Education Commons^™

Out Of The Shadows The Matriarch Rises: A Case Study Of Women Academic Deans At A Southern, Research One Institution, Jacob Lee Vaughn

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Abstract

This study examined the experiences of women in higher education as a career as well as the challenges women face in pursuing an appointment as Dean of a college. Selected participants were interviewed to gather data from their own narratives about the experiences and challenges as current women Deans in higher education. Each participant attributed their success to family support and proper mentoring, while highlighting institutional policies acting as a form of gendered oppression. Recommendations were suggested to higher educational representatives and legislators concerning the correction of the gendered environment favoring the advancement of men into a more equitable …

Law School News: Rwu Law Remembers President Donald J. Farish 07-05-2018, Ed Fitzpatrick, Michael Bowden

Life of the Law School (1993- )

No abstract provided.

Leadership And Spirituality: Conceptualization, Definition And Future Directions In Higher Education, Simone Elias, Brian Cole, Linda Wilson-Jones

Journal of Research Initiatives

This conceptual paper addresses the increased need to better conceptualize and define leadership and spirituality in higher education. Over the past decade, empirical research related to spirituality and leadership has gained momentum and has attracted interest from scholars, worldwide. With the increasing diversity of cultures and beliefs, particularly in western societies, the academia's acknowledgment of spirituality and leadership's importance not only present potentialities but also to reveal challenges; since some researchers support a religion-based perspective of the concept, while others indicate that the concept goes beyond religiosity. Therefore, this systematic literature attempts to reconcile diverse viewpoints into a more cohesive …

Experiences Explored Through The Prism: Out Gay And Lesbian Pathways To University Presidency, Patrick Englert

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

The profile of university presidents has changed very little in the past twenty-five years, with the majority being white males (Kim & Cook, 2013). The presence of the ‘lavender ceiling’ (Friskopp & Silverstein, 1995) in higher education is evidenced in there being less than one percent of university presidents who openly identify as lesbian and gay (L&G) (Rivard, 2014). Colleges and universities continue to be largely heteronormative and struggle to create safe, supportive, and just campuses; mirroring instead the bias and microaggressions that occur outside the insulated walls of academia (Bazarsky, Morrow, & Javier, 2015; Vaccaro, 2012).

This multi-case qualitative …

School Board Governance In Changing Times: A School’S Transition To Policy Governance, Katherine Curry, Sean Kinder, Tania Benoiton, Jessica Noonan

Administrative Issues Journal

The expansion of the school choice movement and greater flexibility allowed by Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) means that education governance is emerging as an important issue for school effectiveness. This longitudinal case study sought to gain an understanding of the implementation of a new governance structure, Policy Governance, in a private, independent school with deeply entrenched culture and patterns of behavior. Findings suggest an immediate positive influence on leadership and culture in the district, including a “trickle down” effect on shared leadership. However, challenges to sustainability indicate that even strict adherence to the model, unanimous support among board members, …

In Depth Look Into The Transformational Leadership Of Southern University And Agricultural & Mechanical College At Baton Rouge: A Focus On Engaging Economy, Diversity, And Implications For Community, Aubry Gatlin Turner

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Deficiencies in economic resources and unwelcoming practices toward diversity represent two issues facing current American higher education institutions. Budget deficits have plagued higher education across America, and especially here in Louisiana. As a result, higher education institutions in Louisiana have become, and continue to be, targets for state funding cuts, with certain HBCUs, like Southern University, suffering the brunt of the cuts because of decades of inadequate funding.

Along with revenue shortfalls, Louisiana institutions and others across America are seeing demands to strategize diversity efforts. As most institutions follow federal guidelines to diversify the campus, some are facing challenges because …

Community College Presidents And The Role Of Conversational Leadership, Jennifer K. Labounty

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological research study was to describe the behaviors that exemplary community college presidents practice to lead their organizations through conversation as depicted by Groysberg and Slind’s (2012) four elements of conversational leadership: intimacy, interactivity, inclusion, and intentionality.

Methodology: This qualitative, phenomenological study described the lived experiences of exemplary community college presidents as they lead their organizations through the use of conversational leadership. The sample population for this study was community college presidents who met the criteria of exemplary from single-college districts in Southern California. Data were gathered and triangulated from semistructured, in-depth interviews, participant observations, …

An Experiential Approach To Mentoring Academic Leaders: Review, Practice, Report, Julie A. Ray, Victor R. Wilburn, Melissa Odegard-Koester, Jeremy Ball

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

This session presents a leadership development program where new department chairs discuss best practices and realistic challenges with seasoned chairs, helping all to improve their leadership skills through a supportive group process. The program includes a summer book study, monthly meetings, a department chair handbook, and leadership resources.

The Dean-Chair Dyad: Developing An Effective Relationship With Your Dean, Craig D. Hlavac

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

The department chairperson must effectively relate with their academic dean in order to successfully advocate for their department. Financial resources, human resources, facility prioritization, and curriculum decisions are all contingent on the dean’s approval. However, many chairpersons are unsure how to develop a trusting, collaborative relationship with their dean. This session will outline the distinctive roles of the chairperson and the academic dean and will present strategies for cultivating this important relationship. Ideas for resolving current conflicts as well as avoiding future tension will be discussed. The session will conclude with the review of common dean/chair scenarios for small-group discussion.

