Education Commons^™

Leadership Identity Development Among Aspiring Women Leaders In Higher Education: A Phenomenological Study Of Formal Mentoring, Malia E. Roberts

Dissertations

Men have held the majority of presidencies, vice-presidencies, deanships, and other top administrative positions on college campuses since 1950 (Parker, 2015). The disproportionately low representation of women holding leadership roles in higher education is even more urgent considering few women ever reach the senior most leadership levels (Hannum et al., 2015). As such, the American Council on Education not only identified the need to increase the presence of women in leadership positions and to cultivate a pipeline of future leaders, but also the need to provide formal leadership training opportunities for women (Howard & Gagliardi, 2018). While various higher education …

Development Of Modeling Tools To Determine The Effects Of Customer Diversification On Customer Lifetime Value Volatility In Higher Education, Oscar Neal

Dissertations

As societies become increasingly global the competition for customers continues to increase. In competitive markets, it is important to identify a process to acquire and retain the most profitable customers. To discriminate customers, it is important to understand the value different customers bring to an organization. Much research has been done modeling customer value using customer lifetime value, however, there is limited research on the effect current customer diversity has on future customer lifetime value of future customer portfolios.

In this dissertation, a Lifetime Value Model considering the interaction between customer diversity, revenue management, and customer lifetime value in an …

Crafting A Different Kind Of Story: Experiences Of Creative Writers Leading In Higher Education, Meredith L. Dodson

Dissertations

Connections between creativity and leadership often focus on how fostering creativity can help an organization. Despite the value that creativity can bring to organizations, Mueller et al. (2011) found that creative people themselves are not seen as leadership material. Yet many people with creative backgrounds do take on leadership roles, particularly in higher education.

This qualitative study explores the experiences of higher education leaders who have a background in creative writing and how those leaders perceive the interaction of the leadership role with their creative experience. The sample included 12 mid-level leaders in higher education who had an MFA or …

Higher Education Professional Involved In Or Aspiring To Careers In Strategic Enrollment Management: Competency Development And Career Pathways, Jodi Ward

Dissertations

Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) is an emergent and evolving field in higher education (HE). While the concept has often been researched as a system or process implemented by an institution of HE to optimize enrollment, this study examined the professionals that currently lead or aspire to lead those systems. The HE competencies areas that current SEM professionals are most engaged with, the activities they participate in to gain and cultivate competency development, as well as their educational backgrounds and career pathways was the focus of this study. Additionally, this study investigated the competency development opportunities available to individuals working in …

Integrating International Graduate Students On Campus: The Perspectives Of Student Affairs Professionals And Staff, Rachal Etshim

Dissertations

International graduate students are a unique population that face specific challenges that affect their campus integration (Arthur, 2017; Burdett & Crossman, 2012; Sharma, 2019). The role of student affairs professionals and staff includes developing and integrating all students, including international graduate students, on-campus (Di Maria, 2012; Braskamp, 2011; Kuh, 2009; Wilcox, et al., 2005). However, many student affairs professionals and staff feel unprepared to serve or work with international graduate students (Brandenburg, 2016; Cierra, 2004; Di Maria, 2012; Yakaboski & Perozzi, 2018). There has been little empirical research conducted on student affairs professionals and staff members’ perspectives about their role …

Impact Of Tuition Resets On Student Enrollment At Private Four-Year Not-For-Profit Colleges And Universities: A Quantitative Analysis Of Ipeds Data, Brian T. Dietz

Dissertations

The high price of a college education can be a topic of interest, discussion, and at times, distress, for students, families, and higher education leaders alike. Research reveals cost is an important consideration for most students as they decide if and where to enroll in higher education. In recent decades, annual increases to the published price of tuition have often been followed by subsequent growth in financial assistance at many colleges and universities. One result of this reciprocal relationship has been a swift upward spiral in tuition prices, rising at a rate that prompts angst about the affordability of a …

Women’S Lived Experiences In Their Pathways To Leadership Positions In Universities In The Dominican Republic, Laura Sartori

Dissertations

There is a significant gender disparity in the highest leadership levels in Dominican universities. Research argues that in traditionalist societies and in some developing countries particularly, it is increasingly challenging for women to make it to top leadership. To achieve a fuller understanding of the current context for female leadership within Dominican higher education, there is a need for research that can serve to establish an initial framework of information about the experiences of female leaders.

