Digital Commons Network^™

Kinesiology Department Chairs’ Perceptions Of Their Training And Preparation, Kason O’Neil

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Department chairs are responsible for leading academic departments in higher education.  These individuals regularly make important decisions regarding such things as managing faculty and academic programming, overseeing budgets, and supporting student needs. Despite these responsibilities, many people become department chairs without receiving formal leadership training. This study explored how kinesiology department chairs across the United States viewed their preparation for the role and the importance of leadership training. A total of 111 department chairs completed an online survey about their background, previous training, and the importance of training for different administrative responsibilities. The results showed that most chairs had little …

Navigating Nil In Collegiate Athletics: Athletes, Institutional, And Market Perspectives, Don Lee, Hoyeol Yu, Myungwoo Lee, Minseok Cho

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

This study examines the post-2021 NCAA Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) era by synthesizing scholarship on how NIL policies have transformed collegiate athletics. Specifically, it explores the regulatory, economic, governance, and equity dynamics emerging from a decentralized policy environment and the rapid expansion of athlete commercialization. An AI-assisted scoping review and content analysis were conducted on NIL-related studies published in leading sport management and sport law journals since July 1, 2021. Using large language model–supported searches, thematic coding, and reliability and validity procedures, the selected studies were systematically analyzed across legal, governance, commercialization, athlete experience, and equity dimensions. Findings identified …

“Playing Mental Gymnastics”: Exploring Black Women College Athletes' Mental Health Experiences At Historically White Division I Universities, Ezinne D. Ofoegbu

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

Between 2002 and 2022, over 125 college athletes died by suicide, and Division I athletes represented 45% of these deaths. In 2023, Black women college athletes at Division I universities identified racism as a mental health stressor at a higher rate than their non-Black peers. The intersectional nature of social identities and athlete status may create gendered and racialized stressors that are uniquely experienced by Black women athletes. Given the underrepresentation of Black students (i.e., athletes and nonathletes), coaches, faculty, and staff at historically white institutions (HWIs), Black women athletes are likely navigating campus relationships and environments that are shaped …

The Impact Of Toxic Leadership On Intercollegiate Athletics: Gender-Differentiated Perceptions, Tara Tietjen-Smith, Haley Blount

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

While some investigative research has been conducted to examine the impact of toxic, or destructive, leadership in sport, few studies have focused on intercollegiate athletics departments. The purpose of this study was to examine how common toxic leadership is in intercollegiate athletics departments as well as its impact. A quantitative cross-sectional survey study was designed to examine NCAA Division I and II athletics employee experiences using the Toxic Triangle of Sport Management (TToSM) as a theoretical framework. Respondents (N = 2,051) were asked questions concerning their perceptions of work environments, leadership, and organizational culture procured from three distinct and well-established …

Servingness On The Sidelines: Latina/O/X Athletic Administrators At Division I Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Guillermo Ortega

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

This qualitative study examines how servingness is understood and enacted within NCAA Division I athletic departments at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). Guided by Garcia et al.’s multidimensional servingness framework, the study draws on interviews with ten NCAA Division I Latina/o/x athletic administrators. Findings reveal that athletics is frequently disconnected from institutional HSI missions, with servingness often reduced to symbolic or performative practices. Limited Latina/o/x representation in athletic departments further constrains institutional capacity to serve. Despite structural exclusion, participants cultivate servingness through cultural affirmation and community building. Implications highlight the need to structurally integrate athletics into HSI missions and redistribute cultural labor.

Elite Esports Players And Their Physical Health: A Systematic Review Of Injuries, Musculoskeletal Pain, And Fitness-Related Factors, Michal Steffl, Daniel Opelik, Vladimir Hlinka, Grzegorz Mikrut, Petra Hospodkova

Baltic Journal of Health and Physical Activity

Background: The rapid rise of competitive esports has sparked concerns over the physical health of elite players. Prolonged sedentary behaviour, repetitive movements, and poor ergonomic practices may predispose these athletes to injuries, musculoskeletal pain, and unfavourable body composition. Materials and methods: A systematic review following PRISMA guidelines was conducted by searching Pub-Med, Scopus, EBSCOhost, and Web of Science for cross-sectional studies on physical activity (PA), body composition, physical fitness, and musculoskeletal health in elite esports players. Data from 22 peer-reviewed studies involving 5,035 participants aged 16 to 35 were synthesized. Results: Findings consistently show that esports players engage in lower …

New Basketball Venues And Attendance In Men's College Basketball: Insights For Facility Planning And Athletic Department Strategy, Brad Stinnett

