Education Commons^™

"There Is Power In Being Out": A Three Article Approach Celebrating The Experiences Of Queer University Leaders, Andrew R. E. Lorenzana

Dissertations

Institutions of higher education were historically built to serve a wealthy, White, straight male student population and the leaders of these institutions still largely reflect these demographics. This project specifically aims to celebrate and amplify the life and career of university administrators who identify within the LGBTQ community. Mainly through the use of a portraiture methodology, this three-article study attempts to examine the ways in which LGBTQ identity and career influence one another.

Worldmaking and narrative will be used as a theoretical frame to help analyze the ways in which the telling of a queer individual’s story makes the world …

A Delphi Study Of Possible, Probable, And Desirable Futures At 4-Year U.S. Higher Education Institutions By 2035, Mary Cutia-Pluff

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify and describe educational changes at 4-year higher education institutions that are possible and probable by 2035 as perceived by a panel of experts. Additionally, the purpose was to determine the level of desirability of educational changes identified as probable by a panel of experts. Finally, the purpose was to describe actions necessary to promote the desirable educational changes by 2035 as perceived by the panel of experts.

Methodology: The Delphi method was used to survey 17 higher education experts from diverse disciplines. Four survey rounds gathered qualitative and quantitative data regarding …

Authentic And Unapologetic: Culturally Responsive Leadership Strategies Used By California Community College Senior-Level Leaders Of Color, Renee Craig-Marius

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify and describe how California Community College senior-level leaders of color are culturally responsive in their leadership strategies, based on Horsford, Grosland, and Gunn’s (2011) culturally relevant leadership framework.

Methodology: This qualitative ethnographic study identified and described the culturally responsive leadership practices utilized by 15 senior-level leaders of color within California Community Colleges and explored how their lived experiences and identities influence their ability to lead their institutions using the four dimensions of Horsford et al.’s (2011) culturally relevant leadership framework: political context, personal journey, pedagogical approach, and professional duty. …

Still, We Rise: Experiences Of Black Women In Leadership Positions At Predominately White Institutions, Dionne Lipscomb

Masters Theses

Despite the educational progress that Black women in the United States have made, they continue to be underrepresented in positions of senior leadership in all sectors including higher education (American Council on Education, 2017, 2023, de Brey et al., 2019). Because of their double minoritized status they also face bigger challenges in their positions than their White female, White male, and Black male counterparts. This narrative qualitative study utilized theory of othering and intersectionality to highlight the experiences of five Black women as they ascend to leadership positions at four-year predominately White institutions. The research questions guiding this study are: …

Supporting Instructors To Promote At-Promise Students’ Success: How Faculty Coordinators Facilitate Tslc’S Ecological Validation, Jonathan Toccoli

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Despite decades of research and billions of dollars spent per annum to promote at-promise student—that is, low-income, first-generation, and/or racially/ethnically minoritized students—college success, at-promise students continue to be retained and graduate at lower rates than their traditionally college-going peers. The purpose of this study is to investigate how faculty coordinators in the Thompson Scholars Learning Community (TSLC) facilitate and integrate instructors into the program’s ecological validation which has been found to promote at-promise student success. This study is framed by the ecological validation model of student success in conjunction with a systems theory perspective of faculty roles to investigate how …

Towards Sustainable Mixed Reality Technology Institutionalization At A Major Urban College In British Columbia, Canada, Brent Fraser Mekelburg

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

The organization at the centre of this Organizational Improvement Plan, College X, is a publicly funded college located in a major urban centre in British Columbia, Canada. The problem of practice is the inconsistent implementation for disruptive technology—mixed reality (MR). Currently, faculty are in charge of integrating MR into andragogy. Decisions that enable or hinder MR institutionalization are made by administration; faculty needs and administration support are not necessarily aligned. Failed institutionalization not only deprives learners of the opportunity to acquire digital literacy skills but also threatens institutional legitimacy. Within his role as a program leader, the author proposes a …

