Education Commons^™

William & Mary Faculty Listening Tour Executive Summary, Marian Taliaferro, Asia Randolph, Jessica Ramey

W&M Libraries Publications

In fall 2019, William & Mary Libraries embarked on a concerted effort to learn more about course materials adopted on its campus. In order to perform an environmental scan, staff from the libraries participated in several activities: administering a student survey, conducting a series of faculty focus groups and running a cross-campus task force on textbook affordability. This document explains the faculty focus group activity known as the “textbook listening tour.”

The listening tour was structured largely based on an earlier effort that took place at Temple University Libraries. Bell & Johnson (2019) used the tour as an opportunity to …

William & Mary Student Textbook Survey, Marian Taliaferro, Asia Randolph, Jessica Ramey

W&M Libraries Publications

In Fall, 2019 W&M libraries disseminated a survey to all W&M students in order to understand their textbook spending practices so that the campus administrators would have information useful for programs designed to increase course materials affordability. The objectives of the survey were as follows.

Objective 1: Understand current costs of textbooks for W&M students.

Objective 2: Understand methods W&M students take to lower textbook costs.

Objective 3: Understand potential impact of implementing cost saving measures.

Objective 4: Understand options that W&M students might consider to lower the cost of textbooks.

Advancing Inclusion In The Geosciences: An Overview Of The Nsf-Gold Program, Julie R. Posselt, Jason A. Chen, Grady Dixon, Jerlando F. L. Jackson, Robert Kirsch, Anne-Marie Nuñez, Brian J. Teppen

School of Education Articles

Here we report on five pilot projects working to develop effective professional development aimed at improving diversity, equity, and inclusion within the geosciences. All five projects were funded by the NSF GEO Opportunities for Leadership in Diversity (GOLD) program, which was designed to bring together geoscientists and social scientists to create innovative pilot programs for preparing and empowering geoscientists as change agents for increasing diversity. Each project has different objectives and applies different combinations of methods, but focuses on professional development, bystander intervention training, and the formation of new networks in the pursuit of systemic, institutional change. This article describes …

The W&M Anglo-Saxon Club, Terry L. Meyers

Arts & Sciences Articles

"In my 2008 article “A First Look at the Worst,” I mentioned (p. 1158) the apparent existence at William and Mary of an Anglo-Saxon Club, a unit of a white supremacist organization, the Anglo-Saxon Clubs of America. That outfit had been established in Richmond in 1922 with the aid of John Powell, at once a distinguished musician and a deep racist (he managed to include his racist views in his compositions). Among his accomplishments was help in drafting and passing Virginia’s notorious Racial Integrity Act of 1924; the Anglo-Saxon Clubs were accessories to that effort..."

Revised June 3, 2023

Creating Meaningful Change For Fraternity And Sorority Communities, James P. Barber Ph.D.

Journal of Sorority and Fraternity Life Research and Practice

No abstract provided.

Front Matter & Table Of Contents, Oracle

Journal of Sorority and Fraternity Life Research and Practice

No abstract provided.

Assessing The Online Management Of Alcohol Policies And Alcohol Educational Programming Among Greek Student Organizations – A Content Analysis, Jill Russett, Kaitlyn Oates

Journal of Sorority and Fraternity Life Research and Practice

College student drinking remains a public health concern and Fraternity/Sorority organizations have consistently documented higher rates of alcohol use than their peers. However, these groups are also likely to be proactive in addressing risk management of alcohol use. The authors conducted a content analysis of nationally recognized fraternity/ sorority websites, aimed at identifying harm reduction strategies in place among these groups. While the majority of fraternities/sororities reviewed had readily accessible alcohol related policies, fewer organizations were identified as having adapted alcohol related education programs. Best practices suggest having strong policies and educational programming lead to reduced consequences related to alcohol …

Needs And Stress In Fraternity And Sorority Life: Evidence Of Social And Behavioral Differences Among Sorority And Fraternity Members, Gabriel Serna Ph.D., Dawn Wiese Ph.D., Stephen Simo Ph.D.

Journal of Sorority and Fraternity Life Research and Practice

The article provides an evidence-based overview of unique research on social and behavioral differences between self-identified sorority women and fraternity men in their need and stress behaviors as measured by the Birkman assessment. The data allow campus-based professionals to understand how they may approach educational programs differently for fraternity men and sorority women based on their social and behavioral differences. The differences between sorority women and fraternity men demonstrate how these populations may respond differently to educational programming because of the measured behavioral and social differences.