In The Middle: Department Chairs As Mentors And Mentees, Carolyn A. Groff, James F. Konopack Dr.

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

Department chairs, especially new chairs, need mentoring as they simultaneously learn to provide mentorship to department faculty. The type of mentoring that department chairs need from their administrators to be successful leaders can differ from the type of mentoring chairs are provide to their faculty colleagues.

Assessment Of Student Learning As A Driver To Departmental Development, Andrea Lassiter

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

Revising and revitalizing an approach to student learning assessment can be a meaningful growth experience. Being intentional about such development during regular academic planning and reporting cycles is central to leading faculty through change. This session will highlight some strategies that can be used to promote individual- and departmental-level development.

Leadership And Humor Styles In Continuing Education Administrators, Emmanuel Sarris

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Humor is a useful tool at everyone’s disposal. How or when it is used in Continuing Education (CE) leaders is an area of research that has not been done before. A CE leader deals with teams of all sizes and oversees a potentially large budget and student base. With all the responsibility of a leader and having to manage teams and programs properly, it is important to understand the role leadership and humor styles play in their work life and environment. The central research question of this study is, “What is the relationship between leadership style and the use of …

Understanding Students' Perceptions Of Cultural Diversity, Catherine Moss

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Diversity is a positive aspect of a student's educational experience. Current literature supports the value of diversity, confirming that skills are developed within a diverse learning environment that prepares students to thrive in a competitive global economy. The leadership at University X (UX) had implemented various initiatives to improve diversity, yet the problem addressed in this study was that students perceived differently, citing that diversity growth lacked progress. The goal of this single case study was to bring forth change with a specific intervention created to elevate diversity and a positive campus climate. Maslow's hierarchy of needs was used to …

The Evolution Of Architecture Faculty Organizational Culture At The University Of Michigan, Linda Mills

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Understanding and navigating the multiple academic disciplines and administrative subcultures, which operate within higher education institutions, is challenging for both internal and external stakeholders who may be unfamiliar with the disparate normative, regulative, and cultural cognitive systems that guide social behavior of each area. Higher education leaders need to understand the cultures operating within the organizational groups and subgroups in order to coordinate, integrate, and foster collaboration toward organizational and institutional goal attainment activities. This case study, which focused on the emergence and evolution of the organizational culture of the architecture faculty at the University of Michigan, provides insights into …

Organizational Learning In Libraries At For-Profit Colleges And Universities, Julie Evener

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Academic libraries contribute to student engagement, student learning, and retention; therefore, the effects of improved library services for students may be positive and long lasting. However, despite successful application of organizational learning (OL), a strategic process for improvement, to enhance services in academic libraries, little is known about OL in libraries of for-profit colleges and universities (FPCUs). The purpose of this sequential explanatory mixed-methods study was to assess and explore the use of OL in libraries at FPCUs. Argyris and Schön's theory of organizational learning grounded this study. Responses to Chen's Processes and Phases of Organizational Learning Questionnaire, completed online …

Regret Theory And Decision-Making In Retention Program Funding, Eugenia Jo Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Senior leaders of higher education institutions make management-related funding decisions that meet the needs of the institution without incurring financial loss. By classifying groups of students into strategic business units, these leaders can make targeted fund management decisions. Researchers have demonstrated that higher education institutions have successfully implemented student retention programs for students in the freshman unit, but in this early adoption stage, have been unable to establish a pattern in the sophomore unit decision-making process. This study was designed to determine the relationship between the management decisions to allocate funding for retention programs for students in the sophomore year …

Instructional Behavior And Its Impact On Student Engagement, Debra Joan Crumpton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this quantitative study was to expand understanding of leadership behaviors and their influence on follower engagement. Researchers have shown that engagement is a predictor of retention and organizational performance. Leadership theory and the conceptual framework of worker engagement were the study's theoretical anchors. Despite a proliferation of leadership studies, engagement antecedents are largely unknown. The aim of this study was to narrow the gap in the literature by examining the extent to which there may be a relationship between college instructors' behaviors and student engagement. Although not traditionally regarded as frontline leaders, extant leadership literature affirmed college …

The Confidence To Engage: Conflict Engagement Styles Of Academic And Student Affairs Deans In A Large, Midwestern State College And University System, Aaron Peterson

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Conflict engagement is an integral part of higher education. Academic and student affairs deans are certainly no exception to this concept. This study examines reported conflict approaches of academic and student affairs deans in a large Midwestern state college and university system using the Rahim Organizational Conflict Inventory-II (ROCI-II). There are four hypotheses of the study. The first was that academic and student affairs deans at four-year universities would report a compromising style. The second was that academic and student affairs deans at two-year community and technical colleges would report an integrating style. The third was that male deans would …

Keeping The Learning Going: Using Mobile Technology To Enhance Learning Transfer, Corinne Brion

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Every year billions of dollars are spent on development aid and training around the world. Little attention is paid, however, to the sustainability of the various interventions. Some studies suggest that technology usage can serve as an effective post-learning intervention to enhance the transfer of learning. Currently, there is a limited body of research examining how best to follow up after an educational professional development program in Africa. This qualitative exploratory study sought to address the gap in education development policy by examining three schools in Ghana, West Africa. This study helps increase our understanding of how technology can promote …