First-Gen Mental Health: The Experiences Of First-Generation Graduate Students At The University Of San Diego, Edith Mendez

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

Higher education professionals can better support struggling students by having more of an awareness of their experiences and how their mental health is related to the identities they hold. As a first-generation Latina college student, I am reminded of my own experiences and struggles, which impacted my sense of belonging and academic success. My action research responds to the question: "What are the mental health concerns that first-generation students studying at the University of San Diego (USD) encounter?" After making changes to my research because of unforeseen circumstances, I designed a study focusing on graduate students with cycles consisting of …

Resilience Amidst Adversity: The Sine Qua Non Principle For Meaningful And Effective Leadership In Education, Jennifer Jang Helgesen

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Have you ever encountered difficult moments that trigger you? Do you find it difficult to monitor your internal dialogue after a setback? Do you struggle to find meaning and purpose amidst all the hardship? As leaders in higher education, we must prioritize others, often giving ourselves away in the process only to find there is nothing left within. We might feel empty, beaten down, and exhausted as others need us to repeatedly and reliably show up as competent leaders. I believe the art of cultivating resilience is the antidote for us as leaders to be meaning-filled and effective at work …

An Analysis Of The Effects Of Cultural Expectations And Family Obligations On Latina Women Attending College, Valeria Bielma

M.A. in Leadership Studies: Capstone Project Papers

This paper explores the existing research involving the cultural roles, expectations and family obligations that may be affecting Latina college students. Latina higher education attainment rates are significantly lower compared to their female counterparts and this paper seeks to explore how strong collectivist orientations may be contributing to this achievement disparity. Familismo is a cultural value that emphasizes loyalty, reciprocity and solidarity, involves strong identification and attachment to the family, and requires members to prioritize family. Latinas may be prioritizing family obligations or fulfilling cultural expectations over school responsibilities, which could lead to the decision to stop pursuing a higher …

A Mixed Methods Exploration Of Black Presidents Appointed To Predominantly White Institutions: Assessing Their Exposure To The Glass Cliff And Experiences As Administrators Of Color, Melandie Katrice Mcgee

Dissertations

Leadership studies have infrequently addressed the diversity of leaders. Moreover, little is known about the experiences of Black presidents serving at predominantly White institutions (PWIs). The present study was conceptualized using the glass cliff framework which posits that women and racial minorities are more often promoted to precarious leadership positions than are White males. Examined through a lens of race and leadership, the goals of this study were to: (1) assess whether there were observable differences in the prevalence and magnitude of adverse conditions surrounding the appointments of Black and White presidents at PWIs; and (2) gain an understanding of …

Epistemology, Wisdom, And Social Transformation: Strategies At The Forefront Of The Contemplative Movement In Higher Education, Nicola Smith

Doctoral Dissertations

American society is currently experiencing a surging interest in contemplative practices. The secularization and professionalization of contemplative practices can be seen in the adoption of mindfulness-based approaches in sectors as wide-ranging as technology, nonprofit, and higher education. Amongst all these fields, institutions of higher education play a unique role within the contemplative movement in that the academy lays claim to the powerful social roles of producing and disseminating knowledge and, subsequently, of shaping societal values and behaviors.

In conducting this qualitative study, the researcher analyzed 1) what the academics in the contemplative movement expressed through their speech regarding the activities …

Rebel Yale: Yale Graduates And Progressive Ideals At The University Of Mississippi Law School, 1946-1970, Jennifer Paul Anderson

Dissertations

The University of Mississippi School of Law (Ole Miss Law) was the fourth public law school founded in the United States. The school was established to prevent men from leaving the state for legal education due to fears that they were being indoctrinated by eastern schools where ideologies were not consistent with those of Mississippi. One hundred years after her founding, Ole Miss Law entered into a period of turbulence as race and politics clashed on campus. From the time of the Brown decision through the Civil Rights Era, the deans and law professors at the law school were subjected …