Digital Commons Network^™

Learning To Lead: The College Experiences Of Women University Presidents, Susan R. Madsen

Susan R. Madsen

Although developing leadership is an important topic in the higher education today, the percentage of women found in high leadership positions remains quite low. In fact, little has been published about how high-level women leaders actually developed. This workshop will present the results of two qualitative research studies exploring how 10 women university presidents and 10 women governors became effective leaders, with a particular focus on influential events, individuals, activities, and opportunities during their undergraduate and graduate educational experiences.

Developing Leadership: Exploring The Childhoods Of Women University Presidents, Susan R. Madsen

Susan R. Madsen

Researchers argue that much of who we are is developed during childhood. Childhood relationships and developmental activities, opportunities, and experiences (including hardships) come together to create each human being. Yet, little exploratory research has been conducted regarding the childhood experiences, activities, personalities, and perceptions of successful leaders. In-depth, qualitative interviews with ten women university presidents were conducted to investigate perceptions and experiences related to the lifetime development of leadership skills, abilities, and competencies. The lived experiences of these women were investigated using the phenomenological research methodology so that “voices” could be heard and unique insights examined. This paper explores a …

Leadership In Higher Education: Do You Have The Interest, Skills, And Commitment? (Professional Development Workshop), Susan R. Madsen

Susan R. Madsen

This insightful and innovative two-part workshop will 1) explore the current issues affecting leadership in higher education and 2) provide participants with an opportunity to engage in self-analysis and personal reflection. "Leadership" will be broadly framed as leading from a formal position (e.g., president, VP, dean, associate dean, department chair, or committee chair) as well as influencing without an official title or formal authority; therefore, all conference attendees interested in influencing change at any level in higher education would benefit. The first 50-minute workshop segment will begin with participants completing a short questionnaire about their perceptions of the most important …

Women University Presidents: Career Paths And Educational Backgrounds, Susan R. Madsen

Susan R. Madsen

The purpose of this paper is to report findings related to the lived experiences of women university presidents’ in developing the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies required for successful leadership in higher education. More specifically, this report focuses on their educational backgrounds and career paths. Using qualitative in-depth interviews (phenomenological research methodology), ten women university presidents were interviewed for two to three hours each. Interviews were audio taped and transcribed, and theme generation techniques used. Although there were some similarities among the women in terms of educational backgrounds and employment positions, the data show that presidents can emerge from a …

The Labour Of Her Own Hands: Nineteenth Century Gardening Discourses And The Work Of Jane Webb Loudon, Kelli Lee Towers

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Jane Webb Loudon, wife of eminent horticulturist and landscape architect John Claudius Loudon, has been largely ignored by historians and literary critics. Yet in her brief career she produced some of the most practical and influential gardening works of the early nineteenth-century. Beginning with Gardening for Ladies in 1840, Loudon published seventeen books and edited two magazines on gardening, botany, and natural history, most of them specifically directed to a female audience. These books would educate an entirely new class of gardeners, and allow women in particular to engage not only with gardening, but also with aesthetics, social reform, morality, …

Cultural Analysis Of The Indian Women's Festival Of Karvachauth, Puja Sahney

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The festival of Karvachauth is celebrated by upper class married women of North India and occurs in the month of October or early November. On this day married women fast to ensure the long lives of their husbands. They wake up before dawn and eat a meal. After sunrise they do not drink water or eat any food until they see the moon at night. The moon is watched through a sieve and prayed to before breaking the fast. An important part of Karvachauth is a ritual that is performed by women in the afternoon. This ritual is hosted by …

Type 2 Diabetes And The Risk Of Osteoporotic Hip Fracture In Utah Men And Women, Megan Bunch

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Prior studies have unequivocally established a consistent association between osteoporotic hip fracture risk and type 2 diabetes mellitus. One reason this association still remains unclear is primarily due to the limited amount of research conducted in this area. The Utah Study of Nutrition and Bone Health (USNBH) is a case-control study conducted in Utah during the period of 1997-2001 to determine risk factors for osteoporotic hip fracture. All study participants (n = 2590) were determined from Utah residents 50-90 years of age. Cases were determined from 18 Utah hospitals during 1997-2001. Age and gender-matched controls were randomly selected from the …

The Relative Effects Of Education And Cognitive Complexity Of Employment Experience On The Rate Of Cognitive Decline In Elderly Women, Janet M. Lundahl

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis examined the lifetime exposure of women's employment on cognitive functioning and cognitive decline in late life.

From the Cache County Study on Memory, Health, & Aging data, a sample of 2,588 women, aged 65 and older gave retrospective occupational history and were screened using the Modified Mini-Mental State Exam at study entry and approximately 3 years later. Non-demented women were used.

Ordinary least squares regression was used cross-sectionally and longitudinally to test the association between cognitive complexity level of the longest job and baseline cognitive status, and rate of cognitive decline over approximately 3 years.

Cross-sectional analysis revealed …

Learning To Lead In Higher Education: Insights Into The Family Backgrounds Of Women University Presidents, Susan R. Madsen

Susan R. Madsen

Qualitative methods were used to explore the backgrounds, experiences, and perceptions of ten women U.S. university presidents on becoming leaders. Using the phenomenological research methodology, the presidents were interviewed about their lived experiences of developing the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies required for successful leadership in higher education. This paper reports the portion of the results specifically related to insights into the family backgrounds and influences of these women.