Higher Education Commons^™

"There Is Power In Being Out": A Three Article Approach Celebrating The Experiences Of Queer University Leaders, Andrew R. E. Lorenzana

Dissertations

Institutions of higher education were historically built to serve a wealthy, White, straight male student population and the leaders of these institutions still largely reflect these demographics. This project specifically aims to celebrate and amplify the life and career of university administrators who identify within the LGBTQ community. Mainly through the use of a portraiture methodology, this three-article study attempts to examine the ways in which LGBTQ identity and career influence one another.

Worldmaking and narrative will be used as a theoretical frame to help analyze the ways in which the telling of a queer individual’s story makes the world …

Portraits Of Hispanic And/Or Latino Leadership Development In The Military, Michael Lugo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

The study presented denotes a continuous transition among the Hispanic and/or Latino demographics in the military and the cadet accounts of military inequality incidents while in the military (Cabrera et al., 2017; Eckel & King, 2004). To assist Hispanic and/or Latino needs based on demographics and environment (National Center for Education Statistics, 2019). Military leaders contribute to growing a diverse, inclusive, and equitable military force for all ethnic groups. The Department of Defense (DoD) is the most racially and ethnically diverse workplace in the United States (Daniel et al., 2022). Nevertheless, racial/ethnic harassment and discrimination in the military continue …

Exploring Intersectionality Of Gender, Race, And Personality Traits For Black Women Leaders In Online Higher Education, Shanaya K. Anderson

Journal of Research Initiatives

Researchers have used previous literature to suggest that Black women face challenges and obstacles in seeking leadership roles at higher education institutions (HEIs). Many of these Black women have consistently and pervasively faced prevailing stereotypes, biases, and barriers as they seek career advancements at online HEIs (Nigar, 2020; Tarbutton, 2019). This qualitative phenomenological study was undertaken to examine the intersectionality of gender, race, and personality traits of Black women leaders who hold positions of department chair level or higher in HEIs. Using the theoretical framework of Black feminist thought, this research was conducted to understand better the lived experiences of …

Building Dynamic Capabilities Towards Innovation And Flexibility, Marianne Iaboni Marando

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

In March 2020 most Higher Education Institutions around the world quickly moved to online learning and work with only one week to prepare. While the pandemic forced us to do this quickly and without a well thought out plan, most of us met this challenge. The World Health Organization declared that COVID-19 was no longer a global health emergency on May 5, 2023, but many institutions had started the return to “normal” before then. This Organizational Improvement Plan starts with the vision that rather than retrenching back to “normal”, Ontario Polytechnic, a large polytechnic institution in Ontario, Canada, should be …

Self-Perception Of Gender Influence On Leadership In Two-Year, Public Institutions Of Higher Education, Kimberley Turner-Rush

Culminating Projects in Higher Education Administration

This quantitative cross-sectional study examines the way in which leaders of two-year, public institutions perceive their gender identification influences the way they are able to demonstrate leadership traits. The study is founded in social identity theory, first introduced in 1979 by Tajfel, which helps to evaluate whether members of a group (leaders) assimilate to specific traits in order to be accepted and valued by their peers. The findings show that overall leaders identifying as women and those identifying as men perceived no difference in how their gender identification impacts their ability to display specific leadership traits to supervisors, peers, or …

Transforming Leadership Pathways For Humanities Professionals In Higher Education, Roze Hentschell, Catherine E. Thomas

Navigating Careers in Higher Education Series

Transforming Leadership Pathways for Humanities Professionals in Higher Education includes thirteen essays from a variety of contributors investigating how humanities professionals grapple with the opportunities and challenges of leadership positions. Written by insiders sharing their lived experience, this collection provides an authentic look at the multiple roles humanities specialists play, as well as offers strategies for professional growth, sustenance, and satisfaction. The collection also considers the relationship between disciplinary areas of study, academic training, and the valuable skill sets and habits of mind that serve higher education leaders.

While Transforming Leadership Pathways emphasizes that a leadership route in higher education …

The Role Of Mentorship In The Advancement Of Black Women In Higher Education Administrative Roles, Kimberly Colclough

Theses and Dissertations

Literature has suggested that mentorship is one of the most influential components of career advancement. However, for Black women in higher education administrative roles, mentorship also serves to garner community and support. This research study focuses on the lived experiences of Black women administrators in higher education institutions, the obstacles they face in pursuit of support and career advancement, and how they benefited from a relationship with a mentor. This descriptive phenomenological qualitative study was implemented by conducting in-depth interviews with a small sample of (6) six African American women administrators from various higher education institutions located in the Northeast, …

Graduate-Level Leadership Training For Speech-Language Pathologists: Perceptions, Attitudes, And Potential Effect On Career, Sandra Kemper

