a working knowledge of the English
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language until sixth grade. She continued to struggle in middle school and high school.
Once she graduated from high school she attended MVC where she obtained a student
worker position through the job center. She credited her time at MVC for academically
preparing her to succeed in college:
I was here four years. I think those four years really made a huge difference
because it taught me what my elementary and middle school and high school
didn't teach me because of the English. I think I needed that. That really prepared
me to transfer over to the university afterwards.
Nathalia was a first generation college student. Her father completed elementary
school and her mother attended first grade. College was difficult because her parents did
not speak English and they did not know which courses she should take. Consequently
her first semester course load included the first open classes that she found. Nathalia
reflected that her family also lacked financial literacy, which made an impact on the
course of her brother’s education:
Another thing that messed us up was my brother . . . he was very studious and he
was in honors in high school but because we didn't know the ropes he had applied
to UCLA and he was accepted. But when we saw the bill, we thought we had to
pay that out every month. It was like $500 to $1000, I can't remember . . . my
parents were like oh that’s very expensive, we can't afford that. We didn't know
about financial aid so he ended up coming to [MVC]. He really wanted to go to
UCLA.
During her second semester, she enrolled in a freshman level course but she
struggled academically. Socially she felt out of place because she was one of the only
Latina/os in the class. Her professor eventually referred her to the Puente Program. She
decided to retake an English remedial class through the program. The assignments
offered through the Puente Program classes were more related to her experience.
Through the support of institutional agents in the program she transferred to a selective
private university. Her experience in the program not only supported her transfer goals
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but also shaped her perspective on socio-economic and racial issues. Institutional agents
at MVC were key in her successful transfer to a private selective university. Nathalia
initially applied to local less selective public institution because she viewed them as
realistic goals. Through the support of two institutional agents she applied and was
selected to several selective institutions. The EU her the largest amount of financial aid,
which was a major factor in her decision to attend. She stated that two institutional
agents were primarily influential in her decision:
Dr. Redondo and Dr. Miller at the time were trying to help me and push me to set
my goals higher not to settle for the immediate. They were pushing me and
motivating me to go for EU and not to wait for the other campuses. I decided to
go for EU and ended up there.
Nathalia initially obtained a position at the community college after as she stated
“being at the right place at the right time.” After earning a bachelor’s degree, she
returned to the job placement center at MVC where she found her initial student worker
position. During her visits to the job center, she contacted her former mentors from
MVC for letters of recommendation. Through the interactions, a mentor offered her a
temporary advisor position, which she accepted. She eventually took on a second job as
a teacher’s assistant in K-12. Holding the two jobs provided her the opportunity to
compare both experiences. She realized that as an advisor she enjoyed working with
students on a one-to-one basis and providing them support through the community
college transition. In the following years, she earned a master of art’s degree in
counseling while continuing her advising position. After a ten years as an advisor she
was promoted to a full-time counselor position.
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Cornelio
After earning an associate degree at a Midwestern community college, Cornelio
moved to California to work in the recording industry. Personal experiences led to a
career change from the music industry to the education field. He considered himself
Multi-Ethnic and was in his thirties. Cornelio has worked at the community college as a
counselor for over 13 years. His perspective is unique because he worked at CVC for the
majority of his career until starting a position at GHC in 2011.
Cornelio and his siblings were born in Michigan. His paternal grandparents were
from Spain and maternal grandparents were from Mexico. Both sets of grandparents
moved to Michigan to find union work in the automobile industry. His grandfathers met
while working together in a factory and as a result his parents were introduced.
Cornelio strongly identified with his Latina/o background because of his family surname
and the influence of his Spanish grandfather who he shared a home with for the majority
of his childhood. His grandfather was largely responsible for Cornelio’s ability to speak
Spanish. When the Spanish dictatorship ended in the 80’s his grandfather returned to his
native country. From 1982 and onward, Cornelio spent the majority of summers in Spain
until his grandfather passed away.
Cornelio’s racial and SES background was a deciding factor in pursuing a career
in education. His personal background provided the ability to be more empathetic to the
struggles, difficulties, and social economic concerns that his students experienced. He
reflected on his experiences growing up in his household, that his family instilled in him
from an early age that it was important to know his options and act upon them:
That [the belief that people deserve a better life] was ingrained in me from the
time I can remember. For me it was always important in my own education and
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then when I became a counselor to do the same. To do whatever I could do to help
other students to be an advocate for them. To be sure that they were getting what
they deserve. To make sure that they were aware of what their options are.
Due to financial constraints and his mother filling the role of caretaker for his
grandmother, his parents did not attend college. Cornelio’s father completed high school
and his mother reached middle school. He shared that his uncle was the first person in
his family to attend college and became Cornelio’s role model:
The first person in my family to go to college was my mother's brother who had
joined the Marines in the 1950s and ended up as a result of being in the Marines,
he was able to get an education after that… [He] was always a role model for me
because in our whole entire family I always looked to him as a person who had a
degree, went off to (the) University, the first one… That's what really encouraged
us and let us know that it was possible to go to school and be educated; so very
important.
Cornelio had no intention of obtaining a bachelor’s degree. His goal was to earn
an associate degree and become an audio engineer/recording engineer. But while at the
community college he was offered a tutoring position that changed his perspective. He
became a math tutor and later tutored Spanish as well. Through tutoring, he realized the
importance of education. After completing an associate degree, he moved to California
to work in the recording industry. After a few years he realized that his value system did
not coincide with the music scene. Even though Cornelio was able to earn a good living
when he first entered the music industry, which he largely attributes to his ability to speak
Spanish, he felt that the majority of young people were not valued for their talents. After
some reflecting and looking back at his experiences as a tutor he realized that he was
missing education in his life.
He attended a local public school and received a bachelor’s degree in speech
communication with an emphasis on intercultural communication. His undergraduate
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tenure solidified his intent to pursue a career in higher education. He contacted his
speech professor, Dr. Brown, and shared that he wanted to pursue a career in counseling.
In response, Cornelio shared that Dr. Brown connected him with two institutional agents
that significantly influenced his career trajectory:
So he actually called them and set up the meeting with them for me. I went and
spoke with both of them and I told them what I was interested in and I might want
to become a counselor. I asked where can I do that? They said University of
[name deleted] is a very good (and) well-known program for counseling,
especially if you want to work with college students. As I read their mission and
their emphasis, their focus on college diversity and working with college students,
a lot of stuff that I read that they sent to me I connected with. I felt like yeah this
is what people in colleges should be doing.
Cornelio was accepted to the selective university on the East Coast and earned a
Master’s degree. During his initial year in graduate school, he began to reflect on his
own education and realized that if it not had been for his experience at the community
college, he would not have entered higher education. The community college setting
opened the doors for him to pursue higher goals, elevated his critical thinking, and raised
his expectations for himself. He wanted to become an advocate of the institution and as a
result decided to focus on a career in the community college.
Maria
Maria was a Caucasian female in her 50’s and had been working for the
community college district for over thirty years. She was an advisor at a previous
community college for seven years prior to her role as a counselor at GHC. She has been
at the institution for the past twenty-six years. In conjunction to her current role, she was
a coordinator for a teacher preparation program and was the advisor for the honors
society for 17 years.
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Maria was raised in a middle class household in the Northern United States. Both
of her parents attended college but neither earned a bachelor’s degree. She began her
higher education tenure at a local public university during the Vietnam era. It was a time
of anti-establishment sentiment and unrest, which heightened her experience in feeling
mystified and overwhelmed at a large public university. She recalled that at times she
felt alone while attempting to navigate the education system because she received
minimal counseling or faculty advisement. Maria explained that while in college, she
volunteered with an organization that made an impact on her actions as an institutional
agent:
You have to be able to relate to those high school students and their own life that
they’re going through to impart and kind of mentor them. Maybe the mentoring
skills that I received as a mentor to high school students was as impactful as
anything to helping me understand that this was a role that I want to carry through
but in an academic setting, in a professional setting, not just as a volunteer.
After two years at her local public college she decided to study in Europe for a
year. Her experience abroad significantly influenced her because it took her out of her
comfort zone. She shared that those memories raised her ability to empathize with
English language learners:
That was the first time I had ever traveled outside of the confines of the state.
Here I was in a new part of the world, learning a new language and living with
cultures all across the European continent . . . I always carry that with me and to
this day when I work with international students in particular and there's a
language barrier, I only have to think for a minute I know what they're going
through and let's take the dialogue to a point where they really understand. I
remember what it was like to not understand anything and then slowly begin to
understand.
Upon her return she decided that she wanted a more intimate approach to her
education and transferred to a small private institution. Her experiences at both
institutions provided her the opportunity to compare the differences between large public
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and small private institutions. Due to the lack of support the she received at her initial
college, however, she was motivated to pursue a career in counseling. Her experience led
her to realize that there were students at large institutions that did not receive adequate
support. She stated that she wanted to be “there” for those students in need.
Shayan
Shayan has supported students at GHC for over ten years. For seven of those
years he was a university representative and GHC was one of his assigned colleges. He
has been at the community college for over three years in various student support roles
within the counseling department. After his parents immigrated to the US, they
established a home in the Los Angeles area. He grew up with his three siblings in a
middle class household where all four children attended private school. He is a first
generation college student. His mother completed sixth grade and his father did not
complete high school. His father later earned a real estate and brokerage license and,
through hard work and sacrifice, eventually owned his own business. Shayan stated that
he was motivated to continue his education by professionals in his family that included
engineers, veterinarians, and pharmacists.
When Shayan’s was in high school his parents informed him that they could not
cover his college tuition. Initially, he did not consider the community college as an
option due to the social stigma at his private high school and considered joining the
military. He later changed his mind after a priest suggested for him to take courses at the
local community college. Shayan was extremely frustrated during his time at the two-
year institution because he was confident that he belonged at a university.
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During his time at the community college he began to network and connected
with an outreach coordinator at the university. Shayan consistently visited him to obtain
admission and financial aid information. He was diligent and confirmed that all his
paperwork was correct. Shayan initially did not qualify for a summer transition program
due to his father’s tax information but gained admission because of his relationship with
the coordinator. He had saved money for his university tuition and housing plus he had
received a reasonable amount of financial aid. Shayan was surprised when he was
contacted by housing for an eviction notice because he owed the university a dorm
payment. Shayan’s response was to contact the coordinator who had previously
supported him. He shared that the institutional agent provided him support that financed
his college education:
I remember telling him I can come here and sweep this place up in the mornings,
clean it up; I just need some money. And he said okay come Friday . . . He said
you’re going to answer the phones; you’re going to do this and the other. So he
gave me a job as a student assistant, later a student intern, and then when I
graduated, a full-time position which paid for my graduate work. He's the one I
went back to up until that point because that's all I had. He was the coordinator of
the outreach office.
He worked at the university outreach office for ten years. In his position, he
became familiar with the community college services and realized that he wanted to
professionally represent they system. He applied for a position and few months later he
started working at GHC.
Claudio
Claudio was the co- coordinator of a program that supported Latina/o students and
had been at GHC for over 15 years. Prior to his position he coordinated the same
program at a community college in California. He was a first generation college student
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who was raised in a working class household in a low SES community in Los Angeles.
His father did not graduate from high school and mother earned a high school diploma.
Later in life she attended secretarial courses and also earned a real estate license. Claudio
recognized her as a role model who influenced him to continue his education.
He defined himself as Chicano racially, politically, and socially. He attributed his
ethnic background as a major factor in his actions as an institutional agent. It was one of
the reasons that he chose to work at a community college and specifically in the program
that he coordinated. He shared that his personal experiences influenced his drive to work
with students:
My parents were always about us working hard but also they didn't have the
language or the understanding of higher education. They knew about working
hard and they also knew about having a trade or having some kind of education
behind you. It influences me as far as wanting to work with students from similar
backgrounds but also working with students to allow them to understand that we
also come from various backgrounds.
Claudio entered higher education as a non-traditional student. He graduated high
school but he found the experience to be a waste of time. Claudio started working a non-
classified position at a selective university after a referral from a friend. Through his job
at the university he met his supervisor who played a substantial role in his life. He was
supportive of Claudio and suggested for him to take courses at the community college.
Claudio’s family was supportive in his decision to attend college. They provided
him emotional and psychological support through the process. His parents believed that
an education was an avenue for more opportunities but found it difficult to connect to his
experience. Claudio became politically active as a result of taking Chicano/o studies and
history of Latina America classes. He was creating a Chicano identity for himself, which
at times was a contradiction of the culture norms in his household. For example, his
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parents did not speak Spanish to him in response Claudio enrolled in courses to relearn
the language. His newly discovered identity created a challenging home environment but
reflecting back on the time he appreciated the experience.
The experiences that Claudio had at the community college were influential on his
perception of himself, his family, and his role as an institutional agent. He shared that his
personal and professional life dramatically improved at age twenty-one when he started
taking classes full-time:
Going to the community college and finally getting a new lease in life brings me
back here. It is one of the reasons why I wanted to work at the community
college, because it did so much for me, for my life.
He wanted to have the opportunity to impact the lives of students in a similar way
and make it his life’s work. He was offered positions at four-year institutions but has not
left because he felt connected to the institution’s mission and enjoyed working with the
diverse group of students at GHC.
