Digital Commons Network^™

Continuity In Iranian Leadership Legitimization: Farr-I Izadi, Shi’Ism, And Vilayet-I Faqih, Tamara C. Mackenthun

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The ancient Iranian belief in a mythological force that God bestows on kings in the form of a mystical light that validates their rule, the farr-ī īzadī, has persisted in Iran for millennia, and continues to influence Iranian concepts of leadership legitimization. The Islamic conquerors who overthrew Iran’s Sassanian Empire in the seventh century adapted this myth of Iranian sacral kingship to Islamic political culture, and used it to build a distinct Iranian Islamic political identity that persisted through centuries of regime changes. Iran’s Shi’i Muslims drew upon the concept of farr-i izadi in both of Iran’s twentieth century revolutions, …

Extension, The Land-Grant Mission, And Civic Agriculture: Cultivating Change, Kathryn Colasanti, Wynne Wright, Brenda Reau

Journal of Extension

Criticisms claiming the land-grant system has failed its mission and recent restructuring in the food system have together challenged the role played by Extension. This article explores whether a framework of southeast Michigan's Food System Economic Partnership (FSEP) fosters civic participation in the agrifood re-localization movement. Employing a case study approach, we discuss this framework and provide an overview of Extension educator involvement. Our case study indicates that the FSEP structure enables Extension professionals to expand their repertoire of community interaction models and engage citizens as agrifood citizens and leaders in order to move towards sustainable development.

Sp 501 Communication For Christian Leaders, Michael Pasquarello

Syllabi

David S. Cunningham, Faithful Persuasion G. Robert Jacks, Getting the Word Across: Speech Communication for Pastors and Lay Leaders Duane Litfin, Public Speaking

The Great Leader Project, James P. Burton

Organization Management Journal

This paper examines a project that has been incorporated into an undergraduate Leadership and Decision Making class. The project, the Great Leader Project, focuses student attention on the fact that effective leadership is not only a function of the specific traits and behaviors of a leader, but also a function of the characteristics of the followers and the leader’s context. In this project, a leader is randomly assigned to a group of students who are charged with analyzing the leader (both in a written report and an oral debate) using the concepts discussed in class. At the end of the …

The Effective Use Of Staff Governance In Academic Leadership, Michael Miller, Daniel Nadler

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

Colleges and universities provide both the human capital development and often the research backbone for the economy to function at a high level. Simultaneously, institutions provide a tremendous social benefit for graduates and other stakeholders who make use of their emphasis on the arts, entertainment, and cultural development. This multi-dimensional role, one in which Clark Kerr referred to as the “multiversity” (Johnson, Kavanagh, & Mattson, 2003, p. 11), often results in a conflicting notion of purpose and management, with competition for business-like accountability with public sector intangible service. Burgess (2009) noted that the result is the perspective of the public …

A Comparison Of The Leadership Practices Of Principals Of Making Middle Grades Work Schools As Measured By The Leadership Practices Inventory, David Knab

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

Leadership of the principal in schools continues to be identified as important to the success of the school and ultimately, the achievement of its students. Leithwood, Louis, Anderson, and Wahlstrom (2004), in their research, affirm that leadership is critical if schools are to continue to improve. “Leadership is second only to classroom instruction among all school-related factors that contribute to what students learn at school” (p. 5). Marzano, Walters, and McNulty’s (2005) also argue for better principals stating that if a principal were to improve their leadership practices, then student achievement would increase. In their research, they have identified 21 …

Fewer Women Than Men In Educational Leadership, Mahshid Pirouznia

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

The purpose of this study is to explore the possible obstacles in women’s pathway to a principalship; and examine if these obstacles have changed over the past two decades because of women’s changing roles.

Four Leadership Theories Addressing Contemporary Leadership Issues As The Theories Relate To The Scholarship, Practice, And Leadership Model, Heidi Gregory-Mina

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast transformational, transactional, charismatic, and contingent leadership theories and to determine similarities and differences between these theories in able to determine their future effectiveness. Additionally this paper looks at four leadership styles in term of how each address the following contemporary leadership issues: knowledge management, informatics / innovations and rapid change, and ethics.