Global Sport Business Journal

As college athletic departments continue to put considerable resources into basketball facilities, understanding the impact these venues can have on attendance has become increasingly vital. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of new basketball facilities on attendance among NCAA Division I men's basketball programs. Using a longitudinal pre-post comparative research design, 20 programs that opened new venues since the 2015-16 season served as the sample. A dataset was created using publicly available secondary archival data sources. Findings highlight attendance patterns after the opening of the new venue, facility capacity utilization, and changes in program winning percentage. …

Community-Based Participatory And Action Research: Bridging Latin American And Local Perspectives, Latin American And Iberian Institute, Nina Wallerstein, Andreas Hernandez, Andrea Román-Alfaro

LAII Events

Thursday, September 24th and Friday, September 25th.

Join us for a one-and-a-half day conference bringing together scholars, students, and community partners engaged in participatory and community-based research in Latin America, New Mexico, and the Southwest. The conference will feature invited speakers, interactive workshops, World Café-style discussions, and student lightning talks designed to foster dialogue, exchange ideas, and strengthen connections across Latin American and local contexts.

Featured invited speakers:

Anjuli Fahlberg, Tufts University
Nilza Rogéria de Andrade Nunes, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-RJ)
Siegrid Guillaumon Dechandt, University of Brasília

Organized by the Latin American and Iberian Institute (LAII) …

A New Age Of Leaders: Examining The Empowering Effect Of Collaborative Leadership In Nonprofit Organizations, Colton C. Hyble

PNHA Review

In the changing environment in the nonprofit sector, leaders are under increasing pressure to satisfy stakeholders and bring change to their communities. The collaborative leadership style, proposed and built upon by various authors in the twentieth century, is one potential solution. A theoretical analysis was conducted to understand the collaborative style, its strengths and weaknesses, and its applicability to the nonprofit sector. Results showed overwhelmingly positive findings in the impact on the organization, highlighted by increased organizational performance, a positive workplace environment, and superb employee job satisfaction. Few drawbacks and potential pitfalls exist in slowness, the possibility of a narrow …

Community-Based Participatory And Action Research: Bridging Latin American And Local Perspectives, Latin American And Iberian Institute, Nina Wallerstein, Andreas Hernandez, Andrea Román-Alfaro

LAII Events

Thursday, September 24th and Friday, September 25th.

Join us for a one-and-a-half day conference bringing together scholars, students, and community partners engaged in participatory and community-based research in Latin America, New Mexico, and the Southwest. The conference will feature invited speakers, interactive workshops, World Café-style discussions, and student lightning talks designed to foster dialogue, exchange ideas, and strengthen connections across Latin American and local contexts.

Featured invited speakers:

Anjuli Fahlberg, Tufts University
Nilza Rogéria de Andrade Nunes, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-RJ)
Siegrid Guillaumon Dechandt, University of Brasília

Organized by the Latin American and Iberian Institute (LAII) …

Factors Shaping The Graduate Assistantship Experience In Ncaa Division I Athletic Departments, Kelly P. Elliott, Kate Labate, Josh Tennant, Chris Espinosa

The COSMA Journal

Graduate Assistantships (GA) are a critical component of career preparation in sport management, yet little is known about how the GA experiences vary across institutions, and intercollegiate athletic departments. This exploratory study examined differences in intercollegiate athletic department GAs based on NCAA Division I subdivision, length of time the GA served in the position, and how the GA found the opportunity. Survey data were collected from GAs listed on athletic department staff directories. The instrument assessed functional areas, supervision, compensation, satisfaction, and perceived career impact. Chi-square analyses compared GA experiences across institutional and student-level variables. Overall, the findings suggest that …

Hospitality And Tourism Students’ Perceptions Of Well-Being, Belonging, And Engagement In Their Academic Endeavors And Extracurricular Activities, Cynthia S. Deale, Seung Hyun Lee

International Journal for Business Education

Background/Introduction/Purpose: This study examined hospitality and tourism college/university students’ views of their engagement, well-being, and sense of belonging in academic and extracurricular activities, based on 130 responses from students in the United States.

Methods: Descriptive analysis, analysis of variance, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling were used to analyze the responses. Qualitative comments were also obtained.

Results:  Respondents felt positive overall about their engagement, and many participated in extracurricular activities. The relationships between class engagement and sense of belonging, and between campus engagement and sense of belonging were significant, and the sense of belonging significantly influenced student subjective …

September 2026 Graduate Council Minutes, University Of Nebraska At Kearney Graduate Council

Graduate Council Minutes

No abstract provided.