Joseph
Joseph had been an institutional agent at CVC for 18 years. He was a faculty
member in the counseling department. The curriculum he taught included topics to
academically, socially, and financially prepare students for college success. Prior to his
tenure he was the director of a student affairs department at a small regional public
school in the Northern US.
Joseph was a Latino in his forties. His family immigrated to a low SES
community in Southern California when he was a child. He is a first generation college
student, who as a child, realized that the majority of people around him including his
parents did not attend college. He was aware that individuals who obtained a higher
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education lived more comfortable lives. He and his parents wanted more for his future.
They knew that education was a gateway to achieving that goal but did not know how to
navigate the system.
High school was a transformative time for Joseph. He attended Jefferson High
School, a secondary school that was recognized nationally for financially and
academically preparing low-income students for admission to selective universities.
During this time, Joseph realized that students in his community were attending selective
private colleges. He shared his high school experience:
I did recognize when I was at Jefferson even when I was in 10th grade, I knew
kids that were older than me, that went to the same school that I did, that have the
same socio-economic situation I did. Yet I was seeing them go to USC, Loyola,
Oxy and going to those schools. I don't know how they did that but apparently it's
possible. To some degree that alone made me look at things in a different way.
The college-going environment was created by Jim Winter, a counselor at
Jefferson High School who later became the godfather to one of Joseph’s children. He
reflected on the actions that Mr. Winter took to advocate for his students:
I just kept seeing kids that I went to school with my whole life going to these
places. Then as I started realizing as I got a little older that this guy basically was
almost like he wouldn’t accept any reason that you were going to give him as to
why you weren’t going to go. He used to put all the seniors in the cafeteria and
you could not leave until your financial aid, your FAFSA was completed. He
would not let you leave.
Joseph became one of the many students who successfully attended a selective
private university straight from Jefferson High School. Academically, he was confident
in his ability to succeed in college, but socially he experienced a culture shock. The
majority of students came from wealthier backgrounds and he was accustomed to living
in a Latina/o community. Overall, he had a great experience in college but needed time
to transition to the social aspect of his new environment.
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While he was in college Mr. Winter offered Joseph a part-time position at his
former high school’s college office. He decided to take the position because he felt that
he owed it to his counselor but at the time did not see it as a potential career move.
Eventually the experience in the college office influenced his interest in the possibility of
following a career in the education field. After receiving an undergraduate degree,
Joseph obtained a position as the director of student affairs in the Northern United States.
He did acculturate to the new environment and was researching avenues to return to
Southern California. Joseph contacted Mr. Winter who had transitioned to a position at
CVC. Mr. Winter notified him of a position at the community college.
Joseph shared that he is an example that with guidance and support, an individual
from a low-income background can academically and professionally succeed. He was
aware of the magnitude of impact that he can make on a student’s life because Mr.
Winter played a significant role in his. Through the years, Joseph has had similar
influences on students at CVC.
Sandra
Sandra was from a multi-racial background. Her father is bi-racial Black and
White and her mother is Latina. She first started working at CVC in 1978 when she was
hired as a classified staff member. She returned to the college after taking a leave while
completing a bachelor’s degree. Sandra had been a faculty/counselor at CVC for the last
18 years and she is currently the counselor for a program that supports Latina/o students.
Sandra grew up in a middle-class household, with parents from working-class
backgrounds. Her father earned a bachelor’s degree and a teaching credential and
worked as a high school teacher and coach. Her mother obtained an associate of arts
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degree and was a homemaker. Both parents came from working-class households.
Sandra’s culture background and the values that her parents instilled in her influenced her
role as an institutional agent. She shared that experiences with her family provided her
an awareness of the benefits she had growing up:
The values that I was brought up with and some of the privileges that I was
brought up with and being middle-class I really appreciate what I had. I was
taught to appreciate it; I didn't take anything for granted. I think because my
parents came from poor backgrounds.
Sandra was not academically motivated in high school and did not receive a lot of
support from her school counselors. Due to a lack of academic progress she was sent to
Mexico during her junior year. After her return and earning a high school diploma she
traveled back to Mexico to study for a semester where she earned college credits. She
later enrolled in classes at local community colleges but was not fully engaged in the
academic experience. During this period she obtained a job as a secretary at CVC, which
she held for about 10 years. Eventually in her late 20’s she decided to return to the
community college. At this time, Michael, a director of a program at a selective
university guided her through the transfer process. She stated that he connected her with
other institutional agents.
There was somebody actually who worked at the University, he was a friend of a
friend of mine. He was actually one of the directors of AAP and he was always
telling me you should apply, you should come to [name deleted], encouraging me.
Then when I got over there, he introduced me to a good counselor there. I still
remember her, Rose Crawford . . . I would go to them when I had issues and
problems.
Sandra was in her early thirties when she transitioned to the university and had an
overall positive experience. As a non-traditional college student, Sandra already had an
established network of friends and she did not get involved in many college social
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functions. She was involved in Michael’s program, which exposed her to the traditional
college experience.
Even though Sandra’s father earned a bachelor’s degree she identified herself as a
first-generation college student because her father did not encourage her to attend
college. It took her a long time to discover that she wanted to earn a college degree.
After about a decade of working at CVC as a secretary she realized that she enjoyed
working with the population that is served by the community college. It was her direct
experience and realizing that supporting students made her happy which led to her
position at CVC.
Gemma
Gemma was a Mexican-American female who had worked at CVC for 15 years.
She was a counselor and the program leader for a program that provided support Latina/o
students. Her parents immigrated to the US as adults and met while attending ESL
evening classes. She was a first generation college student. The highest grade that either
of her parents completed was sixth grade.
Gemma grew up in a working class household where she received limited
academic support from her parents. She essentially completed middle school, high
school and college without academic guidance from her family. They supported her
decision to attend college but their lack of formal education and the English language
limited their participation. Her shy personality worsened her ability to obtain
institutional support. Gemma explained that that her experience growing up provided her
a better understanding of her students:
I've gone through a lot of what my students go through… Most of them have
immigrant parents, [who] have little to no education. Coming from the Mexican
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culture, being a female, oldest and the only female, I think I can relate to a lot of
what my students are going through especially maybe some of my females that
might be considering a non-local college or university; Sometimes the “Mexican
Latino macho” dad comes into the role.
Gemma knew that she wanted to attend college but was unaware of the steps that
she needed to take. Fortunately a CVC counselor visited her high school and helped her
fill out the admission application. She credited her experience at CVC for getting her to
be more vocal. While at the college she started working in the counseling office as a
student helper. She became more active on campus and joined a student club. She spent
a significant amount of time in the library because it was too noisy at home to study or do
homework. Gemma took several general education courses because she was unsure of
her major. She stated that by working in the counseling office she interacted with
institutional agents that helped her find her path:
There was an acting dean who once pulled me to his office . . . He told me, can I
tell you a little bit about what I observed from you… you work really well with
people . . . Have you ever thought of teaching? What about counseling? So that's
when it finally hit me. I’m like okay, what do I need to do to be a counselor. I
started asking different counselors and John Crow was the one that highly
recommended Estancia University. At that point I knew, not only did I have to
choose a bachelors, I was going to go on to graduate school.
Gemma decided to return to CVC because she experienced a sense of family at
the community college. The support that she received helped her flourish academically
and socially. The environment provided the opportunity to become a student leader,
outspoken, and a better communicator. Once she graduated, Gemma started working at a
high school while maintaining her network at CVC. During this time, she received a
phone call from the dean of counseling who was her former supervisor when she was a
student. She was not aware that a position was available so she had not bothered
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applying. His call was to notify her that she had an interview the following day. She was
hired a few weeks later.
Frederico
Frederico was a White male in his fifties. He was responsible for leading transfer
center initiatives at CVC and worked for the institution for over 23 years. Frederico grew
up in Southern California in a middle class household. Both his parents were college
educated as well as the first and only members of their families to earn college degrees.
They did not receive a lot of financial support from their families through the process.
His father financed his college education utilizing the G.I Bill after fighting in World
War II. His mother transferred to the same university where his parents eventually met
and were married. After a pregnancy and his mother’s illness both his parents left school.
His father returned a year later and earned an engineering degree. About a decade later
his mother returned to college and earned her bachelor’s degree. Frederico reflected on
his parents’ experience when working with first-generation college students:
Because I know their [parents] history, I know my students have that same thing
going on; those first-generation kids. That's why when people say well at the end
of seven years these kids aren’t graduating it’s like too soon to look. It depends on
what's going on. I think that's what's kind of giving me my bearings in this whole
system.
After high school, Frederico attended MVC as a recruited student athlete. His
experience as a community college student was significant in his role in the transfer
center. He played soccer and credited his coach for keeping him academically on track to
successfully transfer. He had a relatively seamless experience at MVC where he
completed the required courses to transfer in a year and a half. The following semester
he took a break from school to travel across the country and to Europe.
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While at the university he found a counselor in his department that supported him
with the majority of his advising. She explained to him the types of courses he needed,
the policies of the university, and recommended faculty for him to take. After deciding
to leave soccer while he was still at the university, Frederico obtained a position as an
orientation peer counselor. He was promoted to head peer counselor during his second
year in the position.
After graduating, he stayed at the university where he coached the women’s
soccer team and worked as support staff in the counseling office. Later a part-time
counseling job opened up in the athletic department where he was promoted to a full-time
position. Frederico enjoyed his work as a counselor and knew that he wanted to return to
the community college to coach. He returned to school and earned a master’s in
counseling with an emphasis in community college counseling.
Frederico became an effective institutional agent leader due to his
resourcefulness. Throughout his career, he had the drive to find information and the
initiative to share the knowledge with colleagues. He strategically placed his colleagues
in positions to best support their students. He shared that he was at the community
college because of his personal history, love of the job, caring for students, caring for his
colleagues, and a strong belief in the community college system.
Maribel
Maribel was a Latina in her thirties. She worked at CVC for thirteen years as a
counselor. For ten years she was the counselor in a program that targeted support to low-
income students. Over the previous three years she had been responsible for supporting
students transitioning to CVC. She was raised in a low-income household with a total of
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nine siblings. She was a first generation college student. Her mother never attended
school and her father completed the sixth grade.
Growing up in a large family with little money, Maribel learned to balance work,
school, and how to obtain available resources. She stated that she learned those skills
through institutional agents in her life. As a first generation college student, Maribel
became a role model to her family and her community.
After graduation from high school, Maribel decided to stay in school and attended
her local community college, West Plains College (WPC). She credited her first semester
at the community college as the time in her life when she learned how to be an active
student. During her first semester at WPC, she became motivated towards achieving the
goal of earning a college degree. She shared her conviction that a student’s initial year
influences their overall academic success:
I think things started changing through time and I think that's what happens to a
lot of students. If we could just hook them here or at least that first year . . . and if
they can start getting acclimated with the campus, with the services, and
connected with folks here, they’ll be here, they’ll buy into it.
After a few years she transferred to the local public university and lived close to
home. As Maribel gained her independence, she decided to move farther away from her
hometown. She eventually transferred to a public college in northern California.
Through her college transitions she further developed her independence. Brittney
benefited from several student support programs. She credited them for introducing her
to institutional agents that influenced her through college:
I can say all along the way I had someone helping me through. … I felt connected. I
was living so close to the campus I started going to the Chicano studies department.
I would study there and I would go here and it was kind of like I was working on
campus, I really felt like it was part of my community. All along the way when I
went to [name deleted], it was the same thing. I felt connected, there were people
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there who welcomed me, took me under their wing and so I felt all along the way I
was fortunate that I was able to connect with folks who were really able to help me
out.
As an undergraduate student, Maribel worked in the advising office. She enjoyed
her job and consequently, once she graduated, she obtained a position as a counselor at a
university. Through her advising and outreach experiences she was confident that she
could better serve students in the community college due to her own background. She
wanted to provide students similar types of support that she received throughout her
journey.
Institutional Agent Self-Assessment Inventory Findings
The self-assessment is based on Stanton-Salazar’s (2010) sociological perspective
of institutional agents (CUE, 2010). The instrument is divided into two sections. The
first section provided the researcher background information for each participant (level of
education, parent level of education, race, professional role, etc.), which was provided in
the first section of this chapter. The second section was composed of 13
questions/prompts related to their experiences as institutional agents on their campus.
Self-Assessment Responses
The duration of time that participants took to respond to the self-assessment
varied from an individual who took14 minutes to two participants who logged in and out
over a two-day period. During the interview several (seven) participants reported that the
self-assessment was confusing because they perceived some of the prompts as repetitive.
These individuals responded to the prompts to the best of their abilities. The following
section is comprised of an analysis of the self-assessment responses by the 13
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participants. The questions will first be illustrated and followed up by a summary of the
institutional agent responses.
I’ve been actively involved in helping a significant number of students assess
problems, gather information, and make appropriate decisions related to their
success within the institution and within the educational system.
Twelve participants reported being actively involved in helping students assess
problems, gather information, and make appropriate decisions related to their success.
