Access to Higher Education

Abstract

This case study researches the degree to which the location and services offered by a multicampus university, geographically situated consistent with the commercial principles of a large mass-market enterprise, facilitate access for educationally underserved groups. First, the necessity of democratizing educational access to an underprivileged population is contrasted against real estate market forces that regularly influence the positioning of such large municipal infrastructure to the detriment of the target population. Based on the site selected for the main campus and the degree of educational services offered by the later establishment of a branch campus, the costs of access for both privileged and underprivileged groups are compared, illustrating the continuing institutional marginalization of the underprivileged in the face of repeated attempts to equitably serve this population.