Becoming: Adult Learners In Graduate Education And The Pursuit Of A Meaningful Life, Tara Shollenberger

Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership

Adult learners in graduate education represent a population defined by deliberate, purposeful choice. Unlike traditional-age students, these individuals advance within higher education while managing careers, families, and complex life responsibilities. This conceptual paper explores the espoused and enacted vision for a meaningful life held by adult learners in graduate education, with particular attention to doctoral students in professional education programs. Evidence is drawn from national enrollment and attrition data, relevant scholarship, and nearly two decades of direct practitioner observation. The paper argues that adult graduate learners are animated by a vision of becoming: a generational, relational, and deeply purposeful understanding …

Education Division Minutes 9/8/26, Education Division

Education Division

No abstract provided.

Matching And Mentoring: Effects Of Managers On Worker Productivity, Chengyuan Hua

Economics Faculty Working Papers Series

This paper studies how managers matter for worker productivity by exploiting manager moves in Major League Baseball. I first show that manager effects are primarily match-specific using an AKM-type model. Then, staggered difference-in-differences results show positive effects of shared characteristics, including same position, both lefties, and same hometown. Effects of same position and both lefties are larger than same hometown. Effects are more pronounced for younger and less productive workers, indicating that mentoring is the primary mechanism while in-group bias is secondary. Finally, there is suggestive evidence that a manager’s productivity as a worker is not a positive characteristic.

How Philadelphia Markets Itself As A Fifa 2026 Host City: A Social Media Strategy Analysis, Taylor C. Mickley, Kelly G. Barr, Lali Odosashvili

ICHRIE Research Reports

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup around the corner, host cities are competing for global attention on social media. This study analyzed 543 Instagram posts from three host cities: Philadelphia and New York/New Jersey from the USA and Monterrey, Mexico. Posts were collected between August and December 2025 during the FIFA World Cup qualifying period for North and Central America and the Caribbean. Content was classified by category and format, and engagement was measured through reactions, comments, reposts, and shares. The findings challenge a common assumption: cities that posted the most did not generate the most engagement. Commercial content such …

Rethinking Road Racing Standards: Comparing New York Road Runners Race Results To Running Industry Standards, Jennie Coughlin

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Running has undergone a third boom in participation since 2020, driven largely by people seeking fitness options that were outside and socially distanced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Social media has also allowed runners from groups that did not traditionally participate to find community. As the road racing population has expanded to include more people, some road racing industry standards have not kept up. This project assesses what the road racing community looks like and measures industry standards against the community of participants to see what changes in those standards would be needed to make them inclusive for all participants.

To …

Joining Forces:A Research-Practice Partnership For Out-Of-School Time, Julián C. Alonso Restrepo, Trevor Bopp, Diedre F. Houchen, Chanae Jackson, Sunshine Moss, Rose M. Pringle, Christine Wegner

Journal of Youth Development

This article describes the development and early implementation of the Youth Development Research-Practice Partnership (YDRPP), a collaboration between university researchers and the Better Out-of-School Time (BOOST) Alliance in Alachua County, Florida. Established to address persistent racial and socioeconomic disparities affecting youth, the partnership used a collaborative qualitative assessment to identify local youth needs, program strengths, and organizational challenges. Findings revealed that practitioners viewed academic support, mental health, social-emotional development, positive adult relationships, physical activity, life skills, and workforce preparation as the most pressing needs of youth. Programs responded through holistic offerings that included tutoring, mentoring, trauma-informed practices, recreation, career readiness, …

Light & Faith: September 2026, Taylor University

Light & Faith

No abstract provided.

The Pickleball Opportunity: A Case Study To Evaluate The Market Demand And Feasibility Of Opening A Private Pickleball Facility, Dene Williamson, Janet Jones

Global Sport Business Journal

This case study explores the market demand and financial feasibility of opening a privately owned, indoor pickleball facility in Warrensburg, Missouri. The central character, Mr. Dink, returns to his rural hometown with the goal of building a community-centric recreational space centered around America’s fastest-growing sport—pickleball. Students are asked to evaluate the business opportunity through comprehensive market research, financial forecasting, and risk assessment. Drawing from comparative data provided by an established facility in Florida, the case challenges students to adapt proven strategies to a smaller, lower-cost market. The case provides a platform to practice feasibility analysis, pricing strategy, break-even modeling, marketing, …

2026 September, Morehead State University. Office Of Communications & Marketing.

Morehead State Press Release Archive, 1961 to the Present

Press releases for September of 2026.