The participants reported providing emotional and social support to students they
encountered during their counseling sessions. Counselors reported that during counseling
sessions, issues often arise and call for emotional support, motivation, and
encouragement. Many respondents shared that they shared with students’ information
regarding their own personal struggles as a way to relate and encourage students. Nine
out of 13 participants indicated that the majority of these actions took place during
individual counseling sessions. A participant responded with the following statement:
One way I do this is by developing and offering services and activities that will
help students to become more aware of their transfer options, more aware of
requirements needed for their educational goals, and more motivated to persist
towards those goals. Another way I do this is by meeting with students through
the counseling process, either individually and/or in groups.
The challenges associated with this type of support were associated with funding,
lack of financial support, and low level of preparedness. Ten of the participants reported
providing this type of support “quite often” or “very often” specifically to Latina/o
students.
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I’ve been actively involved in providing a significant number of students with forms
of knowledge of those resources accessible from different faculty, staff,
administrative offices, service providers, and academic units within my institution.
Ten of the participants reported either “quite often” or “very often” being
involved in the process of providing students with forms of knowledge of those resources
accessible from different institutional agents. The majority of participants reported that
they were able to connect with students with various forms of knowledge through a
course that they taught or individual counseling sessions. Through the interactions, they
would connect students to the specific resources or introduce them to individuals that
they trusted would provide students access to the resources. This was best illustrated by
the following response “ I provide referrals to key personnel across campus with whom I
have developed relationships over the years, and I know are also interested in helping
students to move forward in achieving their goals.”
Participants reported being challenged in providing students this type of support
by students who lack self-confidence or assertiveness. In addition the lack of time
participants have with students made it difficult to clearly define steps for students. Nine
of the participants reported providing this type of support “quite often” or “very often”
specifically to Latina/o students.
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I’ve been actively involved in providing a significant number of students with forms
of knowledge about job and educational opportunities--including requisites and
barriers to entry into labor markets and industries; knowledge of how to fulfill
requisites and how to overcome barriers into labor markets and industries.
Participants were asked about their level of involvement in helping students learn
about job and educational opportunities that include requisites and barriers as they relate
to the labor market. Seven participants reported either “quite often” or “very often” being
involved in helping students learn about labor market and career opportunities as it
related to their educational goals. Only a small number of participants had received
career counseling training and were fully credentialed to assist in this area of counseling.
Those participants who reported participating in this type of support shared that it often
took place in the classroom. Eight of the participants stated that they provided this type
of support “quite often” or “very often” to Latina/o students.
I’ve been actively helping students develop their networking skills; for example, how
to approach, seek help, and access resources from various faculty members,
university personnel, authority figures, and gatekeepers.
Ten of the respondents indicated that they actively helped students develop
networking skills with college personnel, authority figures, and gatekeepers. Participants
were able to do this through counseling sessions, role-playing, encouragement, and on
campus activities. The challenges faced by the institutional agents were exclusively
related to student confidence or social skills levels in interacting with institutional agents.
A participant shared:
Giving the student the confidence and sometimes the actual words to say in
accessing these resources - helping the student be proactive and encouraging them
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always to seek assistance as they need it. Letting them know who on campus can
assist them.
Nine of the participants reported either “quite often” or “very often” providing this type
of support to Latina/o students.
I’ve been actively helping my students develop their networking skills--for example,
how to build supportive/cooperative relationships with peers who are well
integrated within the academic and extra-curricular circles of the
[college/university].
The majority (nine) of the participants reported that they supported students in
developing their networking skills either “quite often” or “very often”. This was done by
connecting students to campus events and introducing them to other institutional agents.
Most significant was the number of participants that shared the importance of student
organizations towards building supportive relationships on campus. This was illustrated
by the following response to the prompt “I always encourage involvement with student
organizations relative to their interests. Explaining how involvement in student
organization can play a significant role in transfer, internships, resume building, etc.”
The most frequent challenge that respondents faced when attempting to provide
this type of support was their students’ lack of participation in college programs.
Institutional agents stated that many students did not comprehend the importance of being
involved on campus. The majority (nine) of the respondents shared that they either
“quite often” or “very often” had specifically provided this type of support to Latina/o
students.
I’ve actively advocated on behalf of my students, for the purpose of promoting their
interests within the college/university. I’ve acted to intercede and defend the rights
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of my students to have access to key forms of resources and opportunities necessary
for their success within the college/university.
The majority (nine) of participants indicated that they have advocated on behalf of
students at their institution at one time or another. Participants reported advocating on
behalf of students for the following reasons: financial aid and scholarship opportunities,
student petitions, letters of recommendations, and admission issues. Through their roles
on campus, participants had leverage to advocate for students when they contacted
universities as well. A participant stated “At times working with departments on campus
such as evaluations/admissions and records. But mostly my advocating for students is
mostly done with admissions offices at universities over admissions issues.”
The lack of resources that prevented participants the time to advocate for students
was a common challenge. Many felt that they did not have the time to advocate for
students at a more frequent rate because they were responsible for many other tasks that
were directly connected to the college’s budget. A participant stated that his challenge
was “The lack of time built into my day and budget driven non student friendly college
climate.”
For a significant number of my students, I’ve actively served as a human “bridge”
to key faculty members, college/university personnel, authority figures, and gate-
keepers who I know are supportive of students.
Ten of the participants reported acting as a “bridge” to institutional agents who
are recognized for their support of students. The participants illustrated their strong
networks in their responses to this statement. The responses involved knowledge of key
individuals on their campus as well as their connections to individuals at the university.
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Participants shared that their most significant piece in the process was introducing
students to institutional agents. From that point, it was the responsibility for the student
to follow through but when they had time they would follow up with students.
There were minimal challenges associated with this statement. The few issues
that were shared by participants who could not get in contact with an institutional agent
or contacting individuals that do not understand the significance of the issue at hand. The
majority (nine) of participants reported providing this type of resource for Latina/o
students either “quite often” or “very often”.
Findings in Relation to Role Types
In this section of the chapter, the main findings related to institutional agent roles
types are presented. Institutional agents were categorized into role types based on the
data that were presented through the self-assessments, interviews, and reflective
summaries. Role types were defined by Stanton-Salazar’s (2010) Framework. For
example, to be designated a networking coach an institutional agent must portray two of
three characteristics: 1) teaches students how to network with key institutional agents; 2)
models appropriate networking behavior; and 3) develops relationships with important
and influential people. The number of roles held by each participant ranged from six
(Cornelio, Maria, and Gemma) to 12 (Theresa). One participant held the role of political
advocate while all 13 participants were classified in the following roles: resource agents,
knowledge agents, advisors, advocates, bridge agents, and coordinators.
Institutional Agent Role Types
The introduction of this chapter illustrated the personal and professional
experiences that have led participants to their roles as institutional agents. They are
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strategically positioned to provide various types of support based on their experiences
and the culture of their institution. There was a consensus from the participants that the
leadership at their institutions view transfer issues as a priority. As the following data
will illustrate, the actions by the institutional agent within the institution is the
fundamental element to a transfer-receptive culture environment. Table 4.2 indicates the
types of Direct Support roles that participants fulfilled as institutional agents. Through
these roles institutional agents provide direct support through personal and positional
resources.
Direct support
Table 4.2
Institutional Agent Role Types: Direct Support
Name Resource Agent Knowledge Agent Advisor Advocate Networking Coach
Theresa x x x x
Patty x x x x
Ken x x x x
Nathalia x x x x x
Cornelio x x x x
Maria x x x x
Shayan x x x x x
Claudio x x x x
Joseph x x x x
Sandra x x x x x
Gemma x x x x
Frederico x x x x
Maribel x x x x
Resource agent
A resource agent provides students positional and personal resources. Positional
resources are those that are linked to an institutional agent’s position. Faculty and
administrators at the community college are at an advantageous position within a
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hierarchically education system to provide positional resources that increase access.
Personal resources are types of support that participants provide without the institution’s
authorization. All of 13 participants illustrated resource agent experiences. Participants
commented that for many students the most important resource was time with a faculty
member or counselor. Patty played the role of a resource agent for a student who was
initially denied admission to two selective universities. Ken who also works at MVC,
contacted her on behalf of the student. Through Patty’s guidance, the student decided to
change her major and reapply to the private selective university. She shared the events
that led to the student’s admission and receiving a significant scholarship:
We had a Latina student [who was] a 4.0 who applied to UCLA as a design major
and to USC as digital animation. Ken was going to leave for Europe that Sunday.
On Saturday night he's e-mailing me, “Patty you’ve got to help this student”… I
met with the student and her father and I told them that with UCLA I probably
was not going to be able to do anything. Then I said, “how would you feel about
being a fine arts major and you can have a digital animation minor at USC? . . .
after she agreed I was able to call a person that I know in the fine arts department.
She was admitted to USC . . . she received $58,000 in financial aid award and
only $3,000 of it was a loan.
Shayan often altered his schedule to accommodate student needs. He shared that students
viewed him as a reliable resource:
The other thing is they know that I'm going to do everything I can to help them. I
will alter my schedule or I will see them during my break or lunch but that they
will get seen. They know that if they ask something of me that I will come
through.
Joseph took a holistic approach in his role as a faculty member and counselor. He
believed that effective institutional agents were those who get to know their students on a
personal level. Joseph’s approach of getting to know the student enabled him to provide
the most appropriate assistance:
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Counseling just from a whole holistic perspective, in counseling the students tell
you “Hey I’m not doing so well because I have a lot of problems at home.“ Okay,
let's try to figure that out. Besides looking at grades and saying maybe you're just
not too bright or whatever . . . When students come in here they think that this
person is going to tell them what classes they need . . . [but] a big part of our job
to really getting them to understand where they stand, where they’ve been, where
they are, or where they're going. You have to take into account a lot of other
issues and then try to address them.
He mentioned that he worked with many students who had not applied for
financial aid because they were misinformed. As a resource agent, Joseph provided
students crucial financial aid information that has impacted their higher education
experience.
Knowledge agent
Knowledge agents know “the system” and how to navigate it. There are students
at the community college who are academically prepared to excel in the classroom but
lack college-going knowledge preventing educational mobility. Knowledge agents
address this issue by teaching their students how to navigate the education system. All of
the institutional agents in this study played the role of knowledge agent. Ken stated that
his goal was to inform students and to empower them through the process:
I don’t want you to think of me as a counselor that when you come into my office
I have all the knowledge in a little golden box and that I’m going to take it out to
show it you . . . Then I’m going to put it back in that box. My style of counseling
is to take that box and have them take it with them…It’s about empowering
students and not underestimating them . . .
As a knowledge agent, Cornelio made it his goal to empower students in their
decisions by guiding them through the process and providing them options. He assigned
students homework with the goal of creating a sense of accountability for navigating their
transfer journey. He shared the importance of providing students accurate and clear
information:
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If I do a good job of presenting information clearly, reliably, presenting options
clearly, helping them to see their options and I’ll usually give them homework…
and return in two weeks for follow-up. They come back and feel much more in
control of their lives, of their situation, that they're making decisions but they're
making decisions based on good information that they didn't have before. They
start to feel now that they're invested in their future, in their lives and that they’re
also engaged.
As a faculty member, Claudio exposed students to various transfer options
through classroom interactions. He took it upon himself to provide them this knowledge
even though the program he coordinated was sponsored by a specific college system. He
stated that his overall goal was for students to transfer:
Yes, I definitely influenced them in my individual time with my students and also
with my classroom time with my students. That's kind of innate in the [name
deleted] project. We are supposed to be exposing students to all opportunities, the
UC’s, the Cal States, the privates . . . I want them to go to any university and
hopefully help them to make their own decision.
Gemma provided students with knowledge by educating them on the resources
that they could utilize to prepare them for their transfer journey. She noted that her
mission was to not only connect students to resources but to teach them to be self-
sufficient:
We can do as much as we can for them here but we’re not going to be with them
at the universities so they need to learn how to do that. So I teach them how to use
ASSIST. We'll go over how to understand the general education and at least for
those students that tell me that are maybe thinking of a university, I’ll pull out the
catalog and teach them how to look up their major information and how to look
up what they have to take once they transfer and that they have to make that
contact.
She also shared that her goal was not to project her agenda on students but to
educate them so they were well informed during the decision-making process.
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Advisor
Advisors are involved in the process of helping students gather information.
Through the process, institutional agents evaluate challenges and provide guidance in
making effective decision related to the education system. Through either teaching or
counseling, the thirteen institutional agents provided experiences as advisors. When
Joseph arrived to CVC, he was surprised by the lack of exposure that students received
regarding private universities as a transfer option. He explained that through counseling
sessions, he provided students with knowledge regarding selective public universities
who would otherwise completely ignore them as feasible options:
If a student comes in and says I want to go to UCLA and I have a 3.7, I'll say
okay well then here's what you need to do to go to UCLA. But I just want you to
know that with a GPA like this you can look at USC, you can look at Occidental
College. Very often their eyes are all – first of all they’re kind of perplexed like
what is that? Once you make them aware of these opportunities, and if they really
did research them, they realized that they are really good options compared to the
really large public schools.
Frederico provided students advice through classroom presentations. During his
time at CVC he has assessed that first generation college female students faced family
pressures at home when selecting transfer universities. He shared his experience in
providing advice to the specific group of students without directly addressing their
ethnicity:
When I do my presentations and I'm talking about girls getting out of the house
and going to college, to be honest with you I'm talking to Latino students. I'm
talking to the first generation Persian women. I'm talking to the first generation
fill in the blank women…The other one that I use when I talk about extra-
curricular activities, I’ll say well some of you have to get home at 3:00 because
you have younger siblings, you have to make dinner. Again, I'm talking to a lot of
first generation college students that fall into that category.
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As advisors, students viewed institutional agents as experts in gathering
information. Therefore it is key that institutional agents are accurate about the
information they provide. Maria reported that through word of mouth, students inform
their colleagues about positive experiences with advisors. She stated that students often
requested her for counseling appointments. Maria explained that because of her
resourceful nature she was able to provide students with accurate information:
I always strive to give correct information. If I don't know the answer to
something there will be some follow through. They may have to call me back or
e-mail me back but I'll get the right information eventually so I think they would
say that I give correct information.
Unfortunately there are individuals at the community college who provided
students with incorrect information, which can lead to detrimental outcomes. They were
repeated offenders who were recognized by their colleagues for their actions. Shayan
shared his experience with colleagues who unknowingly provided inaccurate information.
I think most people have good intentions. They want to but for whatever reason
years of service, the position becomes a little mundane for them, maybe they
don’t even realize it. I think most people believe that they are good at what they
do. We get a list of students complaining [they received] wrong information,
inaccurate education plans, that they postponed their transfer and it's not once it's
twice. They were told they were eligible for a degree but then they weren’t. It’s
the same people over and over.
Advisors can have the ability advocate for student success but can also negatively
alter their education paths.
Advocate
This form of support entails intervening on behalf of the individual for the
purpose of protecting or promoting their interests and rights as students. The institutional
agent intervenes for students who at times may not be aware of their rights. They play
the role of advocate outside of the classroom. All participants in this study have played
98
the role of advocate for their students in various forms. Theresa shared a story where her
role as an advocate made a significant impact in her student’s college experience:
My favorite story is that I had a student who was denied admission because she
made a mistake with her AP work…When we caught the mistake they didn't want
to accept her . . . The president of [name deleted] came to speak at one of my
classes and I brought her transcripts with me. After he talked, I was like can I talk
to you for a minute? I talked to him and the next day she was admitted . . . I
always advocate on behalf of the students.
Institutional agents have the status to advocate for students who often lack the
cultural or social capital to have access to other institutional agents. Students often return
to the community college after transferring because they reach a comfort level with
institutional agents who are reliable sources of support. Institutional agents have the
status to advocate for students who often would not have the cultural or social capital to
have access to other institutional agents. Participants in the study reported occurrences
where they had to advocate for students who were being misguided. Gemma shared an
experience regarding a former student who was under the impression that she was not
going to graduate:
For example, I had a student who transferred . . . Here at CVC we double count
the political science and the US history in other areas. Her evaluator was saying
you can't do that. The student was telling me I can’t graduate and I’d say no meja
[daughter] you’re certified . . . I picked up the phone and spoke to an admissions
counselor and then to her supervisor and said you can't do that. The student is
going to graduate. So it’s something as simple as that.
Participants were constantly in positions where they advocated on behalf of
students who faced life obstacles. Many times they were the only individuals in a
student’s life that had the institutional knowledge to advocate on their behalf. Sandra
noted an experience in which she advocated for a student by accompanying him to his
orientation:
99
He had a gunshot brain injury and was legally blind. He was told by people that
(he would) never get a degree. He was such an inspiration and he could not pass
the math…Anyway to make a long story short he got into Dominguez Hills . . . I
went to the orientation with him…he got in without the math based on his
learning disability. That day we went around to get all the signatures and
approvals so he could take an alternative math class . . . A couple years ago I went
to his graduation.
Maribel finds her responsibility as an advocate central to her role as an
institutional agent. She shared that her personal and professional ambitions motivated
her to become an advocate:
Because I really do feel that I am not only a role model for students but I really
am an advocate for students. My whole essence is to advocate for students and to
try to support students in whatever way I can . . . I think it really drives what I do.
I feel blessed and honored that I can do that and that I really have that passion to
be able to speak up and try to help students in any way I can.
Maribel shared that working at the community college empowered her to be a role
to advocate for students. Based on her time at CVC, she was confident that she was part
of an institution that made a positive impact on students.
Networking coach
Networking coaches are involved in providing students’ knowledge and training
that leads to skillful networking and help-seeking behavior. Effective networking in
higher education takes place by the means of a specific skill set which includes the ability
to negotiate and access resources from various types of agents (Baker, 2000). This is
established through the awareness of developing supportive/cooperative ties with peers
who are well integrated in high-status academic and extracurricular circles (Stanton-
Salazar, 2004). All 13 institutional agent participants developed relationships with
important and influential people. From the group, three illustrated the additional
characteristics of a networking coach: Sandra, Nathalia, and Shayan. Sandra served as a
100
networking coach by introducing student to institutional agents and preparing them for
meetings with university representatives. She stated that it was essential to connect
students with resources on campus:
Teaching the students the resources on campus is probably number one
…sometimes just walking down the hallway to psych services… or giving them a
phone number and then following through… When I think about all the students
that… I've referred to the learning disabilities program, admissions, it took me a
while to learn this too… You have to teach them to fish in terms of contacting
other schools. Teaching them and modeling, they'll sit here I’ll act like I’m
representing private schools.
A key characteristic of the role type involves the action of preparing students for
networking opportunities. Students with limited networks benefit from their associations
with institutional agents if they have the ability to create working relationship. Nathalia
shared the actions she took to prepare students who had appointments with admission
representatives:
I give them the transfer guide that we use and show them the type of questions
that they can ask if they feel like they don't know what to ask. That way when
they go there, they're not just sitting there. I also give them ideas as far as what
they want to know about the university. We make questions of the things that are
important to them. Financial aid, is that important to you? Then we frame a
question about the types of financial aid that you would be eligible for.
Shayan noted that he prepared students for networking opportunities by
discussing topics that could be raised during conversations with university
representatives. Community college programs have several initiatives that introduce
students to university settings but he found that many students did not possess the skills
to take advantage of networking opportunities due to their limited college going
experiences. Table 4.3 presents the types of Integrative Support roles that participants
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fulfilled as institutional agents. Through roles within integrative support, institutional
agents guide students through the transition phase into new educational and professional
venues.
Integrative support
Table 4.3
Institutional Agent Role Types: Integrative Support
Integrative agent
This form of support involves actions that an institutional agent takes to socially
integrate students to high-status networks and professional venues that students are not
accustomed to navigating. Through the integrative support, the student is able to
participate in activities that provide opportunities that may not be available elsewhere.
The institutional agent is aware of the benefits that the integration will bring to a
student’s evolving network. Five of the institutional agents provided examples where
they played the role of integrative agent. The majority of institutional agents fulfilled this
role by taking students to universities and introducing them to representatives at the
institution. Patty and Claudio took students on trips throughout California while Ken
Name Integrative Agent Cultural Guide
Theresa x x
Patty x
Ken x
Nathalia
Cornelio
Maria
Shayan x x
Claudio x
Joseph
Sandra
Gemma
Frederico
Maribel x
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took small groups or individual students and introduced them to his colleagues at
selective universities.
Shayan collaborated with various programs on campus and took students to
university campuses around California. He shared that during the trips, it was common
for students to be intimidated by the new environment. Shayan noted that prior to visits
he held information meetings to prepare students by discussing related topics:
I’m taking a group of students to USC this Friday, I'm not just dragging students
out there for the tour. We talk about what we’re going to be doing while we’re
there. What kind of questions we’re going to ask. Really making them think about
do you see yourselves here. I have students walk through the Stanford campus and
walk like they're aliens, like somehow they don't belong there. I tell them all this
is yours.
He shared that taking students on college tours was effective because the
experiences made transferring more of a reality. By integrating students to new
environments and making them feel confident that they belonged, their potential goals
were validated.
Cultural guide
Cultural guides expose and introduce students to new environments. Through the
process, students are educated on key functions within the environments and introduced
to key faculty and administrators. Institutional agents at the community college present a
set of experiences by which students learn to simultaneously negotiate within often
several conflicting sociocultural worlds (Boykin, 1986, Stanton-Salazar, 2010). Three of
the institutional agents illustrated actions of a cultural guide. Theresa shared that she
introduced students to research environments. Through her guidance, students who at
one point were below basic reading level developed research skills and presented at
conferences. Shayan guided students to higher education environments and taught them
103
how to interact within the new culture. Maribel shared that her own experiences
motivated her to serve as a cultural guide to the students by suggesting to them to take
risks while guiding them through the college application process:
Because I was able to spread my wings, because I was able to see the world in a
different way, I'd like them to experience it too and push them to think outside the
box . . . students are thinking about not applying to certain schools and I tell them
just apply. They get in and oh my gosh, the world just changed because they
didn't think they could do it. They’re getting accepted so that's the beauty of being
in the position that we’re in that we can really open the doors for the students.
By supporting students through the process, she provided them an opportunity to
reach goals that significantly changed their lives. Table 4.4 presents the types of System
Developer roles that participants fulfilled. The system developer category involves types
of support that strategically advocate for programming that will lead to student
advancement.
System developer
Table 4.4
Institutional Agent Role Types: System Developer
Name Program Developer Lobbyist Political Advocate
Theresa x x x
Patty x x
Ken x x
Nathalia
Cornelio
Maria
Shayan x
Claudio x
Joseph x
Sandra
Gemma
Frederico x x
Maribel
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Program developer
An institutional agent plays the role of system developer by creating a program
that embeds students in a system of agents and resources that lead to opportunities for the
students to advance educationally, socially, economically, or professionally. Five of the
participants reported creating programs on their campus that exposed students to
resources offered at the community college as well as university settings.
Frederico shared that he partnered with a selective institution in developing a
program for students interested in STEM fields. Maria created a teacher preparation
programs and Claudio developed yearly programming that exposed students to public and
private universities located outside of the GHC area. Patty, Ken, and Theresa
collaborated to develop an annual transfer conference that had exposed MVC students to
university representatives for over a decade. Theresa developed additional programs that
had influenced the community college experience for incoming and current students on
her campus:
Our first big event that we created on campus was High School [deleted] Day.
We collaborated with every single department to bring awareness for incoming
high school students because so many of them have such a bad perception of the
college and we wanted to change that conversation. The second one was the
[name deleted] orientation; that’s annual now. The [name deleted] Conference
was our third big event.
She shared that the High School [deleted] Day was canceled as a result of budget
cuts. But she was confident that the program would return when the institution needed to
increase enrollment.
Lobbyist
Through lobbying, institutional agents redirect resources towards initiatives that
will provide additional support to students. Five of the institutional agents provided
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experiences as lobbyist. Shayan often submitted proposals to lobby for student support
funding. He noted that assessment was an essential component of the process:
It takes time and effort but I think as an agent or as an advocate you’re constantly
looking at creative ways . . . Thinking outside the box; let's just try it . . . Our
current president is very big on being innovative; getting away from the same old
same old . . . If you want money for something it better be something different.
I'm always looking at what other people are doing. I'll ask my peers how you can
accommodate these students.
Theresa observed that her institution lacked an effective means to communicate to
MVC students. She took action and lobbied for funding to be directed towards the
implementation of an email system on her campus:
We created the email system on the campus. The college did not have emails for
the students until we came on board. We used money in our grant to buy a server
so that every student can have an email account.
Josephs lobbying efforts were unrelated to financial resources. He was concerned
that his institution as a whole did not effectively educate community college students on
the financial aspects related to the transfer process. He shared his frustrations regarding
his unsuccessful efforts to increase financial literacy education at CVC:
I've been here now 18 years and I've had this battle here for 18 years. I don't know
what I would need to do to convince the powers that be to understand that transfer
does not just involve units, majors, prerequisites and all that. There’s a whole
issue of payment that is not addressed here at all…a student says they want to go
to USC so you tell them okay here's the GE requirements. Nowhere does anyone
mention if payment is going to be an issue, here are the steps you need to take to
make sure you're putting yourself in the best position to get the funding you need.
Joseph reported that he had met students who were admitted to private
universities who had only applied for federal financial aid. By the time they met Joseph
it was too late to apply for additional financial aid opportunities. For some students,
finances were the deciding factor between attending a selective and a non-selective
university.
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Political advocate
Institutional agents that serve as political advocates join recognized groups for
advocating for social policies that benefit targeted group of students. Theresa was the
lone institutional agent that fit the criteria as a political advocate. She had successfully
advocated for resources to be directed to non-traditional college students at MVC. She
noted her ability to navigate within various circles at her institution:
I think most people that know me . . . would tell you that if you had to pick one
really good thing that I'm great at it’s the political frame. I can move into any
circle on the campus and get along with people that hate each other. I will be in
the same room and I will get along with everyone just fine.
