A history of access of diverse students at the University of Colorado Boulder, 1964-2012

2013·1.2 MB·English

by  Mugge-Cozza, Molly

A HISTORY OF ACCESS OF DIVERSE STUDENTS
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO BOULDER, 1964-2012
by
Molly S. Mugge-Cozza
B.A., DePauw University, 2001
M.A., University of Denver, 2002

A thesis submitted to the
Faculty of the Graduate School of the
University of Colorado in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
Educational Leadership and Innovation
2013
This thesis for the Doctor of Philosophy degree by
Molly S. Mugge-Cozza
has been approved for the
Educational Leadership and Innovation Program
by

Dorothy Garrison-Wade, Chair
Rodney Muth, Advisor
Gregory Diggs
James Whiteside

February 25, 2013
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Mugge-Cozza, Molly, S (Ph.D., Educational Leadership and Innovation)
A History of Access of Diverse Students at the University of Colorado Boulder,
1964-2012

Thesis directed by Professor Dorothy Garrison-Wade.
ABSTRACT
Racial disparities have been, and continue to be, a major obstacle facing post-
secondary educational institutions throughout the United States. In response to the call
for institutional and external accountability by stakeholders interested in higher
education, the aim of this dissertation is to provide an historical analysis of race and
diversity at the University of Colorado Boulder (UCB). UCB was chosen as the focus for
the current study because it is the flagship public university in the state of Colorado and
is recognized as such by the Colorado Commission on Higher Education (CCHE). In
order to relay the history of UCB accurately, a wide variety of sources are utilized, some
published and others unpublished, including information obtained from the university’s
archives. Data collected in this study provide evidence of the lower college admission,
retention, and graduation rates of minority (African American and Hispanic) students
when compared to White and Asian students at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Factors that contribute to the success of minority students on college campuses in general
provide a starting point from which efforts being made to rectify the racial disparities
present today at UCB can be assessed and analyzed in hopes of creating a campus
environment to which minority students are attracted, admitted, retained, and graduated.
As the higher education community of scholars continues to embrace the crucial role of
diversity on college campuses and as the use of race-conscious educational policy
continues to be threatened, this study highlights the role universities play in the larger
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debate. As UCB has historically struggled to attract, retain, and graduate students of
color, I expect that a thorough examination of the data included here will inspire
educational stakeholders to find new ways to provide new opportunities for educational
advancement for minorities and seek to erase all evidence of a racial achievement gap
into the future.

