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Show COLLEGE OF SOCIAL & BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS PIPELINES FOR STUDENTS OF COLOR TOWARDS HIGHER EDUCATION Carmen Biatriz A De Anda (Dolores Delgado Bernal) Department of Education, Culture & Society University of Utah There is a disproportionate under-representation of students of color in higher education related to limited access and support for graduation. In this study, I examine three university/ community support programs at the University of Utah that are contributing to increasing college access and graduation rates for students of color. These programs are the Center for Ethnic Student Affairs (CESA), Mestizo Arts and Activism Collective (MAA), and TRiO/Educational Opportunity Programs. I a m interested in examining how these support programs create access and serve underrepresented students as well as improve their graduation rates. I a m particularly interested in the context of the University of Utah as it changes its admission standards to arguably become more exclusive over time and serve less La-tinas/ os after 2010. Although there are others models being used around the nation such as TRiO that serve as educational pipelines, the main focus of this research study is to show how the Mestizo Arts and Activism (MAA) collective program influences high school students of color to attend college, connect with the community/university, engage in research opportunities, and ensure college graduation. My research study uses case study methods to show the similarities and differences between the MAA, TRiO, and CESA programs in terms of institutional policies and practices. This study aims at providing recommendations on h o w M A A can incorporate new initiatives or further improve their supportive efforts to help reduce access and success-gaps for underrepresented minority students. The M A A collective was awarded the Community Engaged Program Award 2013 as an exemplary community/university program by the University of Utah. Therefore, university departments of outreach, recruitment, and retention might be able to learn from the Mestizo Arts and Activism Collective on how to create college access for students of color. Dolores Delgado Bernal |