Marin Heusel
Research Mentor(s): Jeremy Wright-Kim
Mentor Department: Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education (CSHPE)
Authors: Marin Heusel, Jeremy Wright-Kim
Session: Session 1 (9:00am – 9:50am)
Presentation Type: Poster 85
Abstract
Despite the extensive research regarding capital funding measures for K-12 institutions, there is little information concerning institutes of higher education. Several factors, provided by previous research on K-12 institutions, play a role in the passage of capital funding measures, including voter demographics and institution attributes. This study seeks to understand the factors that contribute to ballot passage, specifically regarding United States Community Colleges, and further identify relationships between these factors and the overall probability of passage. This research, obtained from publicly available sources, provides a comprehensive overview of the unique components incorporated in ballot proposals and is currently being compiled into a preliminary dataset. The data collection primarily focuses on the characteristics of each ballot proposal, including the type of election, the amount to be raised for the institution’s capital fund, and the intended use(operating, capital, or other). Although a complete analysis has not yet been done, this project aims to assess the distinct factors that contribute to the passage of capital funding ballot measures. A complete understanding of these factors provides deeper insight into the correlation between various voter and institution demographics and their relation to the possibility of passage. Moreover, these findings aid in evaluating the impact of ballot passage on student outcomes at various institutions across the United States.
