Date of Award

2009

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Educational Leadership

First Advisor

T. Gregory Barrett

Abstract

In fall 1955, the University of Arkansas and three Arkansas public colleges ended their longstanding policies of segregation and admitted Black students to regular classes. This study examines the historical data o f this desegregation episode and explores the human side o f desegregation through oral histories of some of the individuals involved in the historic event. The overarching question of this research project asks if attending a predominantly-White college made a difference in the personal and professional outcomes o f the Black students who crossed the boundaries of legal and social segregation in the 1950s. To answer that question I used the historical analysis method, oral history, and case study analysis. My case study sites were three White colleges, Arkansas State College, Henderson State Teachers College, Arkansas Polytechnic College, and the state’s one public Historically Black College, Arkansas AM&N for comparative purposes. I compared the respondents’ personal characteristics, access to college and the benefits of college, college experiences, and outcomes of college attendance among the institutions and between the Black and White respondents. Although data analysis showed little difference between the Black and White students in pre-college characteristics, I found substantive differences in their access to college and college experiences. Although the data showed little difference in the outcomes of college education between the Black and White students, some of the Black students said that their professional lives were very different because of their college experiences.

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