The form and content of this abstract are approved. I recommend its publication.
Approved: Dorothy Garrison-Wade
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DEDICATION
I dedicate this work to my amazing, outgoing, encouraging mother, Carolyn; my
easygoing and quiet cheerleader dad, Larry; my energizing and inspiring nana, Lilly; my
outspoken and persistent brother, Zach; my steady and supportive husband, Nick; my
spit-fire, rambunctious, intelligent daughter, Keeley; and, baby Cozza #2 who has
experienced the emotions undergone during this journey firsthand. My family has
persisted in this journey with me throughout the past eight years during which time I have
pursued my PhD. I would not be able to write this dedication today in the absence of their
constant support, encouragement, and love. They each have inspired me to become a
better granddaughter, daughter, sister, wife, mother, and student, never questioning
whether or not I would endure and reach the end of this journey I’ve been on for much
longer than any of us ever imagined.
To the students I have been lucky enough to work with throughout my career and
those I’ve yet to meet, I thank you for pushing me to ask difficult questions and for
sparking the desire to seek out the answers. To teachers and professors I’ve been lucky
enough to learn from throughout my life, I thank you for instilling in me a love for
knowledge and a belief in the importance and vital role of education. I hope to instill this
same love for knowledge and belief in the power of education in my own students and
children.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to thank all of the members of my committee who have supported my
work and pushed me to complete this dissertation; their patience and support is truly
appreciated and will never be forgotten. I would especially like to acknowledge my
adviser, Dr. Rodney Muth, who continued to support me during times when it seemed I
would never finish this dissertation. This journey would not have been the same without
the expertise and knowledge willingly shared with me by all of those serving on my
committee.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER
I. A HISTORY OF ACCESS OF DIVERSE STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
COLORADO BOULDER, 1964-2012 ............................................................................... 1
Research Goals........................................................................................................ 3
The Role of Race in Education ............................................................................... 4
Race, Diversity, and Education ............................................................................... 6
Critical Race Theory ............................................................................................... 7
Tenet 1 .............................................................................................................. 9
Tenet 2 .............................................................................................................. 9
Tenet 3 ............................................................................................................ 10
Tenet 4 ............................................................................................................ 11
Tenet 5 ............................................................................................................ 12
Conducting Historical Research and Understanding Historical Method .............. 13
Sources of Historical Information ......................................................................... 15
Archives .......................................................................................................... 16
Profusion of Records....................................................................................... 17
Establishing Facts ........................................................................................... 18
Method .................................................................................................................. 19
Relevance of this Study ........................................................................................ 21
Why This Study?................................................................................................... 22
Structure of Dissertation ....................................................................................... 25
II. A HISTORY OF RACE, DIVERSITY, AND EDUCATIONAL POLICY ................ 26
The Brown Decision: Overturning Precedent ....................................................... 28
The Civil Rights Movement and Race Conscious Educational Policy ................. 30
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Race and K-12 Education ..................................................................................... 33
Green v. County School Board of New Kent County (1970) .......................... 35
Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education (1971) ....................... 36
Keyes v. School District No. 1, Denver, CO (1973) ....................................... 38
Affirmative Action ................................................................................................ 40
Race and the Pursuit of Higher Education ............................................................ 43
Race Conscious Admissions and the Judicial System .......................................... 45
Brown v. Board of Education (1954) .............................................................. 47
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978) ................................ 47
Hopwood v. Texas (1996) ............................................................................... 48
Texas v. LeSage (1997) ................................................................................... 49
Gratz and Grutter v. Bollinger (2003) ............................................................ 50
Gratz and Grutter (2003) Decisions ............................................................... 51
Fisher v. Texas (not decided) .......................................................................... 53
Race-Based State Legislation ............................................................................... 55
Beyond Affirmative Action .................................................................................. 56
III. HISTORY OF RACE AND DIVERSITY IN COLORADO ..................................... 61
The Territorial Days ........................................................................................ 63
Sand Creek. ............................................................................................... 63
Blacks. ....................................................................................................... 64
Asians. ....................................................................................................... 65
Other minorities. ....................................................................................... 65
The Klan Period .............................................................................................. 66
Racism during the Post-War Years ................................................................. 68
The Stranglehold of Racism in Colorado........................................................ 69
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Educating Coloradoans: A Deeper Look .............................................................. 71
Colorado Commission on Higher Education ........................................................ 76
CCHE Admissions Standards Policy (2011) .................................................. 77
Policy on Affirmative Action.......................................................................... 81
Race-Conscious Educational Policy in Colorado ................................................. 84
IV. A BRIEF HISTORY OF RACE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO
BOULDER ........................................................................................................................ 87
The Founding of a State Flagship University ....................................................... 88
Race and UCB under the Leadership of President George Norlin ....................... 91
Race and UCB under the Leadership of President Ward Darley .......................... 93
Race and UCB under the Leadership of President Quigg Newton ....................... 94
Race and UCB under the Leadership of President Joseph R. Smiley ................... 95
Race and UCB under the Leadership of President Frederick Patrick Thieme .... 101
Educational Opportunities Programs ............................................................ 102
Summer Tutorial Program ............................................................................ 103
Migrant Action Program ............................................................................... 104
Other Programs ............................................................................................. 104
Addressing the Needs of the Underrepresented ............................................ 105
Creation of the Chancellors .......................................................................... 107
Race and UCB under the Leadership of President Roland Curt Rautenstraus ... 108
Race, UCB, and Leadership from 1980 to the Present ....................................... 109
Race and UCB under the Leadership of President Arnold R. Weber ................. 110
Race and UCB under the Leadership of President E. (Elwood) Gordon Gee .... 113
Building on the Past and Transforming the Future ............................................. 114
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V. THE IMPACT OF RACE AND DIVERSITY ON COLLEGE STUDENT
SUCCESS ....................................................................................................................... 118
College Readiness and Academic Preparedness ................................................. 119
Student Success Interventions ............................................................................. 120
Tinto’s Attributes of Effective Classrooms .................................................. 121
Expectations. ........................................................................................... 122
Support. ................................................................................................... 122
Assessment and feedback. ...................................................................... 123
Involvement. ........................................................................................... 124
Astin’s Involvement Theory ......................................................................... 124
Learning Communities.................................................................................. 127
The Role of Faculty ...................................................................................... 128
Student Success at UCB...................................................................................... 129
CU-LEAD Alliance ...................................................................................... 129
Pre-College Services ..................................................................................... 132
Disability Services ........................................................................................ 133
Upward Bound .............................................................................................. 134
SORCE .......................................................................................................... 134
Assessing and Improving Learning Goals at UCB ............................................. 135
Graduation and Retention Rates ................................................................... 137
VI. THE IMPACT OF RACE AND DIVERSITY ON CAMPUS CLIMATE .............. 139
A Focus on Diversity: Starting at the Top .......................................................... 142
Campus Climate Surveys .................................................................................... 144
Assessing Campus Climate ................................................................................. 145
Campus Climate at UCB Today ......................................................................... 147
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