Research Article
An Evaluation of Undergraduate Student Diversity Experiences in the College of Agriculture at Kansas State University
Lonnie Hobbs(a), Jr., Zelia Z. Wiley(a), Raymond Thomas(a), Summer Santillana(a), and Andrew Barkley(a)
(a)Kansas State University
JEL Codes: A2, D63, D91
Keywords: Diversity, diversity experience, diversity programming, inclusion, student success
Publish Date: January 9, 2023
Volume 5, Issue 1
Abstract
As diverse student populations increase in colleges of agriculture at Land-Grant universities, diversity experiences are critical to the academic and personal development of undergraduate students. At Kansas State University, where enrollment of nonwhite undergraduate students has increased from 8 percent (2008) to 12 percent (2022), proper understanding of the factors that affect experiences with diverse groups is vital to foster positive diversity experiences among students. This study applies an ordinary least square (OLS) regression estimation approach to identify and quantify the determinants of positive or negative diversity experiences for students enrolled in the College of Agriculture (COA) at Kansas State University. Data were collected in a survey during Fall 2020, with 359 observations included in the analysis. The period is unique due to the Covid-19 pandemic, causing the data to be particularly informative. The level of diversity experiences is found to be statistically associated with participation in diversity class activities and workshops, ethnic background, small-town background, degree being sought, and living situation. However, student diversity experience levels were relatively low. Overall, the results show that student diversity experiences could be increased through the implementation and promotion of diversity programming based on the determinants of diversity experiences identified in this study.
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Articles in this issue
An Evaluation of Undergraduate Student Diversity Experiences in the College of Agriculture at Kansas State University
Lonnie Hobbs, Jr., Zelia Z. Wiley, Raymond Thomas, Summer Santillana, Andrew Barkley
Recommendations for Contextualizing and Facilitating Class Conversations about Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Social Justice
Donald A. Saucier, Noah D. Renken, Ashley A. Schiffer, and Tucker L. Jones
Implementing Theory-Based Mentoring and Experiential Learning to Ease Undergraduate Multicultural Scholarship Recipients Transition from Community Colleges to a Large Research Institution
Jaclyn D. Kropp and Danielle Shu
Impacts of Teaching Modality on U.S. COVID-19 Spread in Fall 2020 Semester
Syed Badruddoza and Modhurima Dey Amin
Milner Ranch: Is the Grass Greener in Processing?
Hwangwon Lee, Tanner McCarty, Anastasia Thayer, and Ryan Larsen