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand the experiences of women who occupy leadership positions in Dominican universities. Feminist standpoint epistemology …

The Role Of Search Consultants In Interpreting And Communicating Organizational Identity During Presidential Searches At Small, Private Colleges, Dawn M. Markell

Dissertations

Search consultants’ perceived expertise in reaching a target audience and generating a pool of qualified candidates has led to their widespread use across higher education, including small, private colleges (Atwell, 2009; CIC, 2018; Johnson & Ferrare, 2013). As small, private colleges confront an unprecedented level of existential stress, they are faced with competing pressures to differentiate themselves through their historical organizational identity while still pursuing change (Baker & Baldwin, 2015; Jaquette, 2013; Stensaker, 2015; Weerts, Freed, & Morphew, 2014). Matters of identity become especially significant during times of leadership transition (MacDonald, 2013). Despite the convergence of these factors, there is …

A Phenomenological Study Of University Faculty Experiences With Disruptive Undergraduate Students In A Face-To-Face Classroom Or Laboratory Setting, Anne Marie Gillespie

Dissertations

Behavioral review teams on university campuses have become the standard since the shootings at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University. An institutional assumption is that faculty members will make referrals to these specialized teams when encountering disruptive students within their classrooms. Unknown is what actions faculty members actually take when faced with disruptive students in the classroom. This phenomenological study captures the experiences of faculty members with disruptive undergraduate students in face-to-face university classroom or laboratories.

All of the participants in the study described experiences with disruptive undergraduate students. Three female and three male faculty members, split evenly between tenured/tenure …

The Experiences Of Latina/O Executives In Higher Education, Leonard A. Savala Iii

Dissertations

This study will examine the experiences of Latina/o executives (President, Chancellor, Chief of Staff, Executive Vice President, Chief Academic Officer (CAO)/Provost, Central Senior Academic Affairs Officer, Dean of Academic College, Senior Administrative Officer, Senior External Affairs Officer and Chief Enrollment Management Officer, or any administrator with Vice President in their title) in higher education. Throughout the United States there are very few Latina/o executives at either community colleges or four-year universities. Of those Latina/o executives, most serve at community colleges instead of four-year universities. Those Latinos who have served in executive positions have acquired a wealth of knowledge through their …

A Phenomenological Study Into How Students Experience And Understand The University Presidency, Kahler B. Schuemann

Dissertations

Little is known about how college students experience and understand the university presidency. Students are important consumers of the academic experience and by affiliation are constituents of organizational leadership. The social distance between students and university presidents continues to narrow. To address the void in scholarly literature, my study explored how students experience and understand the university presidency.

My investigation utilized phenomenological methodology to form descriptive themes. I interviewed 10 college students who self-identified as being involved with extracurricular activities and having, at minimum, occasional interaction with their president. Participants were selected from two small, public, Midwestern universities where their …

Committed Seventh-Day Adventist Students At Secular Institutions Of Higher Education, Lashonda R. Anthony

Dissertations

The experiences of Seventh-day Adventist students at secular universities was examined. Seven women and two men attending universities in Michigan and New York were interviewed. The researcher employed a heuristically guided phenomenological method to get rich descriptions of the participants’ experiences in the secular university setting. Open-ended interviews were used to gather data regarding the student experience.

From an analysis of the data six themes arose detailing the experiences of Seventh-day Adventist students in secular environments. The themes were (a) challenges encountered in the secular environment led to a need for self-advocacy in the academic and work environment regarding maintaining …

Climbing Into The Ivory Tower: A Look At Administrative Perspectives On Sexual Assault On The College Campus, Tasha Nichole Turner

Masters Theses

This study examines the attitudes of administrators about sexual violence on campus, as well as their knowledge of disciplinary policies and procedures to prevent and redress rape and sexual assault on campuses. This study begins the discussion about how administrators understand their current policies as well as the attitudes that may affect their understandings. I use Thematic Analysis to analyze responses to a series of open-ended questions surveying participants on their attitudes towards their universities policy and procedures for handling sexual assault. Findings suggest that the participants have overwhelming confidence in the established policies, the extent of their knowledge of …

Female Head Athletic Trainers In Ncaa Division I (Ia Football) Athletics: How They Made It To The Top, Joanne Gorant

Dissertations

The profession of athletic training has opened its doors to women, who now slightly outnumber men in the profession (Shingles, 2001; WATC, 1997, 2005). Unfortunately, this representation does not carry over into positions of high rank. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the lived experiences of female head athletic trainers in NCAA Division I (IA football) institutions to focus on the issues of barriers to advancement and their ability to overcome them.

