Bureaucracy confronts reality: A case study of the University of Texas at Dallas' response to Hurricane Katrina

This dissertation examines how the Hurricane Katrina disaster affected students and effected change in institutions of higher education with a special emphasis on The University of Texas at Dallas. The researcher, using narrative inquiry, presents a case study of the functional areas associated with enrollment management at The University of Texas at Dallas. As a participant in the study, the researcher employs action research, taking an active role in the study by eliciting and telling the stories of staff, faculty, upper administration, and displaced students from Hurricane Katrina. These stories form the foundation of The University of Texas' response efforts to the influx of displaced students and their needs resulting in opportunities for learning, not only for The University of Texas at Dallas, but for other colleges and universities faced with similar crises.