Theresa shared MVC was facing many politically charged issues that were
impacting her colleagues and their effectiveness in supporting their students. Table 4.5
presents the types of System Linkage & Networking Support roles that participants
fulfilled as institutional agents. System linkage and networking support comprises roles
that enable institutional agents to utilize extensive networks to connect students to
resources
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System Linkage & Networking Support
Table 4.5
Institutional Agent Role Types: System Linkage & Networking Support
Name Recruiter Bridging Agent Institutional Broker Coordinator
Theresa x x x
Patty x x x
Ken x x
Nathalia x x
Cornelio x x
Maria x x
Shayan x x
Claudio x x
Joseph x x
Sandra x x
Gemma x x
Frederico x x x x
Maribel x x
Recruiter
This form of support entails actively recruiting students into programs or
departments that will increase their opportunity to succeed in the college setting. These
actions entail an expansive network involving institutional agents from the community
college and other four-year institutions. Two participants, Patty and Frederico illustrated
experiences as recruiters. Patty shared that recruiting efforts were an important
component to the transfer process:
I think presence on our campus is really important because the exposure the
student has to that university's name gets them to start thinking about it. The next
step when we can bring students to that campus and they can actually step foot on
it is probably even more powerful and impactful. Arizona State University has
been coming out a lot on a regular basis and our numbers are going up there.
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Universities recognized CVC for their strong transfer rates. Consequently
universities reached out to the community college to recruit on their campus. Frederico
stated that his department had worked with over 50 universities including institutions
from abroad. As a recruiter, Frederico advocated for all community college students. He
expanded on the topic:
For instance when a college calls me from out-of-state and says I'm interested in
getting more transfer students, I also say you can come here but you need to look
at [MVC] and you need to look at [GHC]. Potentially I’m a system agent as well
because I'm advocating for community colleges in general.
Consequently Patty and Frederico held transfer director positions at their
respective colleges and each have over 20 years of experience at the community college.
They have developed extensive networks throughout their careers that have connected the
two in their efforts to support community college students.
Bridging agent
Bridging agents serve as links to key institutional agents and to exclusive social
networks. A bridging agent acts as a human bridge between students and others
committed to serving as institutional agents. The focus of the bridging agent is to make
one to one introductions and connections. A key factor in acting as a successful bridging
agent is a broad network of strong ties. The 13 institutional agents reported strong
networking connections at the community college and partnering universities. In
addition, they all reported introducing students to institutional agents in their networks.
Maribel noted that she utilized her network as a bridging agent to connecting students to
institutional agents at CVC and partnering universities:
Being here for the time that I have been, the relationships that I have with the
folks on campus is positive. I always connect the student to someone or get the
answer that I need…Same thing with our off campus folks. If I don't know
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something I can connect [students] to someone knowing the resources available,
knowing the financial aid, knowing scholarships… Once they learn how to do
something then I think you've done your job because once they transfer they can
do it there too. Having the connections and teaching that to students is important.
Claudio is a bridging agent to current and former GHC students. He stated that
many of his former students return and become bridging agent themselves:
Just because they're in [our program] for one year doesn't mean that I stop
working with them. I work with them until they leave here and sometimes
beyond. I have students who come back and ask for letters of recommendation for
graduate school or job recommendations so it goes beyond that. Then we connect
them to be professional mentors… I still have students that I had since I first
started here that are now mentors and still once in a while may ask me for a
personal reference or job reference.
Nathalia noted that she often contacted institutional agents at MVC and at four-
year universities to introduce students to resources and opportunities:
I introduce students to the university reps. I introduce students to all the services
on campus…I worked closely with the Dominguez representative, with the
Loyola representative. I've called Fullerton a couple times, UC Berkeley, UCLA
reps. I’ve contacted the fine arts division for theater, music at Long Beach . . .
Shayan noted that through his networks he had the ability to bridge students to
various opportunities to prepare them for the transfer process:
Yes, I contact them because I work at that level and I have a lot of friends. I can
find out about summer programs and workshops, how to write their essays,
anything to get these kids in so they have a leg up on this opportunity to transition
to that school. . . I’ll get the privates out here.
Maribel utilized her skills as a bridging agent to socially and academically support
students who were leaving home to transfer to a university. She shared that the process
was especially difficult for her Latina/o students:
I know in terms of students going away, especially for a lot of our Latino
students, female and male. I've seen it in my male students going away from
home is really scary. Being able to connect them with something, someone there
to get housing for them, to be able to say it's going to be okay.
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She stated that at times simply connecting students to the possibility of
transferring to a university by introducing them to an institutional agent made a
significant difference in a student’s life.
Institutional broker
An institutional broker assumes an activist role as a liaison between two or more
parties in negotiating agreements, and in accessing valued institutional resources on
behalf of students. It is an augmented version of a bridging agent. It also entails steering
the individual toward existing services and academic programs. Theresa and Frederico
fulfilled the roles of institutional brokers at their respected colleges. Theresa brokered a
relationship between academic and college-going skills at her institution. She shared
working closely with both components of the transfer process:
The biggest thing that we've done is bridge and kind of create a marriage between
those two. I work just as close with their English instructor and their math
instructor as I do with the rep at UCLA or LMU. They see those partnerships
together and they form those partnerships as well . . . My whole approach is
getting them to read and write at college level and challenging them to become
transfer scholars . . .
She began this practice after encountering students who were knowledgeable of
the transfer process but could not transition to a university because they were failing
basic math and English courses.
Coordinator
This form of support involves institutional agents first assessing students, then
ensuring that their needs are addressed through support and services. Patty stated: “I
troubleshoot with students. I will use all of my connections and strategies to get that
student to that dream school.” Institutional agents work directly with the student and
support provider to ensure that resources are tailored appropriately. The coordinator taps
111
into an extensive network to seek expert knowledge from colleagues. All 13 participants
illustrated coordinator actions. Nathalia provided students different levels of support
after assessing their needs. She explained her efforts when working with timid students:
Sometimes I notice that they're kind of shy and they probably won't go over to the
transfer center so I will go over there and stay there until they actually book the
appointment with the transfer reps. I basically tell them your session with the
university rep will be very similar to what we did here.
Joseph believed that assessing students’ needs was fundamental to the actions of
an effective institutional agent. He noted that a collaborative working relationship led to
the accomplishment of a series of goals:
The biggest thing for me is to assess where are you; not only in school but in life.
Where do you live, you work. Those are issues that counselors don't ask. The
student comes in and says I want to go to UCLA. I ask where do you live, where
do you work, kind of getting a feeling for that kind of stuff. The assessment…I
can make a three-year plan but I am much more comfortable saying look let's do
these two semesters and see where we are. Making it to be like these little steps as
opposed to “Oh my gosh, how am I going to do all that stuff.
Shayan supported students through the application process. As a coordinator, he
evaluated the areas that students were lacking and organized the appropriate resources:
They’re terrified by that personal statement. We talk about what it should look
like, we brain storm. How do you write something that helps you to stand out
from all the rest? We’ll look at alternatives that I provide like what else can you
do besides go to school, get straight A's? You need to get involved. What should I
do? We talk about those things. I'll call places. I’ll say here, call this person and
tell them your situation that you could do these hours. I have friends who work in
most industries entertainment, radio station, film, finances.
Community college students have unique experiences in navigating the transfer
process. Maribel explained the process she undertook to coordinate the needs of
students:
The main thing is helping them figure out how to balance everything, how to
choose their classes. Helping them be realistic but have high ideals or high
expectations for themselves. For another student it might be something different
112
depending on what their goals. Trying to know the student and figuring out what
that student needs because not everybody is the same.
She shared that it was important to skillfully triage experience because students
often had several needs.
Additional Findings
The data that did not fall within the scope of Stanton-Salazar’s (2010)
Institutional Agent Role Types Framework are presented in the following section. In
addition to information on various role types, three additional findings emerged. The
first two contributed to the experiences of the participants as institutional agents. The
latter two were additional findings related to challenges faced by Latina/o students at the
community college.
Establishing Working Relationships is Key to the Transfer Process
Throughout the interview process institutional agents shared stories of getting to
“know” their students as well as students getting “know” them. Participants shared that
establishing a working relationship was an important element in effectively supporting
students through the transfer process. Due to the hierarchal formation of education,
invisible walls are created that limit the effectiveness of relationships. Working
relationships provide students the opportunity to clarify common misconceptions
regarding institutional agents. Ken stated the importance of sharing a personal side with
students:
I try to be very genuine, down to earth, and very real. I think when you own your
own experience, your own insecurities, and everything that you went through,
they really respect that…They say, wow so he also was an immigrant and was
poor and comes from the ghetto. I think students assume when they meet a
professional “he’s different because he comes from rich parents. He’s different
because his parents went to college.” …Those assumptions make you an
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ineffective person… be more real with the students, let them know that you’re at
their level.
Shayan built a level of respect and trust with his students. He shared that as a
result, his students were confident that they could count on him:
They know that if they get into trouble that I’m going to listen and give them the
benefit of the doubt. They know that I will remember…their situation and they
know that I'm going to respect them. I give them a hard time though. I can really
connect good with students (because) it’s not all business. I know how to laugh
and I could see the lighter side of things. They appreciate that. I get to know them
and sometimes I get to know their parents…I sometimes have their parents calling
me. I do care about them genuinely.
Cornelio viewed his role at GHC as a teacher. He stated that in his role, it was his
responsibility to get to know his students through a process that was created over a few
meetings:
I’m faculty in the community college setting. I have a teaching responsibility. I'm
not the sort of staff member that gives information. When the student arrives
here, I will let the student talk 5-10 minutes however long they need to talk. I'll
try to identify whatever concerns they have. I expect that we are going to need to
meet each other maybe two or three times to work out those issues. Sometimes
the student is very shocked by that. I thought this would only be one session. Well
that's not the way I work…If I work with the student, I plan on developing a long-
term collaborative partnership throughout the time that you're here.
Learning about students at a more personal level, allows institutional agents the
ability to address non-academic issues that need to be addressed before focusing on their
transfer goals. He noted his experience at a department workshop that made him aware
that he had colleagues with opposing views:
It's so funny because [our department] went to a workshop years ago with a
student who . . . worked here. We went to this counseling workshop and we
broke up into these groups and we talked about what kind of characteristics
should a counselor have. So the student at the time said they need to care about
the student. In our little group these other counselors said, “Oh no, there’s got to
be a dividing line. I'm just a provider of information.”
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The participants provided success stories through the development of
relationships with students; relationships that influenced both students and institutional
agents.
Life Histories Impact the Roles that Institutional Agents Perform
All 13 participants reflected on components within their life histories that
influenced their roles as institutional agents. The majority of experiences were related to
four topics; institutional agents that participants met when they were college students,
racial background, and experiences as first generation or transfer students. Twelve
of
13
participants
recalled
two
or
more
institutional
agents
that
made
a
substantial
impact
on
their
lives.
They
viewed
those
individuals
as
role
models
and
have
followed
in
their
footsteps
by
becoming
institutional
agents
themselves.
Through
relationships
with
institutional
agents,
the
participants
were
provided
the
ability
to
navigate
the
social
worlds
of
higher
education
(Stanton-‐Salazar,
1997).
Through
various
levels
of
social
capital
they
were
taught
how
cultivate
relationships
in
professional
settings.
Theresa
shared
her
relationship
with
an
institutional
agent
who
prepared
her
for
her
current
role:
From
Joe,
I
really
learned
about
governments,
how
to
chair
meetings,
holding
people
accountable,
how
to
oversee
budget.
The
way
he
mentored
me
was
more
like
he
probably
knew
that
I
was
going
to
be
doing
this
in
the
future.
He
really
took
a
lot
of
time
and
made
sure
that
I
understood
how
things
worked
at
the
college
environment
.
.
.
[He]
would
always
say
you’re
going
to
come
back
here
one
day
and
I
want
you
to
become
president
.
.
.
Sandra and Claudio shared stories of institutional agents who guided them to
return back to school. Patty provided that an institutional agent in her life prevented her
from dropping out of college:
115
At one time I wanted to drop out of college so I felt like gosh, what am I doing
here? I should be doing work in the community and he really convinced me that
no, look at how much more you’re going to be able to do with an education and a
degree and you can still do more in the community with that.
Gemma made strong emotional connections to the extent of perceiving
institutional agents at the community college as “family”. Joseph invited the institutional
agent in his life to become a pseudo-family member by asking him to be the godfather to
his daughter. The majority (nine) of the participants continued relationships with
institutional agents years after graduating from college. In fact, seven of the participants
reported receiving their positions at the community college through associations with
institutional agents they met as undergraduate students.
The cultural background of participants impacted their actions as institutional
agents. Latina/o participants shared that it was often easier to connect with Latina/o
students due to similarities connected to their culture. Ken shared his experience:
Obviously I do feel more connected to my Latino students just because of the
cultural . . . what we share in common culturally; our language because I’m very
comfortable with Spanish. A lot of them are too. So maybe more contentious of
how I explain things and yeah why not I’ll say it. Maybe I do go a little more out
of my way for my Latino students; absolutely.
The participants who were the first in the family to attend college were able to
empathize with the experiences of first generation college students. Maribel noted that
because of her background she was able to understand that some of her students had
limited college-going knowledge:
Being the first really opens the door to being able to communicate to other
students who are first in their families. You can do it. For me it's all about that
you can do it attitude. Being the first of course I know the barriers there are and so
that helps when I work with students because I know I didn't know anything. I
know where they're coming from. I have to give it to them because they have no
clue what to ask for because I didn't. I think that helps in my work because I was
there.