Using Hakim’s “preference theory” as a lens, this interpretive qualitative investigation utilized semi-structured, open-ended interviews to learn how participants advanced in the field of athletic …

From Crisis To Stability: A Case Study Of Presidential Leadership At A Christian College, Jeffrey Gill

Dissertations

Despite healthy growth in past decades, in a time of national and global economic instability small, private Christian colleges now find themselves in a precarious position. Leading effectively in such colleges and universities in a time of external and/or internal crisis is a great challenge.

This research is about a small, Christian college with documented evidence of having survived two significant enrollment and financial crises (early 1990s and 2008-09), and is now stable, all under the leadership of a president who served during the 19 year time period of crisis and stability. The purpose of this study is to investigate …

Through The Eyes Of Higher Education Attorneys: How Department Chairs Are Navigating The Waters Of Legal Issues And Risk Management, Carol L.J. Hustoles

Dissertations

Legal and risk management issues substantially impact the operations of colleges and universities, which face escalating compliance requirements in an increasingly litigious environment. Failing to assess legal liability issues and to constructively address them with risk management processes create vulnerability to claims and litigation, stretching limited institutional resources. Yet research studies are scarce on this topic.

This study used an online survey to obtain input from higher education attorneys across the U.S. regarding their perceptions of frequency and time spent on legal assistance for department chairpersons, chairs’ level of difficulty handling legal and risk management issues, matters having highest adverse …

Child Care Centers On Higher Education Campuses: Director Perceptions Of Internal And External Roles And Director Leadership, Kerisa A. Myers

Dissertations

An increasing focus on early childhood education and brain research offers a prime opportunity for higher education institutions to research and formulate thought concerning quality child care. Currently, there is limited research examining the impact and roles of child care centers on university campuses. To add to the base of knowledge, this nationally-focused study examined the following broad question: "what value do campus child care centers offer to a given higher education institution and its surrounding community, especially from a center director's perspective?"

An on-line survey was sent to over 400 campus child care directors at two- and four-year public …

Impact Of Enrollment Management, Marketing And Strategic Planning On Adult Higher Education Enrollment Patterns, Kinfu Adisu

Dissertations

This qualitative study examined the impact of enrollment management, marketing and strategic planning practices (or lack thereof) on enrollment trends in two graduate programs across five Grand Rapids, Michigan-based institutions of higher education. Deans, department heads or program directors associated with the Master's of Business and Master's of Education degrees in each institution were interviewed, as were regional administrators and marketing personnel for a total of 15 participants. In addition, the challenges faced by these graduate programs and how such challenges impacted enrollment patterns were analyzed.

Findings indicate that to a large degree the concepts of enrollment management, marketing and …

A Study Of The Effects Of Goal Conflict On Job Satisfaction In Auxiliary Enterprise Units Within Higher Education, Stephen M. Keizer

Dissertations

The role of goal conflict on job satisfaction within auxiliary enterprise units at Western Michigan University was the focus of this study. The continuing decline in state appropriations has caused state-funded colleges and universities to change their operational model in order to become more fiscally responsible. This change in operational focus has led to a shift in the balance between the goal of educating students and the goal of generating revenue. This shift creates goal conflict among many of the employees whose role it is to bolster the sagging operational budget. Conflict within job goals impacts on job satisfaction and …

An Analysis Of The Past, Present, And Future Of Title Ix In Intercollegiate Athletics Through Various Case Studies, Specifically Western Michigan University, Tara L. Becker

Honors Theses

Although collegiate athletics i only a small portion of Title IX, it has been the most widely discussed and controversial part of the law to implement. It seems that colleges and universities have had the most trouble complying with the specifics of the law. However, they have made great strides since the days of the predominantly male world of collegiate sports in the past. This paper examines historical controversies, and takes a closer look at the impact of Title IX at Western Michigan University.