Community College Leadership Commons^™

When Conflict Crosses Cultural Lines: How Culture Informs Conflict, Joel Perez Phd, David M. Johnstone Edd

Publications from Student Life & Spiritual Life

Diverse cultural experience provides tremendous educational value. At the same time, it presents the possibility for increased misunderstanding and conflict. While conflict can happen with students of the same background, cross-cultural dynamics tend to add complexities to tension. Using a tool such as the Intercultural Conflict Style Inventory, we have helped college student leaders build stronger teams, with a better and deeper ability to navigate, mediate and mitigate conflict among their leadership teams and peers.

Teaching At Branch Campuses: The Faculty Experience, Whitney Harper, Larry W. Owens, Simon Funge, Dana J. Sullivan

Social Work Faculty Publications

There is limited research on the perceptions of faculty who teach branch campus students. Exploratory in nature, this qualitative study explored the branch campus teaching experiences of a particular subset of educators – those who teach in social work education programs. The paper will discuss social work faculty members’ perspectives about the advantages and challenges of teaching branch campus students. Eighty-one social work educators from twenty-six states completed an online survey developed by the researchers. The survey included qualitative questions that explored both resident and non-resident faculty members’ perceptions regarding the advantages and disadvantages of teaching branch campus students. The …

Pathways To The Urban Community College Presidency, Everrett A. Smith

Journal of Research on the College President

College presidents have multiple, complex roles. These roles have evolved to include an increased emphasis on external relations, regardless of institutional type, yet these leaders are also expected to hold traditional academic credentials. This study explored the experience base of urban community college presidents and found that they hold remarkably similar skill sets and experience backgrounds to other college presidents.

Approaches To Ghana's Higher Education Challenges Drawn From The U.S. Community College Model, Francis Goode

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Higher education institutions in Ghana are challenged in providing access to affordable education to accommodate all qualified students for postsecondary education. Most Ghanaian students seek skills and knowledge to prepare them for a global workforce. The study's purpose was to investigate the adaptation of the U.S. community college's 2-year model for training students in Ghana's higher education system to participate in high skilled employment in business and industry, using a conceptual framework drawn from Becker's theory of human capital. The research questions focused on what support students need to participate successfully in Ghana's higher education system, and what concerns stakeholders …

Egalitarian Teams In Action: Organizing For Library Initiatives, Linda Miles, Miriam Laskin, Kate Lyons

Urban Library Journal

In 2006 Peter Senge, who coined the term the learning organization, wrote, “As the world becomes more interconnected and business becomes more complex and dynamic, work must become more ‘learningful’... It’s just not possible any longer to to figure it out from the top, and have everyone else following the orders of the ‘grand strategist’” (p. 4). Senge documented the need for professions and organizations that can change, that can quickly adapt, be nimble, learn, and find new opportunities in the changing information landscape. Libraries are not immune from this kind of pressure. In this case study, first presented at …

The Role Of The Community Capital Framework And Christian Faith-Based Community Development Organizations In Kentucky, Samson S. Tarpeh

Theses and Dissertations--Community & Leadership Development

The purpose of this study is to investigate the work of Christian faith-based organizations (FBO) doing community development work in Kentucky and to learn about how they might be using community development concepts and system approaches as articulated in the Community Capitals Framework (CCF) and to critically examine those findings. The CCF is comprised of seven capitals including Natural, Cultural, Human, Social, Political, Financial, and Built. Emery and Flora (2006) assert that the “CCF offers a way to analyze community and economic development efforts from a systems perspective by identifying the assets in each capital (stock), the types of capital …

Predictors Of Academic Achievement Of Non-Traditional College Students: Opportunities To Catch-Up And Succeed, Angela Bardwell-Owens

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Non-traditional students make up approximately 20% of the undergraduate student population nationwide and are one of few segments of the student population that are not provided with targeted programs and services. To help this cohort achieve their goals whilst universities can increase their retention rates, this research begins a review of the non-traditional student literature to gain an understanding of what this population faces as far as barriers to their education. The literature also provides recommendations and further information in retention efforts to support the student during their academic years. Next, an analysis of non-traditional student support services at 4-year …

