UCLA

ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION

Veterans’ Perceptions of Mattering and Marginalization on Community College Campuses

by

Robert SambranoDoctor of Education University of California, Los Angeles, 2021 Professor William A. Sandoval, Chair

With troop withdrawals in Iraq and the recent U.S. peace treaty with the Taliban in Afghanistan, community colleges can expect more veterans on their campuses in the near future. Many institutions are eager to serve these students but are not certain how to meet their needs. Veteran students contend with a range of issues, from the bureaucracy of veterans’ benefits to physical and emotional disabilities. The goal of this study was to understand the experiences and needs of student-veterans as they transition from military service to postsecondary education. The findings are derived from structured interviews with 20 student-veterans attending an urban, mid-sized, California community college. Questions explored how well the school’s veterans resource center (VRC) was meeting the needs of the student-veteran participants, what gaps existed between these needs and what the VRC (and campus) offered, what would increase their sense of mattering, and what factors contributed to their marginalization.

The VRC was cited as a helpful resource by a majority of study participants, but most also mentioned limitations, including a lack of veteran-specific resources, deficiencies in general campus resources, and lack of help with the military-to-college transition. Most participants spoke of at least one aspect of their college that made them feel that they mattered, but the same number shared experiences of how they felt marginalized on campus. Belonging was the greatest contributor to feelings of mattering. While some veterans found belonging among faculty, staff, administration, and the general student population, most derived this sense from other veterans on campus. Perceived marginalization came from encounters with the college at large, reacclimating to school, feeling (or being) excluded, and feeling different from other students.

From these findings, institutions can glean the needs of today’s college veterans and better understand how to support students who have made the transition from military service to college. The findings add to the currently very limited body of knowledge concerning veterans attending community colleges. As such, they will help VRCs and community college campuses as a whole to more effectively utilize their resources and ensure the success of this important student population.