Digital Commons Network^™

Rural Students’ Sense Of Belonging At A Large Public University, Benjamin P. Heinisch

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This qualitative case study explored how undergraduate students from rural areas experience higher education environments and develop a sense of belonging at a large Midwestern public university. This study defined rural considering students’ hometown population size and density as well as each individual participant’s constructed reality of a rural identity (Crockett, Shanahan, & Jackson-Newsom, 2000). The following questions guided this study: (1) How does students’ identification with their rural background influence how they experience their college environment? (2) What do rural students see as key environmental factors affecting their sense of belonging? (3) Is the institution providing supportive environments for …

Critical College Experiences Of The Middle Third Of The High School Graduating Class, Nathan Kaoru Keikiokamakua Hanamaikai

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Seven recent graduates from a large, open access university in the Western United States who also graduated from high school in the middle third of their graduating class were interviewed to examine what they considered critical decisions during college and what effect those decisions had on their progress towards graduation. More than 45 critical incidents were identified by the participants. All incidents involved interaction with another person to some degree. All but 11 of the incidents were with people outside of institutional employees. Of the 11 incidents, the majority involved faculty members in either positive or negative situations. Upon further …

Leadership Perspectives Of Chief Student Affairs Officers, Jeff Beavers

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Leadership in student affairs continues to be a challenging enterprise for universities. Colleges are expected to help students succeed while providing for abundant needs through graduation. Chief student affairs officers have increasing demands of students and faculty amid decreased funds. This exploratory study took an in-depth look at the leadership perspectives of 19 chief student affairs officers at 4-year, public universities across the Midwest. The researcher sought responses on common leadership perspectives, challenges faced, and opportunities encountered. The three emerging themes were elements that inform leadership, knowledge and skills, and mindful leadership outlook. These emergent themes formed the basis for …

Understanding The Transition Experience Of Community College Transfer Students To A 4-Year University: Incorporating Schlossberg’S Transition Theory Into Higher Education, Tony A. Lazarowicz

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

With over 60% of college graduates attending multiple institutions (United States Department of Education, 2006), many starting at community colleges, the importance of understanding community college transfer students’ stories is critical to retention and graduation agendas at colleges and universities nationwide. Schlossberg’s Transition Theory has recently been introduced into higher education literature as a conceptual framework for working with various student populations such as student veterans (Wheeler, 2012; Rumann, 2010); student athletes (Henderson, 2013); and students on academic probation (Tovar & Simon, 2006) among others. Minimal work has incorporated Schlossberg’s Transition Theory into studies of community college transfer students; thus …

The Impact Of Urbanicity On Student Engagement At Small, Residential, Liberal Arts Colleges, Todd Clark

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study analyzed the impact of urbanicity on student engagement at small, residential, liberal arts colleges. Data from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) were analyzed from 29 schools (14 rural and 15 urban) using five scalets developed by Pike (2006) and six demographic variables from the NSSE survey. This analysis determined how urbanicity impacts student engagement and which group of students is particularly affected from among the demographics studied. The effects of urbanicity were measured in three ways: aggregate student data, school level data, and within-school data. These analyses showed that urbanicity does significantly impact student engagement, though …

Validation: Latino Voices In Higher Education, Krista Navarrette

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This qualitative study explored Latino men’s experiences in higher education and their capacity to succeed at a Predominately White Institution (PWI) in the Midwest region of the United States. The study focused on six participants as they navigate through college and how they viewed their validation as Latino males in college. The literature review discusses the current state of Latino/a’s in higher education and how they are lacking in the education race in regards to white students. The researcher used Validation Theory to investigate Latino males - deemed the “invisible population”—in order to find new implications for persistence, pursuit, and …

Exploring The Socially Responsible Leadership Capacity Of College Student Leaders Who Mentor, Seth R. Barnes

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this study was to examine how participation as a mentor in a leadership-based mentoring program influences socially responsible leadership capacity. Previous studies have shown mentoring to influence gains in socially responsible leadership capacity of college students; however, these studies only examined college student who were being mentored. This study addresses this gap by examining college students who serve as mentors. Using the Social Change Model of Leadership as a guiding theoretical framework, the socially responsible leadership capacity of college students who serve as mentors in a leadership-based mentoring program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Data …

Institutional Governance Of New Program Development At Public Research Universities, Nathan Brad Miller

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Central university administration is often involved with guiding new programs through university and state approvals. A number of factors affect these processes. No studies discuss the role of central administrators in program approvals, however. This study addresses the gap through interviews with 13 individuals responsible for new program approvals in the provost’s office of 12 Research University/Very High public institutions. Five primary themes emerged in the interviews. The themes were used to frame discussion on the purpose, barriers, and self-described roles of the participants. Partial findings from this research were reported in Miller (2013).

Adviser: Marilyn L. Grady

The Role Of Leadership Experience In Self-Authorship Development: A Qualitative Case Study, Anna Pressler

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Marcia Baxter Magolda’s research showed development of self-authorship typically occurred around 30 years of age. However, some programming and experiential learning presented opportunities to accelerate self-authorship development in college. Baxter Magolda emphasized the importance of self-authorship in the formative years of college and post-graduation with significant life decisions of academic major, career choice, and relationships. Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the role leadership experience played in development of self-authorship in college. Previous research touted multicultural programming, developmental advising, challenging classroom environments, and living-learning community models as ways to promote self-authorship development, but little research …

“Illegal” Alien Or “Latina” Alien: Latina-Based Sorority Members’ Perception And Expectations Of Anti-Immigration Law, Tegra M. Straight

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this study is to determine the perceptions that Latina-based sorority members have on anti-immigration law. Specifically, this study addresses what changes to experience Latina-based sorority members anticipate, their perceptions on anti-immigration law, as well as what they think the university’s response should be to such initiatives. Interviews with five Latina-based sorority members, four undergraduate and one graduate, served as the primary form of data. Interviews centered on Latina-based sorority members’ perception of Legislative Bill 1070 from Arizona and Ordinance No. 5165 from Fremont Nebraska.

The findings indicate that Latina-based sorority members perceived anti-immigration law to be anti-Latino …

Understanding The Influence Of Strengths On The College Experience: A Qualitative Case Study Of Undergraduate Business Students, Jennifer A. Mostek

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this qualitative, interview-based study was to identify the way that students and advisors utilized knowledge about students’ strengths in college. Strengths were defined by StrengthsQuest, a product of The Gallup Organization. Five college students and three academic advisors from the business college at a large, public research university, representing various cultural backgrounds, family statuses and ages participated in the study. Student and advisor participants explored the influence of strengths on self awareness, confidence, relationships, academic matters, as well as future plans. Advisor participants also discussed the need for additional courses or integration of strengths-based education in existing …