Faculty Perspectives And Participation In Implementing An Early Alert System And Intervention In A Community College, Claudine Bentham

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Early alert systems have been recognized as a high impact practice designed to improve student engagement and student success. Early alert is designed to identify students with at-risk behaviors early in the semester before they decide to drop-out, withdraw, or fail their classes, using resources such as a predictive analysis tool or advising. For an early alert to be successful and efficient, faculty should be included in the process of early alert. This qualitative study examined faculty's perspective and experiences when implementing early alert strategies and intervention in a two-year institution. Using Cranton's seven facets of transformative learning as a …

Citizen Engagement In Local Government Management In Post-Colonial African Countries: A Case Study Of The Republic Of Burundi, Ngulwe K. Alfani

School of Business Student Theses and Dissertations

Literature on in-depth studies of citizen engagement in local government management in African post-colonial countries is scarce. This qualitative research sought to understand the practice of citizen engagement in four selected African countries, but due to financial constraint, the Republic of Burundi was selected for the study. Data consisted of documentary sources, observational field notes, focus group discussions, and 23 individuals’ semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions of Burundian local government, mainly, Marie de Bujumbura and its communes. Data were analyzed through detailed description, categorical aggregation, direct interpretation, and development of naturalistic generalization. The findings from the reading of governmental documents …

Most Likely To Succeed: The Exploration Of Factors Affecting Successful Completion Of A Practical Nursing Program, Jennifer J. Shoemake

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies

In the realm of higher education, retention is a concept vital to the progression and security of all institutions. This remains true for all nursing programs as well because reports have shown an attrition rate as high as 50% in some nursing programs across the globe. Along with the nursing shortage projected in the next 20 years, retention in nursing programs poses a massive problem for not just higher education but healthcare as well. Therefore, it is important for nursing educators to understand the factors affecting student completion of a nursing program.

This two-phase, mixed-methods study sought to answer the …

Examining Leadership Approaches Of Community College Administrators: Understanding Leadership And Change Processes, Jametoria Lynette Houston Burton

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This purpose of the study was to explore the personal perspectives of three select state college administrators regarding their purpose, values, and beliefs they inherently espouse about leadership, developmental education and academic success. The researcher examined the ways in which community college administrators used communication strategies to lead change processes within their organizations. The researcher identified the administrators’ leadership approaches in leading a major redesign of a developmental education program at a large community college in Florida. The following primary research question was explored: What are the strategies adopted by the select state college administrators leading a major developmental education …

An Investigation Of State College To University Transfer Students' Sense Of Belonging, Claire Brady

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine the sense of belonging of state college transfer students who enroll at a large research-intensive university through structured and unstructured transfer pathways using the Sense of Belonging Instrument (SBI; Hoffman, Richmond, Morrow, & Solomon, 2002). The SBI includes five subscales (Peer Support, Faculty Support, Classroom Comfort, Isolation, and Empathetic Faculty Understanding). To date, no systematic investigation has considered the construct of belonging with this population or transfer pathway. The findings from this study (n = 54) found a positive statistically significant correlation between Peer Support and Isolation (r(52) =.801, p …

Effect Of Response To Intervention On Developmental Education Students' Persistence, Retention, And Completion, Cheryl Garayta

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2012, national rates of degree or certificate completion for students beginning college in developmental education courses were 35%. At a Midwestern state community college completion rates were even lower, with only 27% of developmental reading/writing (DRW) students completing their program. Therefore, the purpose of this causal- comparative study was to compare success rates for DRW students beginning college in a multileveled (MLI) program and in a response to intervention (RtI) based program. The MLI program was grounded in a scaffolded learning framework, and the RtI program was grounded in a transformative learning framework. Four research questions were posited to …

Speaking Out Despite White Noise: Examining The Leadership Of African American Female Technical College Presidents And Vice Presidents, Ashley Morris

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological, qualitative study was to explore the experiences of African American female leaders in higher education. More specifically, this study examined the experiences of these leaders who assume the role of presidents and vice presidents at Georgia technical colleges. The study contextualized the experiences of these leaders and illustrated how those experiences influence their leadership methods and the establishment of their leadership presence. The results of this study form a context for understanding the leadership methods of African American female leaders.

