Higher Education Commons^™

Broadband Access For Students At East Tennessee State University, Thomas Scott Sawyer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the availability of Internet access for students attending East Tennessee State University during the fall semester 2013. It has been unknown to what degree broadband access is available in the East Tennessee State University service area that includes counties in East Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, and Western North Carolina.

The research was conducted during the fall semester 2013 including the months of August, September, and October of 2011. Data were gathered by surveying currently enrolled students of the university. Seven hundred eighty-four students responded to the survey. The survey instrument covered areas of …

Implementing Total Quality Management In Business And Academe: A Case Study, Nancy O. Bartell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Total quality management (TQM) is a philosophy and process that has been successfully implemented in many business firms. Other organizations, including institutions of higher education, have become increasingly interested in adopting it. It is likely that facilitators need to be cognizant of organizational differences and adjust facilitation methods and strategies accordingly. This dissertation is an exploratory study designed to examine the role of the TQM facilitator in diverse settings. Specifically, the study is an in-depth two-case research study of TQM implementation in an international manufacturing firm and a regional institution of higher education. The primary foci of this dissertation are …

Innovation In Student Affairs: The Influence Of Individual And Organizational Factors On Programmatic And Technological Change, Sally S. Thomas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this paper was to explore the influence individual and organizational factors exerted on technological innovations, programmatic innovations and combined technological and programmatic innovations. Student affairs divisions in Comprehensive I colleges and universities constituted the administrative unit examined. The two types of program innovations examined were substance abuse prevention/education programs and retention/academic support programs. The technological innovations examined were financial aid computerized award calculation and computerized career counseling. The individual factors examined were professionalism, gender and age of the chief student affairs officer. The organizational factors were vertical, horizontal and combined vertical and horizontal complexity, centralization and size. …