Date of Graduation

8-2011

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education in Higher Education (EdD)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders

Advisor/Mentor

Michael T. Miller

Committee Member

Daniel B. Kissinger

Second Committee Member

Carleton R. Holt

Keywords

Archival research, College history, Drury College, Higher education, Image-based research, Missouri, Pictorial history

Abstract

Established in 1873, Drury College in Springfield, Missouri, provided a unique experience for their undergraduate students. A limited amount of research has been conducted on the institution but no work has been done to specifically look at the undergraduate student experience. Using archival research methods and information from literature on image based research; the researcher has created a pictorial history of Drury College utilizing photographs, images, and archival documents. The specific research questions asked were: How do archival images and documents of Drury University's first 50 years describe the undergraduate student's experience, specifically in the area of their involvement and overall campus life? What according to archival images and documents, was the collegiate experience like at Drury University from 1873-1923? How were undergraduate students represented in archival images, documents, and additional resources? The findings tell the story of the student experience during the first 50 years of Drury College. The dissertation is divided into five chapters and the findings are organized to highlight each of the three research questions. This research project seeks help stakeholders of Drury University better understand the history of the institutions and their past students and will provide future researchers a guide to conducting similar research.

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