The Relative Effectiveness Of Course Delivery Methodology On Student Success, Retention, And Persistence In Remedial Mathematics, John P. Eveland

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

There are a substantial number of studies that consider the effectiveness of online instructional methodologies in general, but there is sparse previous work specifically targeting developmental mathematics students in community colleges. This study examines the relative effectiveness of online versus traditionally delivered developmental mathematics courses at Somerset Community College (SCC) in Somerset, Kentucky. At SCC, developmental mathematics is divided into three consecutive courses, MAT 055, MAT 065, and MAT 085, and this study considered each of these courses separately.

For this study, each student enrollment in any of SCC’s developmental mathematics courses was obtained for students in the Fall 2011 …

Refugee Students In Community Colleges: How Colleges Can Respond To An Emerging Demographic Challenge, Minerva D. Tuliao, Deryl K. Hatch, Richard J. Torraco

Department of Educational Administration: Faculty Publications

This practice brief provides recommendations for community college leaders in addressing the educational needs of refugee students in community colleges. Despite increasingly diverse immigrant populations at community colleges, there is limited research examining refugee students and their needs in higher education settings. Educational needs related to social support, cultural competency of the campus community, and financial assistance are found to be salient for refugee students. Implications for community colleges are discussed from the perspective of validation and community cultural wealth. Strategies that meet the needs of refugee students include expanding social networks that involve local community organizations, developing specific support …

Chicanas In Ir: Data-Driven Advocacy For Latinx Students From Institutional Research Contexts In The Community College, Elvira Abrica, Martha Rivas

Department of Educational Administration: Faculty Publications

Various inequities and challenges facing Latinx students in community colleges continue to be documented. Yet, less documented are the challenges associated with advocacy efforts to support Latinx and other underrepresented Students of Color within the community college sector. There is not often pause to consider: who advocates for Latinx students? When and how does this advocacy take shape? In this article, we offer Chicana testimonios as institutional research (IR) professionals to highlight ways we experience, respond to, and challenge institutionalized racism and systemic obstacles to advocate for Latinx students in the California community college system. We situate our testimonios within …

Leader–Member Exchange Between Academic Deans And Faculty In Community Colleges, Alexander Lincoln Clifford

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Between 2011 and 2016, 84% of senior leaders in community colleges indicated retirement intentions and thereby exposed a need to provide better mentorship, training, and early selection of potential replacements for college executives. The purpose of this study was to determine the nature and extent of the relationships between the independent variables (mentorship, leadership training, and time in the position as dean) and the dependent variable (demonstrated leadership of academic deans in community colleges). A popular approach that describes this dynamic is Graen and Uhl-Bien's leader–member exchange theory, which was operationalized by the LMX–7 instrument. A causal–comparative design was used …

Leadership Adaptation To Changes In Public Funding Of Community Colleges, James Hightower Simpson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although growth in U.S. community colleges has been exponential, a major challenge accompanying that growth has been the source of funding, which has consisted of shifting proportions of tuition, local taxes, and state aid. The shift away from state aid toward fundraising, profit-oriented research, sophisticated financing, and higher tuition presents challenges and unintended consequences. This shift could threaten the community college access mission and contribute to a perception of higher education as a private good rather than a public good. With a framework of academic capitalism and resource dependency theories, the purpose of this basic qualitative interview study with 7 …

Attracting, Recruiting, And Retaining Qualified Faculty At Community Colleges In Sierra Leone, Gloria Betts

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This case study was designed to explore policies that were in place to attract, recruit, and retain qualified faculty for 4 community colleges in Sierra Leone. The research was necessitated by the apparent inability of Sierra Leone educators to train and retain faculty possessing the required academic credentials. The research questions were designed to address the policies and strategies used to attract and recruit faculty, better prepare faculty, improve the quality of classroom instruction, and retain qualified faculty at community colleges. The literature review yielded results about the benefits of community colleges in developing countries, thus reinforcing the need for …