Capital Gatekeeping and Community Outreach: Diversity College Admission Professionals' Views on Race/Ethnicity in College Access

• In Event: Roundtable Session 30
  In Roundtable Session: Interventions and Outreach to Improve College Access

Abstract

This study examines how race influences the college admissions process, which in turn affects college access for students of color. The main research question is how diversity college admission professionals (DCAPs) impact college access for students of color in a northeast urban metro city. I integrate Perna’s (2006) Integrated College Access Model with Solorzano’s (1997) critical race theory tenets to compose the theoretical framework for studying the DCAPs’ perspective. The qualitative design and iterative analysis composed themes centered on cultural capital, college access, and institutional race-conscious admissions policies. Findings show that DCAPs understand the racialization of college access and share their views on diversity recruitment. The implications of these findings for research will be discussed.

Author

• Kathryn Bethea, University of Pittsburgh