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The participants stated that by providing students a view into their lives they had a
better opportunity to connect with them. As a White male in his fifties from a middle
class background, Frederico shared his life experiences to create a connection with
students who differed from him in regards to gender, race, and SES:
To be honest with you it depends how I'm talking to the students, how I need to
connect with that student. For some they might need to know I was a community
college student myself. For some they want to know that I used to work at [name
deleted]. For some they want to know I was a jock. For some they want to know
I'm a father. I will use what is in my bag of tricks when I need to . . . so that they
can then turn around and say oh this guy must know what he’s talking about.
Participants often shared referring to their life histories to connect with students.
Their personal experiences contributed to the capability of developing bonds with
students.
Parents Influence the Transfer Decision Making Process
The majority (9 of 13) of participants reported that parents played a significant
role in the decision making process of Latina/o students at the community college.
Parents were repeatedly mentioned when participants were inquired on the challenges
that contribute to the low transfer rates of Latina/o students. They reported that parents
made a significant impact on their children’s college going decisions.
Participants reported that many of their Latina/o students had parents who were
not knowledgeable of the system. Ken emphasized that parents supported their students
to attend college but they lacked the understanding of the system or had certain
assumptions. He stated about his experience in educating Latina/o parents and making
them part of their adult child’s education process:
I have had appointments or extra meetings beyond my appointments with their
parents. They will come and ask me and tell me I don’t understand the
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educational system . . . I definitely have had various encounters with parents
where I’ve had to talk with them to include them in the process because a lot of
the Latino students deal with the issues like having to work while coming to
school or being low income . . . I would say the biggest [issue] that is that Latino
parents don’t understand why they have to spend so much time in college and the
pressures of having to work and provide rather than look at school as an
investment.
Gemma shared that there are parents in the Latina/o culture who placed specific
responsibilities on students based on their gender. She noted her experiences with
parents:
I've had to meet with some of the parents where they say, “We have to take care
of our daughter, her reputation.” . . . For the young men again being sometimes
the oldest male you got to help the family, you can't go away; you have to stay
close to home.
She reflected on her experience with Latina/o students who are not supported by
their parents. Their lack of support placed students in a position where education did not
become a priority. She noted that consequently there were students who used their
academic financial aid for household expenses:
Sometimes parents don't understand the importance of an education.
Unfortunately not all Latino parents are supportive and they give their students a
harder time. They make them pay rent, make them pay bills, school is not a
priority to them so their student is trying to juggle. If they get financial aid the
family gets it. So the student is struggling to pay for classes, to get classes and
because they're working they can't get the ideal schedule.
Sandra experienced similar issues with Latina/o students who had limited support
from parents. She noted that workshops were created on her campus to address culture
issues commonly affecting Latina/o college students:
The typical family is more like we know it’s a good thing that you're in school but
we also need help financially… Many women are held to different expectations
and they’re questioning them and because they’re going against the culture. We
have workshops that we do, Mujer a Mujer and Hombre a Hombre…The last one
had 50 to 60 guys in there. They were broken into families, in smaller groups and
they had these issues to they had to resolve and discuss. I had so many young
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men… tell me how great it was to be able to talk about stuff, how they wanted to
continue that and make a club.
Shayan viewed parents as allies because he was cognizant of their impact on the
process. He commended them for their contributions to their students’ education. He
explained his collaborative techniques with Latina/o parents:
When the parents come in I speak in Spanish or whatever they seem more
comfortable to them. I commend them for being here. I’ve had Spanish-speaking
parents call and I could hear the kid in the background but the parents are asking
when do we register, what are the deadlines? I answer all the questions and I let
them know they need to get that kid motivated. The fact that you're doing this for
your kid hopefully one of these days he will appreciate it. You should feel good
about what you're trying to do.
Knowledge Gaps Impact Latina/o Transfer to Private Institutions
The latest budget cuts affecting state universities are causing more community
college students to view private selective institutions as transfer destinations.
Unfortunately students of color, specifically Latina/o students, lag behind in applying to
private universities (Moore & Shulock, 2010). The 13 participants acknowledged that
selective private colleges were good possible options. The universal concern for
participants was connected to the financial cost of attending a private institution.
Participants shared that selective private universities were worthy opportunities for
students who were educated on the financial process. But the lack of financial aid
literacy is a major barrier because many students make assumptions regarding the cost of
private colleges. These assumptions prevent many Latina/o students from considering
private selective universities as sound financial options.
Institutional agents reported that a majority of the Latina/o students they
supported were intimidated by the “sticker price” of private colleges. Institutional agents
in the study were asked to provide recommendations that would lead to an increase of the
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number of Latina/o students who attend a selective private university. The participants
stated that providing students financial literacy regarding private universities would help
alleviate many misconceptions. Ken shared that an added issue was that counselors did
not expose students to private university when compared to the marketing of public
institutions. He noted some of the contributions that led to a lack of visibility at MVC:
We could always do a better job of encouraging more private schools. I definitely
admit that we don’t do enough of that. You see everywhere its UC and Cal State. I
think we could do a better job of making private schools more visible. Having
them become more visible our campuses and having them bring more people over
here. I know it’s kind of hard because it also has to come from the other end. So it
works both ways. Having a stronger focus on how private schools work in
transfer efforts including workshops. We could do a better job of that, definitely.
As mentioned in the previous section, Latina/o parents can be significant factors
in the process. Shayan shared that parents wanted to see examples regarding the
advantages in attending private colleges. He suggested that representatives at private
institutions create presentations to parents with information on student outcomes and
examples of possible financial scenarios:
A presentation for parent groups where you highlight the programs, the schools,
retention rates and graduation timeline. You have a separate section regarding
financial aid. How many people are on financial aid? How many people attended
the school? How many actually received financial aid? Parents like
examples…for example a family of five, average salary $60,000, with two kids in
college, one in private and one in state, receive a financial aid package that looks
like this . . .
Maria shared a similar position regarding the uncertainty created by the cost of
private institutions. She stated that students were hesitant to consider private colleges
because of the costs. She provided a possible solution to address the issue:
It's financial aid. It’s them realizing that the ultimate cost may not be greater.
That's got to be number one is the initial resistance because of the cost. So many
will say oh, I can't afford to go there. That's the first thing out of their mouth…It's
not because of their lack of preparation or ability, it’s because of their perception
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of the cost…I think there could be at least annually or yearly in service training
with counselors and faculty…There does need to be education of behalf of
counselors. I definitely think that's not in place…
Cornelio felt that selective private institutions were great options for students who
were financially prepared for the responsibility involved in attending a private university.
He created an acronym for the process that he follows to best prepare students to reach
their goals, F-A-C-T-S which stands for financially, academically, career, technologically
and socially. He explained that each letter was in chronological order in level of
importance:
I think USC is a private option that is a phenomenal if all the stars align. By that I
mean first and foremost the financial stars align…Actually I developed over the
years what I call the facts, F-A-C-T-S . . . The FACTS are in a very specific order.
To me financial aid is the key to the rest. We've had the smartest people we could
find but if they’re lacking financial means to go to school, they’ll never go …
especially when we talk about private universities we have to face that. If we are
willing to help students…seek out different types of financial aid, be willing to
write letters of recommendation, and help students understand how to write a
good personal statement, there's a lot of value we can add to students’ chances of
successfully getting good financial aid…
He shared that he had collaborated with several students on the process that led to
students obtaining financial aid packages, which were comparable to public school
options. He also noted that it was important to inform students on the differences
between for-profit and non-profit institutions.
Major Themes Drawn From the Findings
Each of the participants has illustrated contributions towards improving the
transfer rates of Latina/o students who attend selective private universities. Based on the
data presented in this chapter, three major themes emerged.
1. Institutional Agents Fulfill Multiple Roles – All 13 participants played multiple
support roles in the transfer process. Based on the needs of their students, institutional
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agents varied on their role, the type of support, and the level of support.
2. Establishing Working Relationships is Key to the Transfer Process – All 13
participants shared stories of getting to “know” their students as well as students getting
“know” them. Participants shared that establishing working relationships was an
important element in effectively supporting students through the transfer process.
3. Life Histories Impact the Roles that Institutional Agents Perform – All 13
intuitional agents reflected on personal experiences that made significant impacts to their
roles as institutional agents.
Summary
In this chapter, the 13 institutional agent participants for the current study were
introduced. The introductions provided life histories that contributed to the professional
roles of the institutional agents featured in this chapter. The study findings were
analyzed using Stanton-Salazar’s (2010) Institutional Agent Role Types Framework.
Through the protocol, three major themes emerged from the finding and were presented.
In addition, institutional agents noted two common factors impacting the transfer success
rates of Latina/o students. In chapter five, the three themes are analyzed in further detail.
The conclusions on the study will be discussed and recommendations for policy and
practice will be presented. Chapter five will conclude with areas for future research.
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CHAPTER 5
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS
This study determined the roles that institutional agents played and the types of
resources they provided Latina/o students at the community college. Through an analysis
of self-assessments, interviews, and reflective summaries, the researcher captured the
experiences of 13 institutional agents. Data analysis revealed the personal and
professional practices that led participants to their roles as institutional agents. The
research question that guided the study and enabled the researcher to determine the
themes was:
How do institutional agents contribute to the transfer experiences of Latina/o
college students who successfully transition from a community college to a selective
private university?
Connected to the three themes in this study, the data analysis revealed that the
types of roles played by participants and the level of support they provided to students
were based on four variables: 1) student’s needs; 2) the institutional agent’s experience;
3) the institutional agent’s level of expertise; and 4) the institutional agent’s professional
role at the community college. The three examples below illustrate how these variables
came together to determine the roles that institutional agents played and the types of
support they provided.
Joseph played the role of advisor based on the interactions of the four variables.
Joseph reported that students at CVC needed accurate information regarding the
admission and financial aid process to private institutions. Joseph had personally
experienced the benefits of attending a private selective university because it was the
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route that several students from his former high school pursued. In addition, he attended
a private selective university as an undergraduate student. Joseph’s colleagues
recognized him as an expert on the topic. Consequently, students interested in pursuing
the private university path were directed to him. As a faculty member and counselor,
Joseph was in a position at CVC to support students through the process.
The following example illustrates Theresa’s role as a lobbyist in meeting the
needs of students at MVC based on the four variables. Theresa reported lobbying against
funding cuts that limited the basic skills and college readiness courses at MVC.
Resources that were traditionally utilized to serve low-income and students of color were
redirected to create college level courses. Therefore, students needed someone to
advocate on their behalf. Theresa’s personal and professional experiences ignited her to
respond to the issue on her campus. Stanton-Salazar’s (2010) Role Types Framework
illustrated Theresa’s expertise in navigating the political aspects of the community
college system. Due to her leadership role as a faculty director, she utilized her
positional resources to advocate for the students at MVC (Lin, 2001; Stanton-Salazar,
2010).
Next, based on the four variables mentioned earlier, Patty and Frederico played
the role of recruiter. Recruitment practices are fundamental to exposing students to four-
year institutions. Students need to be connected to universities to explore their transfer
options while they attend the community college. Patty and Frederico both had
professional roles at universities prior to their work at the community college. Each of
the participants held over 20 years of personal and professional experience in
collaborating with colleagues at universities. Based on Stanton-Salazar’s (2010)
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Framework they were the two participants that were recognized as experts for their
recruitment efforts. As such, Patty and Frederico were the only two participants who
held the title of transfer director on their campuses, positioning them to play the role of
recruiter. This chapter will illustrate the connection that these four variables played in
the themes found in this study.
The following three themes emerged from the findings: 1) institutional agents
fulfill multiple roles; 2) establishing working relationships is key to the transfer process;
and 3) life histories impact the roles that institutional agents perform. In this chapter,
each theme will be introduced and analyzed with respect to the research question
addressed in this study. The following section will provide the main conclusions of the
study. Next, the researcher will offer recommendations for policy and practice. The
chapter will conclude with recommendations for future research.
Major Themes Based on Findings
Theme 1: Institutional Agents Fulfill Multiple Roles
The researcher did not find information to conclude that institutional agents were
more effective than others based on the number of roles they maintained or the types of
support they provided. The number of roles held by each participant ranged from six
(Cornelio, Maria, and Gemma) to 12 (Theresa). The most common roles were those that
provided students direct support or connected them to resources (resource agent,
knowledge agent, advisor, advocate, bridging agent, and coordinator, (n =13)) and the
least common were recruiter (n =2) and lobbyist (n =1). Based on relationships and
resources available, the participants provided students with different types of social
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capital (McNeal, 1999). Social capital involved access to additional networks,
information, and other forms of resources (Monkman, Ronald, & Théramène, 2005).
The researcher determined that all 13 participants provided multiple roles to
support students through the transfer process at the community college. This finding
supports the notion that institutional agents equip students with social capital through
multiplex and multi-stranded relationships (Stanton-Salazar, 2001a). Through the
protocol, the institutional agents shared that in order to effectively support students they
were required to fulfill multiple roles due to the lack of resources at the community
college.
The counselor-to-student ratio in California, on average is 1,900:1, and even
higher in some community colleges (Academic Senate for California Community
College, 2003). Meaning that majority of students do not have the ability to work with a
counselor and those that due usually have a limited amount of time with an institutional
agent that can guide them through the process. Several of the institutional agents
reported having 30-minute time limits on counseling sessions. As a result, counselors
must play multiple roles to fulfill the needs of the students within a structured amount of
time.