Lanthorn, Vol. 61, No. 02, August 31, 2026, Grand Valley State University

Volume 61, August 10, 2026 – current

Lanthorn is Grand Valley State's student newspaper, published from 1968 to the present.

The Intersection Of Sport Betting And Consumer Behavior: A Systematic Review, Jackson Sears, Beth Cianfrone

UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal

Sport betting is a popular and lucrative entertainment segment of the sport industry. As such, understanding consumer behavior across the betting experiences is critical for the many stakeholders involved. The current study is a systematic quantitative literature review which assesses the current state of literature that intersects sport betting and consumer behavior literature, specifically cognitive, affective, conative, and consumption behavior of the sport bettors. The purpose of the systematic review is to (1) identify the most recent sport betting consumer behavior research, (2) compile and examine theoretical frameworks guiding sport gambling consumer research, (3) provide a descriptive summary of findings …

‘Passing’ The Baton Of Trauma: Queer Failure Of The Women’S Sport Policy Working Group’S Anti-Trans ‘Position’, Meredith M. Bagley, Mary Anne Taylor, Sarah F. Price

Publications and Research

Engaging in critical rhetorical theory and methodology, we interrogate the contemporary landscape of anti-trans backlash in women’s sport. Specifically, we read the ‘TERF wars’ (Pearce et al.) across critiques of biofeminism (Pape) and whiteness (Fischer) while drawing upon critical social science research into trauma-bonding, bullying, and the structural impacts of gender verification policies. Our analysis focuses on the Women’s Sports Policy Working Group (WSPWG), offering a trauma-informed reading of the WSPWG’s ‘Position’ statement to illuminate how lesbian female athletes who were previously slandered for failing to meet femininity norms in sport are unable to overcome that trauma to recognize and …

Education Division Minutes 8/20/26, Education Division

Education Division

No abstract provided.

Locker Room To The Classroom, Bert Wicks

Masters Theses

This thesis sought to explore the feasibility of using graduated collegiate athletes to supplement teaching populations to mitigate the teaching shortage in America. The researcher interviewed five professionals in education and five current college athletes to assist in answering two research questions. What are the perceptions of school administrators regarding the employment of former collegiate athletes as public-school teachers, in comparison to educators with formal academic training in education, and what are the attitudes of current and former collegiate athletes on the prospects of pursuing careers in public school teaching relative to employment opportunities aligned with their academic major were …

Agapē, Aretē, And The Arena: Exploring Sport Through Faith, Reason, And Olympism, Gary V. Meegan

Journal of Catholic Education

Young people have a passion for play, for competition and sport, a place where they feel fully alive. As a result, Catholic schools have introduced courses to explore sport and spirituality, delving into the working of God in their lives through athletics. However, the study of philosophy is integral to the understanding of the Catholic faith, therefore any education must also include the study of philosophy if it is to be authentically Catholic. The opportunity to create a course that incorporated both disciplines with sport resulted in a high school elective course titled, Philosophy and Theology of Sport. Its purpose …

A Historical Analysis Of Competitive Dominance In The Men's Individual Events At The World Fencing Championships (1921–2022), Zainab Ali Abdul Ameer

Modern Sport

The study aimed to analyze the trajectory of competitive dominance in the Men's Individual Events at the World Fencing Championships during the period 1921–2022. It also examined medal distribution patterns and analyzed competitive specialization according to weapon category. The study used comparative historical analytical approach, through tracking the results of the World Fencing Championships across four historical stages, based on official data, medal distribution and percentage indicators. The most significant outcome was the shift of competitive dominance from Hungary, which won 10 and 13 gold medals in the first and second historical stages, respectively, to the Soviet Union, which achieved …

Growth, Governance, And Organizational Crisis In Nonprofit Rowing Club: Failures In Leadership In A Growing Organization, Noah Legendre, Ehren R. Green

The COSMA Journal

This case explores governance and leadership challenges within a growing nonprofit sport organization governed by a volunteer board of directors. Within this case, the Litchberg Valley Rowing Club (LVRC), a rowing organization in a small community, experienced rapid growth in membership, financial resources, and competitive success. Despite this growth, the organization maintained informal governance structures and policies to guide its decision-making. In this case, the board of directors elected to terminate the head coach because of difficult contract negotiations and other issues at hand. This decision was met with public backlash, raising concerns about club leadership and the future of …