Higher Education Commons^™

How Did The Students Cross The Stage? The Relationship Of Demographic Factors On Early Selection Of College Major, Christy Riddle

Dissertations

Student retention is a highly researched topic studied for many decades, but low retention of college students still exists today. As more states move to success-based funding formulas, it is more important than ever for higher education institutions to increase retention efforts (Swecker, 2011). Colleges and universities launch programs trying to combat and improve retention deficits. Research reveals that student engagement, academic advising, demographics, socioeconomic factors, and early selection of major within the first academic year play a role in retention.

The purpose of this study is to determine if early selection of major relates to the demographic factors of …

An Exploration Of Strategic Planning Perspectives And Processes Within Community Colleges Identified As Being Distinctive In Their Strategic Planning Practices, Lisa J. Augustyniak

Dissertations

Community college leaders face unprecedented change, and some have begun reexamining their institutional strategic planning processes. Yet, studies in higher education strategic planning spend little time examining how community colleges formulate their strategic plans. This mixed-method qualitative study used an expert sampling method to identify three AQIP-accredited community colleges in one Midwestern state that were viewed as leaders in strategic planning. Using their AQIP Systems Portfolios and interviews with their senior leadership, this study examined these colleges’ strategic planning perspectives (i.e., the “point of view” that an organization has chosen to use as a basis for formulating their strategic plan) …

Enterprise Risk Management (Erm) At U.S. Colleges And Universities: Administration Processes Regarding The Adoption, Implementation, And Integration Of Erm, Anne E. Lundquist

Dissertations

The variety, type and volume of risks affecting higher education are numerous and the consequences for unmanaged risks and missed opportunities are more significant than ever before. In response, many institutions of higher education are adopting an Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) approach. External factors, as well as institutional culture, play a role in the decision to adopt ERM, as well as the path of implementation. Because higher education has unique characteristics that differentiate it from other organizations, particularly a shared governance structure, the adoption and implementation decisions, and resulting ERM frameworks, have aspects that make them unique to the higher …

Predictors Of College Attendance And Persistence Among Blind And Visually Impaired Students, Lydia Schuck

Dissertations

Completion of a college degree is a positive outcome for any young adult. The purpose of this three-paper dissertation was to explore the latent constructs and other variables that may be associated with postsecondary education outcomes of youth who are blind or visually impaired. The samples were drawn from a 10-year longitudinal study of youth with disabilities, the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2. The sample of the first study comprised 420 youth (all Ns rounded to nearest 10 to meet data restrictions) who had taken the direct assessment recorded in the dataset. Exploratory factor analysis of 17 variables reported by …

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 …

A Measure Of Soft Skill Gains Acquisition With Engagement In Baccalaureate Nursing Programs, Wendy J. Williams-Buenzli

Dissertations

This dissertation examined soft skill acquisition from engagement in baccalaureate nursing programs. Baccalaureate nursing programs prepare nurses to be the future leaders of nursing practice. Soft skills include critical thinking, interpersonal communications, and ethical decision-making. To explore the acquisition of soft skills, this research study analyzed data from the National Survey of Student Engagement to explore for gains in critical thinking, ethical decision-making, and critical thinking. After gains scores were identified, then correlations were run to identify key engagement indicators. The findings of the study found gains in soft skill behaviors from freshman year to senior year of baccalaureate education. …

Attitude, Subjective Norm, And Perceived Behavioral Control As Indicators For Nurse Educators’ Intention To Use Critical Thinking Teaching Strategies: A Structural Equation Model Analysis, Angerlita Yolanda Smith

Dissertations

Problem

Deficiencies in new nursing graduates’ ability to use critical thinking skills have been documented. Researchers have found that the continued use of traditional teaching methods and less student-centered approaches for critical thinking development has contributed to this problem. This particular issue has evoked much concern for institutions and organizations involved with the safe delivery of patient care. The purpose of this study was to examine (a) the relationship between the factors educator characteristics, attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control in a hypothesized model that may influence nurse educators’ intention to use instructional methods that promote critical thinking in …