Ken shared that it was common for students to initially meet with him for
academic concerns that transitioned to discussions about additional barriers preventing
them from transferring to a university. He often discovered that personal and social
concerns needed to first be addressed prior to dealing with the academic issues. Once he
assessed a student’s needs he did not have the option of referring students to unlimited
resources on campus. Instead, Ken tapped into his own expertise and provided multiple
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types of support to best meet the needs of students. For the roles that he was unable to
fulfill or support that he could not provide he contacted his extensive network.
With regards to the research question, similar to Ken the other participants in this
study contributed to the transfer experiences of Latina/o college students who
successfully transitioned from a community college to a selective private university by
adopting several role types and offering several types of resources. All 13 participants
had extensive networks. Those institutional agents who did not have the resources
available to meet the needs of their students often utilized their networks to best support
their students.
Theme 2: Establishing Working Relationships is Key to the Transfer Process
Ten of the participants expressed that to effectively support students through the
transfer process, it was essential to establish working relationships. Through the
development of these relationships, institutional agents were able to assess students’
needs and coordinate the best methods of support. Participants reported that several
students had limited interaction with individuals possessing college-going capital (Stage
& Hubbard, 2007; Tinto, 2000), which limited their networks. Working relationships
were a means to develop ties between students and individuals in higher education
institutions (Monkman et al, 2005). Additionally, the ties validated the college
experience for many students.
Working relationships served as a method to assess the types of support required
for students. Participants reported that students had various needs and it was uncommon
for a student to voice them without an established relationship. In addition, many
students required resources or information that they were not aware existed. This was
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best expressed by Maribel, who said: “I know I didn't know anything [as a student]. I
know where they're coming from. I have to give them the information because they have
no clue what to ask for because I didn't.”
As illustrated, the assessment that occurs as a result of the working relationship
contributes to a student’s ability to receive appropriate resources. Furthermore,
participants shared that classroom interactions and consistent counseling appointments
led to exchanges of information that created networking opportunities. Students were
introduced to other practitioners and learned skills needed to develop future relationships
(Stanton-Salazar, 1997). By participating in higher education environments with trusted
individuals, students improved their capability to increase their levels of social capital.
It was common for participants to report that Latina/o students at the community
college had feelings of inadequacy due to a lack of connection to the academic culture
(Rendon, 1994, Turner, 1992). Often, students did not have someone at home to validate
their experience as a college student. By working collaboratively, institutional agents
developed relationships with students that validated their roles in higher education
(Turner, 1992). Through working relationships, participants served as sounding boards to
students that needed someone to understand their struggles related to the culture of
academia.
With regard to the research question, findings from this theme indicate that
working relationships are essential to support students who need more than basic college-
going information, especially those who are first generation college students.
Participants in this study reported that often Latina/o students at the community college
fell under these criteria. These working relationships were beneficial for several reasons.
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They served as a means to assess students’ needs, expanded their networks, and validated
their college experience.
Theme 3: Life Histories Impact the Roles that Institutional Agents Perform
The support roles that institutional agents performed were impacted by their own
life histories. The researcher found that institutional agents connected their personal
experiences to those of the students they served. Because the participants had overcome
barriers that were similar to those of the students, they saw these students’ potential for
success (Bensimon, 2007). Personal experiences that influenced the roles of institutional
agents were associated with racial and SES backgrounds, as well as their experiences as
students in higher education.
Eight participants self-identified as Latina/o, one as Chicano, and one as Multi-
Ethnic. The group shared that they were able to relate to Latina/o students through
cultural similarities that included family values and language. Participants reported
speaking Spanish to families to build a more comfortable environment. In addition,
gender specific issues within the culture made an impact on their support roles. Theresa,
Nathalia, Sandra, and Gemma who are Latina shared stories of their involvement in
advocating for Latina students who were facing issues with parents.
The majority of institutional agents identified as working class noted that they
were able to empathize with students who faced financial hardships. Several participants
shared stories relating to financial constraints that impacted their personal college
experiences as well as those of family members. Nathalia shared that her brother was
accepted to UCLA but her parents had limited financial aid literacy and as a consequence
convinced him to attend a community college. Through similar personal stories,
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participants related to financial aid issues and the stresses that often prevented students
from pursuing an education.
It was common for institutional agents who were recognized for supporting
transfer students to have experienced the transition process themselves (Dowd et al.,
2006). Eleven of the participants were former transfer students. Participants reported
that many students were hesitant to transfer due to fears of leaving a familiar
environment. Institutional agents shared their personal stories with students to relieve
their anxiety. In addition, participants were able to understand how changes in policies at
the local and state level have impacted the transfer process from a student and
practitioner perspective. Financial cuts have made the process more complex for students
to transfer. Participants reported that tuition fees have tripled since they were at the
community college; it was more difficult to enroll in courses; and education plans had
become more burdensome.
Twelve participants recalled two or more institutional agents who they met as
undergraduate students that made a substantial impact on their lives. The participants
viewed those individuals as role models and followed in their footsteps by becoming
institutional agents themselves. The relationships were sources of support as they
navigated the social world of higher education (Stanton-Salazar, 1997). Through various
levels of social capital, participants were taught how develop future professional
relationships that influenced their roles at the community college.
In addition, participants shared that the types of support they provided mirrored
the types of support that was offered to them as students. Participants received social
capital in the form of emotional, academic, and professional resources from institutional
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agents throughout their college years and beyond. Sandra and Claudio stated that
institutional agents guided them back to college. Institutional agents prevented Patty
from dropping out of college and persuaded Gemma to pursue an education beyond the
community college. While at the community college, Theresa and Gemma made strong
emotional connections with their institutional agents to the degree of perceiving them as
“family”. Joseph invited the institutional agent in his life to become a pseudo-family
member by asking him to be the godfather to his daughter. The majority (nine) of the
participants continued relationships with institutional agents years after graduating from
college. In fact, seven of the participants reported receiving their positions at the
community college through associations with institutional agents they met as
undergraduate students. Through their personal and professional experiences as well as
their extensive networks the institutional agents in this study felt that there was a
connection that binds them together.
With regard to the research question, this theme illustrates that all of the
participants were influenced in their roles as institutional agents by their personal lives.
Their racial and SES backgrounds, as well as their experiences as first generation and
transfer students, allowed participants to better connect with students’ struggles. In
addition, the institutional agents that inspired participants while they were in college
made lasting impressions on their future roles as practitioners at the community college.
Conclusions
The results demonstrate the various roles and types of social capital that
institutional agents provide at the community college. This study offers a critical
perspective to the education field by capturing the viewpoint of institutional agents at the
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community college. The participants in this study are central to the transfer process
because they have the ability to change lives based on the levels and types of support they
provide to students.
The institutional agents varied on the positional authority they each held. The
higher the positional authority the more their leverage could be used to acquire additional
support for students. Some of the participants with limited positional authority did not
feel empowered with the ability to create policy change at their institution. Regardless of
their level of positional authority, all the institutional agents in this study believed that
they could make significant change in the lives of their students.
Those with positional power have the responsibility to create transfer receptive
cultures on their campus and the participants accomplished this through their practices.
The study found that institutional agents effectively supported Latina/o students at the
community college who transferred to a private college by fulfilling multiple roles,
establishing working relationships, and reflecting on their life histories to empathize with
the student experience.
The researcher found that institutional agents played several support roles and
provided an array of resources. They had an ability to perform multiple roles while
simultaneously providing different types of support to many students. It was a necessity
for participants to undertake these responsibilities because of the unique needs of students
at the community college. In addition, due to the lack of State resources, there is
shortage of practitioners at the community college who are positioned to support
students.
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Participants had many experiences in common and those experiences contributed
to their actions as institutional agents. Their life histories influenced the types of
resources they provided students. They reflected on their personal and educational life
histories as they performed their roles as institutional agents. By sharing those
experiences, social ties were created between participants and students. Those ties often
shaped the confidence and decision-making practices for students at the community
college.
By researching the types of support that institutional agents provided, their life
stories emerged. Due to personal, academic, and professional experiences, they decided
to pursue careers that placed them in positions to support students. In their roles as
institutional agents, the participants in this study took deliberate steps to transfer various
forms of social capital to their students. They are figures who are recognized for their
passion and dedication towards enriching the lives of students and the community
college.
Recommendations for Policy and Practice
Educational Policy
1. Participants shared stories of colleagues who were ineffective in their roles.
This study also illustrated the importance of accurate information and trusting
relationships with students. A partnering community college reported that student
evaluations were an effective element in their department’s practitioner evaluation
process. For those community colleges who do not have a student component in their
evaluation process, there should be policy that involves students in yearly evaluations for
faculty/administrators.
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2. The study illustrated the lack of resources at the community college leading to
limited interactions between students and practitioners at the two-year institution.
According to California Legislative Analyst’s Office, in 2009–10, state funding for full-
time students at the community college (15%) was dramatically less in comparison to
students at UC’s (45%) and CSUs’ (35%). State allocation of funding is insufficient to
appropriately support students through the transfer process. Thus, the percentage of state
funding that is contributed towards students at the community college should be raised
and become more equitable.
3. The study found that president’s and other high level administration from the
community college are aware of the positive impacts that institutional agents contribute
to the institution. But there was a lack of structured acknowledgement for their
contributions. A policy should be created in which senior administration assesses their
community for the positive practices that institutional agents create on their campus.
Those practices should be acknowledged through an annual event to celebrate the
accomplishments of change agents at the community college.
4. Structured policy should be created to provide institutional agents incentives to
continue the positive work they contribute to the environment at their college. This has
the possibility of reaching multiple goals. Institutional agents will be acknowledged for
the passion and time their contribute to their organization and the policy could inspire
fellow practitioners to become institutional agents.
Practice
1. The researcher found that through past experiences, participants have
developed practices to effectively support students. Community college leadership
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should inquire their faculty and staff regarding the elements that lead to effective
practices at their institution. Department leadership should create a report featuring best
practices by faculty and staff at their institutions. They should be provided time during
departmental meetings to share effective practices with their colleagues.
2. Participants noted hesitation by institutional agents to share information with
students regarding private selective institutions due their lack of knowledge of the
process. Transfer agents from the two-year and four-year colleges should create
collaborative programming that allows individuals to interact and share information to
best support students navigating the transfer pipeline. The forums will involve both
networking and professional development experiences for transfer agents across
campuses.
3. Participants stated that it was common practice for community colleges to
make counselors responsible for locating admission and financial aid information on the
private colleges. In response, the majority of counselors focus on transfer options to
public universities. Community colleges should designate practitioners at each institution
as liaisons to coordinate private university visits. Additional responsibilities would
include educating colleagues on current admission policies and student financial aid
opportunities. The individual would also be responsible for creating financial aid
workshops for students, parents, and colleagues.
4. The study illustrated the lack of outreach efforts by private selective
universities at the community college. Private colleges should increase efforts at
community colleges. Outreach efforts should include consistent community college
visits by staff and students from the private institutions. In addition, private colleges
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should host community college students and institutional agents on their campus. The
four-year institutions should also create transfer specific websites that feature short bio
videos of transfer agents and current transfer students who successfully transitioned from
the community college.
5. Participants in the study had extensive networks, which were developed over
several years. Their networks served as effective tools to support students through the
transfer process. Current institutional practice does not provide all faculty and staff
opportunities to network across campus at the community college or with partnering two-
year and four-year colleges. Additional efforts should be enacted to create programming
for interactions between institutional agents to occur on a regular basis.
6. Participants reported that there was a lack of collaborative efforts between
community colleges and private institutions. The Association of Independent California
Colleges and Universities needs to collaborate with the California Community College
System to sets goals across campuses (community colleges and private institutions) for
institutional agents to collaborate on issues that involve degree completion; identify the
policies and investments needed to accomplish those goals; and monitor progress toward
achieving these goals.
Recommendations for Further Research
This study presented the impact that institutional agents make on Latina/o
students during the transfer process. This study was conducted at three community
colleges that had above average transfer rates in comparison with other California
community colleges. It would be beneficial to conduct a study on a larger scale that
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includes campuses with varying transfer rates. In addition, the study should have
students nominate the practitioners as institutional agents.
Institutional agents in the study had extensive networks that included practitioners
at selective private institutions. Research (Dowd et al., 2006) illustrates that selective
colleges have small populations of transfer students and these institutions rarely maintain
policies that support the transfer of community college students. Consequently, the
practitioners who advocate for community college students at selective private
institutions provide a unique perspective. It would therefore be valuable to conduct
research on the actions of institutional agents at selective private colleges who advocate
for community college students to transfer to their universities.
Dissemination of the Findings
The researcher plans to disseminate his findings at a series of meetings and
conferences through 2012-2013. The participants in the study will be invited to a
meeting to discuss the study. The researcher will invite the institutional agents and some
of the students they have supported in transferring to Estancia University during the
summer of 2012. In addition, the information found in this dissertation will be shared
during department monthly meetings at each of the three community colleges.
Following, the researcher will present the findings at two national conferences.