Healers And Helpers, Unifying The People: A Qualitative Study Of Lakota Leadership, Kem M. Gambrell

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this critical grounded theory qualitative study was to explore Lakota Leadership from a Native perspective. Interviews were conducted with enrolled members of a Lakota tribe in an urban setting as well as on the Rosebud reservation to gain better awareness of leadership through a non-mainstream viewpoint. Previously, in order to understand leaders and followers, research limited its scope of discernment to dominant society, implying that non-mainstream individuals will acquiesce, or that differences found are inconsequential. Leadership scholars also have implied that leadership theory is “universal enough”, and can be applied globally regardless of influences such as race, …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of How Leadership Styles And Practices Of Principals Influence Their Job Satisfaction And Retention, Eric Matthew Denton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study addresses the challenge principals face in retaining highly qualified and effective teachers in their schools. Although efforts to recruit new teachers have proven successful, teachers are leaving education at alarming rates, especially in the first four years of their careers. The purpose of this study was to identify what school principals can do to increase teachers' job satisfaction and retention. To do so, 12 veteran teachers from four schools were interviewed from February to April 2009. The participants answered questions concerning their levels of job satisfaction, their perceptions of their principals' leadership styles, and their reasons for continuing …

Relationship Of Mathematics Curriculum On Student Achievement As Related To Instructional Leadership, Stephanie M. Nehus

Theses and Dissertations

NCLB has forced schools to raise student achievement. The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between mathematics curriculum and student achievement on the ACTAAP 8th grade Mathematics Benchmark exam. The population identified was all schools in Arkansas containing 8th grade. A simple random sample was drawn which encompassed 3 different mathematics curricula: traditional, standards-based, and balanced (N = 150). Student mathematics achievement data from a three year period (2005 - 2007) were collected on all schools that responded through the Arkansas Department of Education website in conjunction with the NORMES website, and included the percentage of students …

The Impact Of Enabling School Structures On The Degree Of Internal School Change As Measured By The Implementation Of Professional Learning Communities, Joseph Tylus

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract THE IMPACT OF ENABLING SCHOOL STRUCTURES ON THE DEGREE OF INTERNAL SCHOOL CHANGE AS MEASURED BY THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES By Joseph D. Tylus, Ph.D. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2009 Major Director: Dr. William C. Bosher Distinguished Professor, G. Wilder School of Policy Adjunct Professor, VCU School of Education This non-experimental, correlational study looked at the relationship between bureaucratic structures in middle and high schools in bringing about change in individual teacher classroom instructional practices through the centralized …

Ethical Leadership: Guiding Principles For Educators And Administrators, Mary P. Sullivan

Christian Perspectives in Education

Rooted in Biblical principles, this discussion of eight values associated with ethical leadership will provide educators and administrators with “food for thought” as they adopt their own personal code of ethics or guiding principles on which to base their leadership style.

Leadership In Partially Distributed Teams, Linda Plotnick

Dissertations

Inter-organizational collaboration is becoming more common. When organizations collaborate they often do so in partially distributed teams (PDTs). A PDT is a hybrid team that has at least one collocated subteam and at least two subteams that are geographically distributed and communicate primarily through electronic media. While PDTs share many characteristics with both traditionally collocated and fully distributed teams, they also have unique characteristics and issues.

This dissertation reports on a field study of PDTs conducted over two semesters with student participants, This research was conducted as part of a larger series of studies investigating PDTs, In these studies, participants …

Feminism, Globalism, And Leadership: How Women Make A "Worldly" World, Scott C. Hammond, Susan R. Madsen, Jory Jensen

Marketing and Strategy Faculty Publications

The influx of women into leadership, management, and idea leader roles is clearly one of the significant aspects of globalization over the last 50 years. While women are still underrepresented in global business and politics, their influence on reconceptualizing leadership models is undeniable. While it would be difficult to precisely determine a “feminist” perspective on leadership, idea leaders such as Follett, Kanter, and Wheatley have influenced the concept and practice of leadership beyond any gender construct. The unique themes within their work are present in the global dialogue that is reframing how we think about leadership. This paper will discuss …

Concerns And Perceptions Of Faculty Using Web-Based Instructional Technology., Elizabeth Romero Fuerte

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined faculty levels of implementation of Web-based instructional technology (WBIT) and computer self-efficacy beliefs (CSE) as factors associated to faculty perception of institutional mechanisms and its relative importance as conditions supporting the implementation of WBIT in higher education. Using a sample of 334 faculty teaching at selected universities in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, faculty perceptions of support mechanisms for the implementation of WBIT were examined. Results revealed that it is possible to develop faculty profiles that include psychological and behavioral variables and that adding such variables improve the prediction of faculty levels of technology implementation. Furthermore, findings from …

