The Cultural Journeys of Rural, Poor and Working-Class College Students: Policy and Practice to Support Degree Attainment

With the goal of improving efforts and initiatives to promote college completion, this book offers an engaging, in-depth analysis of the cultural journeys of rural, poor and working-class college students. By examining select student stories through the lens of cultural flexibility, cultural integration, and cultural capital and wealth, the author derives a collective understanding of how these students navigate their college experiences, informing key recommendations for practice and policy. This volume will be of interest to higher education researchers and scholars studying rurality, social class, equity, and college success and completion, as well as practitioners and policymakers looking to more effectively enroll and retain rural, poor and working-class college students.

Ty C. McNamee is an Assistant Professor of Higher Education at The University of Mississippi, USA. Growing up a working-class, gay student in rural Wyoming influenced Ty’s research. He studies postsecondary access and success for rural students, particularly those who are poor or working-class and those who are queer, as well as college teaching and learning and faculty development at rural postsecondary institutions.