Hungry for Student Food Security: A Comparative Analysis of University Food Pantry Policies

Author

Anastasia Jones-BurdickFollow

Date of Award

Spring 5-14-2023

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Department

Public Policy Leadership

First Advisor

Joseph (Jody) Holland

Second Advisor

Melissa Bass

Third Advisor

Victoria Zigmont

Relational Format

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

This undergraduate research thesis aims to explore the relationship between public institutions of higher education and the operational policies of their university food pantries. The increasing rates of nontraditional students entering public universities correlate to an increasing population of students facing food insecurity, placing strain on institutional interventions, especially university food pantries (National Center for Education Statistics, 2015; Nazmi et al., 2019, p.2). This research conducted a qualitative comparative case analysis of university food pantry policies and semistructured interviews with pantry informants through a USDA-adapted evaluative framework to understand the evolution of public universities’ interventions (Barale et al., 2017). The findings of the comparative analysis informed recommendations for institutional and public policy change to alleviate student food insecurity sustainably. The practical applications of this research are relevant to the stakeholders, institutions of higher education, nonprofit leaders, and policymakers concerned with alleviating student food insecurity in higher education environments.

Recommended Citation

Jones-Burdick, Anastasia, "Hungry for Student Food Security: A Comparative Analysis of University Food Pantry Policies" (2023). Honors Theses. 2931.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/2931

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.