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The aim of this study is to determine how a perceived lack of leadership training at the graduate level contributes to inadequate preparedness for the clinical, professional, and supervisory leadership roles professionals hold within the field of speech-language pathology (Kummer, 2017). More specifically, this study will seek to identify current leadership concerns of practicing SLPs, exploring whether and/or how lack of leadership training has affected their professional growth or career. The information can serve to guide the development of leadership training opportunities in speech-language pathology graduate programs. This descriptive, non-experimental study utilized purposive sampling of speech-language pathologists licensed in the …

Leading Business Schools, Julie Davies, Howard Thomas, Eric Cornuel, Rolf D. Cremer

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Business schools are critical players in higher education, educating current and future leaders to make a difference in the world. Yet we know surprisingly little about the leaders of business schools. Leading a Business School demystifies this complex and dynamic role, offering international insights into deans’ dilemmas in different contexts and situations. It highlights the importance of deans creating challenging and supportive learning cultures to enhance business and management education, organizations and society more broadly.Written by renowned experts on the role of the dean, Julie Davies, Howard Thomas, Eric Cornuel and Rolf D. Cremer, the book traces the historical evolution …

Once More, With Feeling: Partnering With Learners To Re-See The College Experience Through Metaphor And Sensory Language, Taran Cardone

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

This study focuses on better understanding students and their internal worlds through conceptual metaphor theory and sensory language. Using a phenomenological and arts-based approach, I examined students’ metaphorical constructions of their college experiences and the sensory language and information informing those constructions. By engaging participants in a multimodal process to re-see their experience through connoisseurship and criticism, I explored the following research questions: How do students metaphorically structure their college experience? What sensory language do college students use to describe the metaphorical dimensions of their college experience? How does sensory information shape the metaphorical structuring of their college experience? Through …

Transformational Leadership Strategies In U.S. Public Universities, Jason C. Hardman

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study explores the transformational leadership strategies used by university leaders to transform their respective institutions of higher education in the post-pandemic era. The study builds on Bass's (1985a) transformational leadership model, and the guiding research question is, "What transformational leadership strategies do university leaders use to transform university environments?" The study utilizes a narrative inquiry approach to collect and analyze data from publicly available and accessible sources. The data analysis highlights four themes of transformational leadership practices, including idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration. The findings reveal that transformational leaders exhibit high moral standards, personal …

The Futures Of Law, Lawyers, And Law Schools: A Dialogue, Sameer M. Ashar, Benjamin H. Barton, Michael J. Madison, Rachel F. Moran

Articles

On April 19 and 20, 2023, Professors Bernard Hibbitts and Richard Weisberg convened a conference at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law titled “Disarmed, Distracted, Disconnected, and Distressed: Modern Legal Education and the Unmaking of American Lawyers.” Four speakers concluded the event with a spirited conversation about themes expressed during the proceedings. Distilling a lively two days, they asked: what are the most critical challenges now facing US legal education and, by extension, lawyers and the communities they serve? Their agreements and disagreements were striking, so much so that Professors Hibbitts and Weisberg invited those four to extend their …

Exploring Supervisory Needs Of First-Generation Professionals Working In Higher Education, Angela R. Wellman

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

As first-generation students enter the workforce and traverse through their careers, their work supervisors are solidly positioned to positively influence their experiences. There is very little literature to be found that addresses the professional experiences of first-generation professionals in relation to their supervisors. The purpose of this exploratory study was to learn, directly from first-generation professionals working in higher education, what they believe they need from their supervisors to support their well-being and success. This research also sought to discover how important participants thought that each need statement was, as well to gain insight to what extent the identified needs …

Leadership Skill Development In Master’S-Level Counselor Education, Charity A. Godfrey, Richard J. Cicchetti, Craig R. Blum, Gary Michael Szirony, Tamara Harris

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Student leadership identity is fast becoming one of the most critical challenges educational institutions face today. However, mental health counselors may be limited in the amount of education and training received as they become leaders in the field. There is currently no known mandate at the master’s level for leadership embedded within the counseling curriculum in the educational environment, although research suggests otherwise. The purpose of this correlational predictive empirical study was to investigate leadership identity characteristics as measured by the Socially Responsible Leadership Scale, Revision 2 (SLRS-R2), moderated by demographic factors. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine outcome …

Exploring The Impact Of An Online Leadership Course On Japanese Undergraduates' Conceptions Of Leadership, Ryosuke Watanabe