The American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO)
conference will be held in July 2012 in Tennessee and the National Institute for the Study
of Transfer Students will take place in January 2013 in Texas. In addition, the researcher
has met with community college and four-year college institutional agents to plan a 1-day
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California transfer conference. The goal of the conference will be to bring institutional
agents from two-year and four-year institutions to discuss issues effecting community
college and transfer students in California.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Academic Senate for California Community Colleges. (2003). Consultation council task
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APPENDIX A
CUE Institutional Agent Self-Assessment Inventory
You are invited to participate in a research study conducted by Paul Jimenez at the
University of Southern California, under the supervision of Dr. Kristan Venegas for the
purposes of a dissertation. You are invited to participate because you are a faculty or
staff member who has been identified as a potential subject by a student, staff member, or
faculty member and you are aged 18 or older. Your participation is voluntary. No
information associated with your name will ever be released publicly, but personally
identifiable survey responses may be followed-up on for clarification. By completing the
survey, you give the researcher permission to link your responses for possible follow-up.
For information about the project or to use the results, please contact Paul Jimenez at
pjimene1@gmail.com or 714 - 658-7285. Thank you for taking the time to complete this
survey. Please respond to the following questions to the best of your ability. The
information you provide is imperative to this study. If you have read the previous
information and agree to take part in this survey, click the "I agree, proceed" button.
I
agree,
proceed
What is the name of the community college that you are employed by?
Mount
Vernon
College
Green
Hills
College
Crescent
View
College
What best describes your professional role at your institution:
Faculty
Counselor
Faculty/Counselor
Administrator
Staff
150
What is the highest level of education that you have received?
College
No
Degree
AA
Degree
BA
Degree
Graduate
Level
Course(s)
No
Degree
MA
Level
Degree
Doctoral
Level
Course(s)
No
Degree
Doctoral
Level
Degree
Highest level of education achieved by your mother:
High
School
No
Degree
High
School
Graduate
College
No
Degree
AA
Degree
BA
Degree
Graduate
Level
Course(s)
No
Degree
Graduate
Level
Degree
Highest level of education achieved by your father:
High
School
No
Degree
High
School
Graduate
College
No
Degree
AA
Degree
BA
Degree
Graduate
Level
Course(s)
No
Degree
Graduate
Level
Degree
Please specify your race:
American
Indian/Alaska
Native
African
American
Asian
Caucasian
Latina/o
or
Hispanic
Native
Hawaiian/Pacific
Islander
International
Other
____________________
151
Institutional agents are individuals who occupy positions of relatively high-status and
authority. As part of the social network of students, their roles as agents are created when
on behalf of students, they act to directly provide or negotiate the attainment of highly
valued resources. The following survey was created by the Center of Urban Education
which set out to understand the ways in which administrators, counselors, and faculty
(institutional agents) can help Latina and Latino community college students navigate
transfer pathways. This self-assessment tool is designed to help you identify your actions
within the framework of being an institutional agent for all students and the last prompt
for each question will specifically ask you about support that you have provided the
Latina/o student population. Please answer each question by ranking the frequency of
that action and note any comments or obstacles you face when taking that action, based
on your understanding of institutional agents. Over the past year . . .
I’ve been actively involved in helping a significant number of students assess problems,
gather information, and make appropriate decisions related to their success within the
institution and within the educational system.
Never
Rarely
Sometimes
Quite
Often
Very
Often
How do you do this?
What are the challenges?
To what extent have you done this specifically for Latina/o students?
Never
Rarely
Sometimes
Quite
Often
Very
Often
152
I’ve been actively involved in providing a significant number of students with forms of
knowledge of computer literacy, study skills, test-taking skills, time management skills;
and decision-making skills.
Never
Rarely
Sometimes
Quite
Often
Very
Often
How do you do this?
What are the challenges?
To what extent have you done this specifically for Latina/o students?
Never
Rarely
Sometimes
Quite
Often
Very
Often
I’ve been actively involved in providing a significant number of students with forms of
knowledge of how educational bureaucracies operate— e.g., chains of command,
identification of key agents in authority, and of key gate-keepers.
Never
Rarely
Sometimes
Quite
Often
Very
Often
How do you do this?
What are the challenges?
153
To what extent have you done this specifically for Latina/o students?
Never
Rarely
Sometimes
Quite
Often
Very
Often
I’ve been actively involved in providing a significant number of students with forms of
knowledge of those resources accessible from different faculty, staff, administrative
offices, service providers, and academic units within my institution.
Never
Rarely
Sometimes
Quite
Often
Very
Often
How do you do this?
What are the challenges?
To what extent have you done this specifically for Latina/o students?
Never
Rarely
Sometimes
Quite
Often
Very
Often
I’ve
been
actively
involved
in
providing
a
significant
number
of
students
with
forms
of
knowledge
about
job
and
educational
opportunities-‐-‐including
requisites
and
barriers
to
entry
into
labor
markets
and
industries;
knowledge
of
how
to
fulfill
requisites
and
how
to
overcome
barriers
into
labor
markets
and
industries.
Never
Rarely
Sometimes
Quite
Often
Very
Often
154
How do you do this?
What are the challenges?
To what extent have you done this specifically for Latina/o students?
Never
Rarely
Sometimes
Quite
Often
Very
Often
I’ve been actively helping students develop their networking skills; for example, how to
approach, seek help, and access resources from various faculty members, university
personnel, authority figures, and gatekeepers.
Never
Rarely
Sometimes
Quite
Often
Very
Often
How do you do this?
What are the challenges?
To what extent have you done this specifically for Latina/o students?
Never
Rarely
Sometimes
Quite
Often
Very
Often
I’ve been actively helping my students develop their networking skills--for example, how
to build supportive/cooperative relationships with peers who are well integrated within
the academic and extracurricular circles of the [college/university].
Never
Rarely
155
Sometimes
Quite
Often
Very
Often
How do you do this?
What are the challenges?
To what extent have you done this specifically for Latina/o students?
Never
Rarely
Sometimes
Quite
Often
Very
Often
I’ve actively advocated on behalf of my students, for the purpose of promoting their
interests within the college/university. I’ve acted to intercede and defend the rights of my
students to have access to key forms of resources and opportunities necessary for their
success within the college/university.
Never
Rarely
Sometimes
Quite
Often
Very
Often
How do you do this?
What are the challenges?
To what extent have you done this specifically for Latina/o students?
Never
Rarely
Sometimes
Quite
Often
Very
Often
156
For a significant number of my students, I’ve actively served as a human “bridge” to key
faculty members, college/university personnel, authority figures, and gate-keepers who I
know are supportive of students.
Never
Rarely
Sometimes
Quite
Often
Very
Often
How do you do this?
What are the challenges?
To what extent have you done this specifically for Latina/o students?
Never
Rarely
Sometimes
Quite
Often
Very
Often
For a significant number of my students, I’ve actively assumed the role of intermediary
or broker, connecting students to key personnel and to existing services and programs on
campus, while overseeing the process. In this role, I’ve also helped my students negotiate
agreements with key personnel, and helped them access highly valuable institutional
resources.
Never
Rarely
Sometimes
Quite
Often
Very
Often
How do you do this?
What are the challenges?
To what extent have you done this specifically for Latina/o students?
Never
157
Rarely
Sometimes
Quite
Often
Very
Often
For a significant number of my students, I’ve introduced them to important institutional
contexts and distinctive sociocultural worlds—either within or outside the
college/university. I’ve explained to my students why participating in these contexts or
worlds is important, who are the key people in these contexts, and the special ways those
on the “inside” communicate and exchange resources.
Never
Rarely
Sometimes
Quite
Often
Very
Often
How do you do this?
What are the challenges?
To what extent have you done this specifically for Latina/o students?
Never
Rarely
Sometimes
Quite
Often
Very
Often
For a significant number of my students, I’ve provided them with both emotional and
social support. When my students are faced with major stressors and life challenges, I’ve
listened compassionately to them. I’ve tried to be supportive, helping them re-interpret
their circumstances in ways that reduce uncertainty and that enhance their sense of
personal control.
Never
Rarely
Sometimes
Quite
Often
158
Very
Often
How do you do this?
What are the challenges?
To what extent have you done this specifically for Latina/o students?
Never
Rarely
Sometimes
Quite
Often
Very
Often
Much of learning comes from observation of exemplary role models rather than from
overt, trial-and-error behavior. For a significant number of my students, I’ve consciously
modeled behaviors associated with success in the educational system. Specifically, with
regard to obstacles to academic success, I’ve modeled positive help-seeking behaviors
and problem-solving strategies that involve the reliance on resources possessed by
‘supportive others’.
Never
Rarely
Sometimes
Quite
Often
Very
Often
How do you do this?
What are the challenges?
To what extent have you done this specifically for Latina/o students?
Never
Rarely
Sometimes
Quite
Often
Very
Often
Thank you for taking the time to take this survey.
159
APPENDIX B
Institutional Agent Interview Protocol
Introduction
A. As you know, I am engaged in doctoral research about the experiences and abilities of
those who have earned a reputation for helping students to transfer from a community
college to a four-year, private institution. Your colleagues have nominated you to
participate in this study. Today’s interview should last approximately 45 minutes.
B. I would like to audio record our conversation as a means to again listen to your
responses. Do I have your permission to use the tape recorder for the interview? All of
your information will remain confidential, and we will use a pseudonym for the purpose
of the interview.
C. Would you mind taking a minute to fill out the interview log?
[Provide interview log. At the beginning of the recording, provide the name of person,
title, school, date, and time.]
Race, SES, Early Influences
1. What is your racial background?
2. What was your socioeconomic background when you were growing up?
3. How much of an influence do you feel that your racial background has been on your
current role?
4. How does your childhood socioeconomic status affect your current role?
Education
5. Are you a first-generation college student? If so, what does it mean to you to be a
first-generation college student? What is the highest level of education that your
mother completed? Father completed/
6. Were you a transfer student? If so, from a community college or another four-year
college?
7. Can you tell me a little about your own college experience? [If IA is a transfer
student from a community college, obtain experience.]
8. What did you study in college? Major, degree? Why?
9. Have you taken any courses that have affected your views on social issues (e.g., class,
race)?
10. During your college experience, was there an institutional agent who supported you
through the process? If so, can you name and describe that agent?
11. Do you feel that community college faculty and staff influence the decision that
students make regarding their transfer university? Please explain.
160
12. How do you view private colleges as a potential transfer option in comparison to
public universities?
13. Have you or anyone in your family ever attended a private university?
[Recap the self-assessment and definition of institutional agent]
Institutional Agent Experiences
14. How long have you been at your current institution?
15. What led you to pursue your current position at the community college?
16. Based on the definition that I read to you, did you see yourself as an institutional
agent at your community college?
[If answered yes to question number 16]
17. What factors influence your current role as an institutional agent?
18. How would you describe your campus climate as it relates to transfer?
19. Do feel that all students are capable of transferring? What led you to that belief?
20. Do you feel that transferring students from a community college should be a primary
goal of your institution?
21. Do you feel that transfer is the primary goal of your institution?
22. Can you provide examples of collaborations that you have created with other
institutional agents to support students through the transfer process?
23. Due to cultural factors, when you work with Latina/o students, do you go about it in a
manner different from what you do with other students? If yes, why? Please provide
some examples.
24. What resources have you provided students? [Probe for several examples of Latina/o
students.]
25. How do you guide students through the transfer pipeline to successfully transfer?
[Probe for several examples of Latina/o students.]
26. What obstacles do you face in your work at the local level and statewide that interfere
with the transfer process? What have you struggled with?
27. What are some of the characteristics that you possess that make you an institutional
agent? [Read off the characteristics that he or she just cited and then ask . . .]
28. Do think that the majority of the people in your department possess these
characteristics?
29. Do you think that these are characteristics that can be learned?
30. As you may or may not know, fewer than 14% of Latina/o students who indicated
transfer as their primary educational goal successfully made the transition to a four-
year institution. Based on your role as an institutional agent, what are some practices
that we can learn from you to increase the transfer rates for Latina/o students?
31. In addition, fewer than 10% all Latina/o students who transfer attend a private
university. Based on your role as an institutional agent, what can we do to increase
the number of Latina/o students who attend elite private universities?
32. Based on your understanding as an institutional agent who supports Latina/o students’
transfer to private universities, is there anyone whom you can recommend at your
community college that would be a good source for this study?
161
33. That concludes my questions for today. Is there anything else that you would like to
add or contribute?
Adapted from:
Pendakur, S. L. (2010). The search for transformative agents: The counter-institutional
positioning of faculty and staff at an elite university (Doctoral dissertation).
Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. (No. AAT 3434494)
162
APPENDIX C
Institutional Agent Role Types Framework
(Stanton-Salazar, 2010)
Abstract (if available)
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Asset Metadata
Creator
Jimenez, Paul William
(author)
Core Title
Institutional agents' impact on tranfser student success through the avenue of social capital
School
Rossier School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Education
Degree Program
Education (Leadership)
Publication Date
05/01/2012
Defense Date
02/15/2012
Publisher
University of Southern California
(original),
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(digital)
Tag
Community colleges,institutional agents,OAI-PMH Harvest,social capital,transfer,transfer agents
Language
English
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Electronically uploaded by the author
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Advisor
Venegas, Kristan M. (
committee chair
), Bensimon, Estela Mara (
committee member
), Mosqueda, Cynthia (
committee member
)
Creator Email
paul.jimenez@lmu.edu,pjimene1@gmail.com
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Tags
institutional agents
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transfer agents