ABSTRACT

Title of Document: INTERACTIONAL DIVERSITY AND THE ROLE OF A SUPPORTIVE RACIAL CLIMATE

Leah Kendra Cox

Doctor of Philosophy, 2010

Dissertation Directed By: Dr. Susan R. Komives, Professor

Department of Counseling and Personnel Services

This study examines student's perception of the campus racial climate and interactional diversity at selective undergraduate liberal arts institutions through an examination of data collected in the 2005 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). Student responses are selected from institutions identified as members of a specified group of Virginia peers and institutions identified as members of COPLAC. The primary variables used to assess climate and diversity include: class standing, race, gender, institution type, enrollment, location and compositional diversity (i.e., racial composition). Findings indicate that perceptions of the campus racial climate are primarily related to class standing. In addition, it was determined that a significant predictor of interactional diversity is student's perception of a supportive racial campus climate. Finally, findings lend initial credibility to the claim that seniors and females perceive a less supportive campus climate at some institutions.