Dissertations

Today’s complex problems transcend borders and require a collective and adaptive learning response. Literature suggests that, because the traditional hierarchical or positional style of leadership cannot effectively address problems we face today, leadership should take a more collaborative and systemic form. Rost (1991) characterized this new approach as the postindustrial paradigm of leadership. Unfortunately, changing the existing conception of leadership is not easy. Furthermore, assessing people’s leadership perceptions is challenging because leadership is often a tacit and latent construct. Because formal leadership education is still in its infancy in Japan, little is known about the impact of leadership education in …

Higher Education Leadership Development During The Covid-19 Pandemic: An Exploration Of Online Learner Readiness, Kevan W. Lamm, Alyssa Powell, L. Rochelle Sapp, Alexa Lamm

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

The COVID-19 pandemic precipitated profound disruptions across the higher education sector as institutions were forced to restructure entire systems and operate with significantly reduced resources. Most notably, many institutions were forced to transition to fully virtual instruction. The present study examined adult leadership development program participants’ perceptions of online learning readiness during the transition to a fully virtual training environment precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. A census of the 2020 LEAD21 class was taken, and perceptions of online learning readiness were collected via a retrospective pre- and post-test. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used. Respondents had the highest levels of …

Leadership Styles And Effective Leadership Among Higher Education Leaders In The North American Division Of Seventh-Day Adventists, Patrice A. Wright

Dissertations

Problem

Leadership has been shown to be crucial in the success of organizations, especially in higher education. However, little research has been done about leadership styles and effectiveness in North American Division (NAD) of Seventh-Day Adventists (SDA) higher education institutions. My study examined transformational, transactional, and passive avoidant leadership styles and leadership effectiveness in these higher education institutions.

Method

To examine leadership in Adventist colleges, I used the online MLQ-5X short form. I secured participation from 12 colleges and after repeated emails secured 168 responses. I analyzed the relationship between leadership styles, several leader characteristics and leader effectiveness, using SEM, …

Thriving Through Experience: A Phenomenological Inquiry Of Community-Engaged Learning, Katharine O'Connor

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

Community-engaged learning is a high impact educational practice that has been proven to aid in retention rates and overall student success (Kuh, 2008). As an educator, I have had many students tell me that their community-engaged learning experiences helped them develop leadership skills. And while there have been many quantitative studies considering the grade point averages and retention rates, there is a need for research that focuses on the lived experience of people who participate in community-engaged learning. This dissertation focused on young adult women who have emerged as leaders through their community-engaged learning experiences. Through the use of interpretive …

Examining The Relational Space Of Native Faculty Members In Higher Education, Stevie Lee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Currently, the available research on Native faculty experiences emphasizes the challenges and hardships of being an Indigenous faculty member. Native faculty members are often underrepresented and rarely appreciated for the cultural teachings and knowledge they contribute within settler-colonial institutions. Nonetheless, Native faculty continue to demonstrate resilience and leadership navigating in higher education.

This qualitative research study examines the experiences of 11 Native women faculty members within higher education. The settler-colonial framing of teaching, research, and service (TRS) are areas often associated with faculty for the purposes of determining promotions and achieving tenure. However, this method of framing seldomly comprehends the …

The Perceived Absence Of African American Women In Leadership Positions In Public Four-Year Predominantly White Institutions Of Higher Education In Mississippi, Tonya Neely

Dissertations

There is a perceived absence of African American women in leadership positions in predominantly White institutions of higher education. This research study explored the experiences of African American women in leadership positions at predominantly White institutions of higher education in Mississippi. The themes that emerged from the published literature that were explored in this research study were barriers, mentorship, leadership, and copying strategies. A mixed methods research approach was used to complete this research study using semi-structured interviews and an online Qualtrics survey to capture the experiences of the study participants. The results of this research study support the narrative …

Leader Development Of The Health Information Management (Him) Professional, Theresa Jones

Dissertations

This study contributes to the body of knowledge in leader development by examining how higher education programs in a female dominated profession assist learners in developing person-related characteristics that support leader development. A ten-part online survey was sent to directors of health information management (HIM) programs accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management (CAHIIM). Results suggest an opportunity for improvement in the curriculum for development of person-related characteristics critical for leadership positions. In the interest of the progression of women these results should be taken into consideration.

