Unlocking Opportunity through Broadly Accessible Institutions

This groundbreaking resource highlights the unique mission and purpose of bachelor’s degree granting accessible institutions (BAIs), exploring the challenges and opportunities present within these institutions, and offering a counterpoint to the current dialogue that frames these institutions with a deficit-perspective.

Featuring a broad range of esteemed and influential voices in the field of higher education, policy research, and administration, this unique collection argues that BAIs are an important but overlooked category of institutions in American post-secondary education, and demonstrates the critical role that BAIs play in the higher education landscape, distinct from traditional community colleges and elite universities. Chapters cover key issues such as educational policy, leadership opportunities, faculty, the role of geography, racial equity, and developmental education.

Ultimately, this edited volume challenges damaging assumptions about the organizational nature, purpose, and role of BAIs in shaping educational opportunity for diverse student populations, and therefore contributes valuable scholarship to the ongoing dialogue and debate around achieving equity in higher education access in the United States.

Gloria Crisp is Professor of Adult and Higher Education at Oregon State University, USA.

Kevin R. McClure is Associate Professor of Higher Education at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, USA and Co-Director of the Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges.

Cecilia M. Orphan is Associate Professor of Higher Education at the University of Denver, USA and Co-Director of the Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges.