Date of Award:
5-2026
Document Type:
Dissertation
Degree Name:
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department:
Psychology
Committee Chair(s)
Melanie M. Domenech Rodríguez
Committee
Melanie M. Domenech Rodríguez
Committee
Sarah Schwartz
Committee
Christy Glass
Committee
Crissa Draper
Committee
Gonca Soyer
Abstract
This study explores how the structure and composition of research universities relate to student outcomes. Specifically, it asks whether having visible Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) infrastructures and diverse faculty representation is associated with who enrolls, who graduates, and how graduation rates differ within racial groups at R1 universities in the United States. Using national data from 2011 to 2021, the project analyzes enrollment and graduation patterns across institutions while accounting for differences in geography, governance, and state political context.
Rather than focusing on individual students, the study looks at institutional patterns. It examines how the racial and gender makeup of faculty aligns with student enrollment proportions and within-race graduation rates, and whether universities with more formalized EDI structures show different outcome patterns than those with fewer such infrastructures. Multilevel statistical models allow the analysis to consider both change over time and differences between universities.
The findings suggest that faculty representation and institutional context are associated with student enrollment and completion in ways that differ across racial groups. The presence of EDI infrastructures is also associated with certain enrollment and graduation patterns, although these relationships vary by outcome.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Chowdhury, Niyonta Nahia, "Equity, Diversity, And Inclusion Infrastructures and Faculty Composition: Associations With Undergraduate Student Outcomes at R1 Universities 2011-2021" (2026). All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present. 733.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd2023/733
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