A Faculty-Based Approach To Engaging University Alumni, Osman Hamid

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Alumni engagement is widely defined as the level of relationship graduates have with their alma maters. Universities have an opportunity to leverage benefits from having strong connections with their alumni. Furthermore, graduates generally have a stronger affinity to the academic departments they graduated from than to the universities where these departments are based. Additionally, the fiscal and regulatory pressures facing Canadian universities within the province of Ontario highlight the advantages that come with having an engaged alumni community. The Problem of Practice (PoP) investigated in this Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) is the lack of alumni engagement within a faculty of …

Leadership And Professional Development Amongst Student Interns, Amanda Brown

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

Research shows that students who participate in an on-campus internship during their time as an undergraduate can have positive impacts on their leadership and professional development (Matteo & You, 2020). The positive impact of partaking in an on-campus internship has prompted higher education professionals to investigate the specific benefits that are provided through these internship programs as well as the structure of such programs. This study sought to improve my understanding of being a mentor and how I can create space and opportunity for my student interns to work towards leadership and professional development and how those skillsets can be …

A Comparative Case Study Exploring The Experiences Of Women Leaders In Academic Affairs And Administration In Higher Education Through The Lens Of Intersectionality, Johniqua S. Williams

Theses and Dissertations

There is an increasing concern about the absence of women in senior positions in academia and administration within institutions (Johnson, 2016). There is limited research to compare the journeys of women leaders in academics and administration. This study is an examination of women’s experiences of perceived barriers to leadership roles in faculty and administration. Using comprehensive interviews, this study explores personal accounts to emphasize apparent barriers to career advancement. The goal of the study is to explore women in senior positions in academia and administrative paths to leadership. The male dominated society has made it challenging for women to grow …

Perceptions Of Nontraditional Students Towards Extracurricular And Student Leadership Programming, Allison V. Niemiec

Theses and Dissertations

Nontraditional student populations at higher education institutions have been continuously growing, which requires institutions to become better prepared to address their unique needs. The purpose of this sequential explanatory mixed methods study was to explore the perceptions of nontraditional students towards extracurricular and student leadership programming at Rowan University. This research study involved a cross-sectional survey that identified characteristics of nontraditional students enrolled at Rowan University since at least the fall of 2019 and identified their satisfaction with and interest in extracurricular and leadership opportunities. Optional one on one interviews were administered to gain a better understanding of the survey …

Leading Hispanic Serving Community Colleges: Latinx Faculty Perceptions About The Aacc Competencies, Sanjuanita Chavira Scott

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Latinx students are likely to enter postsecondary education at a community college. This phenomenon has led to the increase in community colleges being designated as Hispanic Serving Institutions. The designation of Hispanic Serving is not driven by mission, but rather by number of enrolled students who identify as Latinx. This preliminary descriptive study examined the perceptions of faculty at four Hispanic Serving community colleges in Texas regarding their proficiency on leadership competencies for faculty, whether there were differences in the perceptions of Latinx and non-Latinx faculty members, and whether certain leadership competencies influence faculty members’ decisions to pursue leadership opportunities. …

Spiritual Leadership In Early Intervention Practice, Jo Lynn Mccray

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to explore ways to integrate the principles of spiritual leadership theory into therapeutic practice and to understand how spiritual leadership is used in therapy sessions from therapists’ own perspectives. Semi-structured interviews served as the major sources of data. The findings of the study reveal that early intervention therapists incorporated the elements of spiritual leadership, such as hope and faith, to enhance services provided to children and families.

Higher Education's Immunity To Change: Understanding How Leaders Make Meaning Of Their Student Success Landscape, Brittany Motley

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

Closing equity gaps in the higher education sector is a long-standing issue. This issue has become exacerbated with the impact of COVID-19 and racial injustices happening across America. Now more than ever it has become imperative to use participatory action research to understand how leaders make meaning of their student success landscape and use that meaning to influence their strategic action for equity. I engaged two student success stakeholders from one university as co-researchers to help identify a problem in practice as it relates to equity gaps in student success. We used a modified approach to immunity to change (ITC) …

Assessing Healthcare Leader Competency Proficiency Levels In Evaluating Graduate Healthcare Leadership Student Competency Proficiency Levels And Curriculum, Brandi A. Sillerud, Heather C. Winkler

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

Healthcare leaders must possess specific competencies to perform their job requirements by identifying what competencies may need development and take steps to further their education, knowledge, and proficiency. This exploratory research aims to utilize industry data when evaluating student competency proficiency and how that data might impact curriculum development. The research question that is addressed: At what competency proficiency level do working healthcare leaders rate themselves utilizing Benner’s Novice to Expert Theory (1982)? Graduate programs should evaluate current industry data to evaluate how students’ progress in their programs and determine if curriculum changes are needed. Graduate programs should …

Continuous Improvement Leadership In Applied Research, Silvana Maclean

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

The purpose of this Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) is to assist leaders in Ontario colleges in understanding the barriers and challenges of engaging faculty to enact applied research practices. Undergirding this OIP is social cognition theory and the analytical discipline of improvement science theory. Taken together, these theories align with systems thinking and are a step towards a holistic understanding of the dynamics of a college learning culture. Underpinned by a set of simple principles including improving through communication, learning through collaboration, and changing through coordination, a continuous improvement (CI) leadership approach, which combines servant (Greenleaf, 1977), team (Kogler Hill, …