Behaviors Viewed As Deplorable By Peers: A Different Approach To Programming To Curb Unacceptable Behaviors In Fraternities And Sororities, Gordon W. Maples, Emily Perrin Britt, John M. Braxton, Amy S. Hirschy

Journal of Sorority and Fraternity Life Research and Practice

This article posits a different approach to social norm programming by presenting a targeted approach that centers attention on the degree to which members of a fraternity or sorority disdain excessive alcohol use, drug use, sexual assault, racism, and homophobia rather than a focus on the frequency of such behaviors of their peers. An appendix to this article provides a survey instrument for fraternity/sorority advisors to gauge the social norms of their chapters in regards to a handful of specific illicit behaviors – homophobia, racism, sexual assault, drug use, and alcohol use. While social norms interventions have met with limited …

Implicit Gender Bias, Engagement, And Protective Factors In Stem Faculty, Cheryl L. Dickter, Catherine A. Forestell, Jennifer A. Stevens, Pamela S. Hunt, Christine Porter

Arts & Sciences Articles

The present study assessed implicit gender bias and job engagement among STEM faculty at a mid-size liberal arts university. Forty-nine faculty in each of the departments of natural and social sciences were assessed for implicit gender bias and job engagement. We found that men had greater implicit gender bias than women in the natural sciences. In addition, women in natural science departments felt marginally less engaged than women in social science departments. Women’s disengagement was positively associated with imposter phenomenon and perceived lack of control in departmental decisions. However, women who actively participated in a women’s organization or had an …

The Lived Experiences Of Poor And Working-Class Students At A Wealthy University, Dane A. Pascoe

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

There are several universities in the US that are highly selective and attended by students from very wealthy backgrounds. In recent years, many of these selective, wealthy universities have faced public pressure to enroll higher numbers of poor and working-class students. Not much is known, however, about the experiences of poor and working-class students who attend these universities. My research sought to shed light on this by asking, “What are the lived experiences of poor and working-class students who attend a wealthy university?” I answered this question with a hermeneutic phenomenological study of poor and working-class students who attended a …

Faculty Writing Retreats In The Library: Creative Approaches To Relationship Building, Lisa T. Nickel, Tami Back

W&M Libraries Publications

Have you ever thought, “If I had some uninterrupted time to write, I could get so much done!”?

At William & Mary Libraries, we often feel this way, and we hear from our teaching faculty colleagues that they feel the same. But can this common challenge present a unique opportunity? Can we, as a library, fill this need, and in turn, accomplish our goals of building relationships and connections with faculty? We determined that we can. As we consider time-intensive library events, partnerships, and outreach, we have learned that focusing on high-impact relationship-building opportunities is the best way …

Connecting Access And Efficiency: Community College Course-Taking Patterns That Predict Vertical Transfer, Laverne Wingate Ellerbe

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Vertical transfer is a centennial symbol of access that also provides inputs for operational funding and produces outcomes for performance-based funding (PBF). Thus, this mission-critical community college function may be leveraged to decisively impact the higher education completion agenda. Yet, deeper insights into student level data are needed to understand what powers vertical transfer efficiency. Previous research used administrative data, analyzed access, and tracked transfer outcomes, but few studies have used vertical transfer as a single analysis framework to reconcile access and efficiency goals while examining tensions between access, accountability, and resource allocation. The body of research tends to isolate …

Examining Persistence: The Influence Of Joining Of Pan-Hellenic Black Greek Letter Organizations On African-American Male Students Attending Predominantly White Institutions, Charles R. Smith, Jr.

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The retention of African-American male students at predominantly White institutions is an issue that continues to plague colleges and universities in the United States. African-American men have the lowest college graduation rate of any segment of the population. Pointedly, two-thirds of African-American male students who attend public four-year schools do not graduate within six years. Yet, research highlights how social engagement supports many minority students who find themselves on the campuses of predominantly White institutions. Establishing social connections builds a support system for these students and can prevent social isolation. One manner of social engagement steeped in history is the …

Teaching Along The Way: An Ethnographic Study Of Faculty Growth And Sensemaking On The Camino De Santiago, Benjamin Boone

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

This study examined the experiences of faculty members from U.S. universities who led students on a short-term summer study abroad program that incorporated the Camino de Santiago, a medieval pilgrimage route in Spain. The study sought to understand how faculty leaders engaged in sensemaking (Weick, 1995) of these experiences in the context of their faculty roles on their home campuses. The ethnographic methods included six years of field work in Spain, participant observation as faculty program director, and in-depth interviews with faculty leaders. The findings show that participants engaged in sensemaking through three theoretical constructs. The construct of family addresses …