Theses and Dissertations

ORCID

https://orcid.org/0009-0007-5832-8542

Issuing Body

Mississippi State University

Advisor

King, Stephanie

Committee Member

White, Carol

Committee Member

Coats, Linda

Committee Member

Oswalt, Katie

Date of Degree

5-15-2026

Original embargo terms

Immediate Worldwide Access

Document Type

Dissertation - Open Access

Major

Community College Leadership

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Education

Department

Department of Industrial Technology, Instructional Design, and Community College Leadership

Abstract

This quantitative, cross-sectional, non-experimental study examined institutional characteristics associated with retention and graduation outcomes at public two-year colleges in the Southeastern United States. Using data from the Fall 2023 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), the study analyzed institutional student–faculty ratio, core expenditures per full-time equivalent (FTE) student, and academic support expenditures per FTE as predictors of institutional full-time fall-to-fall retention rates for all students and 150% graduation rates for Black male students. Descriptive statistics indicated substantial variation across institutions in spending and student outcomes. Simple linear regression analyses revealed no statistically significant relationships between student–faculty ratio or core expenditures and retention rates. Academic support expenditures demonstrated a statistically significant negative association with retention. Multiple regression analyses indicated that academic support expenditures and student–faculty ratio were significant predictors of Black male graduation rates, although overall explained variance was modest. Findings suggest that aggregate institutional spending alone does not uniformly correspond to improved student outcomes.

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