The Global Financial Meltdown: Is It A Recipe For Disaster To Employee Engagement?, Glen Weaver

Student Scholarship

The global financial crisis of 2007-2009 was particularly devastating to the financial services industry. Poor performance, mergers/acquisitions, and massive layoffs were characteristics of the crisis. For example, Citigroup lost almost $19 billion in 2008 and market capitalization for the top three U.S. banks for the period January 1, 2007 through January 15, 2009 fell $514 billion or 75%. It was reported that since the beginning of the financial crisis in July 2007, banks had shed over 186,000 positions and thousands more remained tenuously employed as banks struggled to sustain themselves in an increasingly volatile environment. Studies during this period reflected …

Ethical Leadership In Higher Education: Evolution Of Institutional Ethics Logic, William Hanson

All Dissertations

In higher education, we face a decade in which institutional integrity and legitimacy is under fire. In the words of Charles Dickens, this is certainly 'the worst of times' both economically and ethically for our nation, as well as for our colleges and universities. While members of higher education call for student academic ethics reform, ethical infractions by institutional leaders and faculty permeate professional literature and news--student loan scandals, charges of plagiarism, and falsified research, are but a few. This study begins with the premise that perhaps our efforts toward reform should focus on a better holistic understanding of system …

Workplace Incivility And Conflict Management Styles Of Community College Leaders In The Nine Mega States, Michelle Bartlett

All Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to examine the conflict management styles and perceived levels of workplace incivility of community college senior level administrators in the nine mega-states. Six research questions guided the study. Research question one described the self reported conflict management styles of the participants. Research question two described the participants' perceptions of workplace incivility. Research question three examined if relationships existed between conflict management styles and demographic variables. Research question four examined if relationships existed between workplace incivility and demographic variables. Research question five examined if relationships existed between workplace incivility and conflict management styles. Research question …

Managing The Mission Through Times Of Adversity: What Leads To Highly Reliable Performance?, Kathleen Roche

Student Scholarship

During times of severe economic adversity, nonprofit managers must lead their organizations and carry out their charitable missions to ever-growing and needier constituencies despite unpredictable endowment erosion, fewer contributions, less staff, and the most severe funding cuts most of them have ever experienced, or are prepared for. We propose research to explore which leadership skills and styles are most helpful and if reliance upon traditionality is a good indicator of endurance. By capturing the experiences of nonprofit leaders as they manage under conditions of duress, we will relate these factors to research about high reliability organizations, which have been found …

Women's Perceptions Of Leadership Roles Within A Southern Baptist Congregation, Tina Colvin Hook

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Particular biblical scriptures are used to justify the Southern Baptist Convention's position on leadership, including female ordination. The author uses interviews to examine how women within a Southern Baptist congregation in Southeast Georgia assign meaning to leadership roles and understand particular biblical scripture. The interviews revealed (1) knowledge gaps between the women's stated beliefs and their basic knowledge of their faith, and (2) contradictions between their views and their practices. The interviewees rationalized these gaps and contradictions using explanations of cultural memes and religious male hegemony. The respondents defined leadership in various ways, yet few recognized the power and authority …

School Leadership: Narratives Of Title I Distinguished Middle School Principals, Cindy L. Boyett

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

I began thinking about the topic of this dissertation in 2006 when I entered the world of educational leadership. I found myself struggling as I transitioned from middle school teacher to middle school administrator. I knew other novice administrators must be experiencing the same transition growth pains and that they too must be longing for information/stories from other leaders that have successfully made the transition to successful educational leader. Educational leaders are under close surveillance as the bar for accountability continues to increase each year due to measures put forth in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002. Everyone …

Making The Connection: Creating Leaders In Research, Education, And Practice Through Doctoral Study In Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy, Carlin Lorena Daley, Courtney E. Daniels, Camille Marie Dieterle, Lisa D. Hickey, Karen Mccarthy, Elizabeth Pyatak, Tina C. Yang

Collected Faculty Scholarship

Current students and recent graduates of USC's OTD and PhD programs share innovative projects that address the Centennial Vision priority areas of practice. They share practical and creative strategies for bridging the gaps between research, education, and practice, and developing and implementing changes in a variety of practice settings.

Frontline Nursing Leaders And Staff Retention In An Acute Care Community Hospital, Beth Torres

Theses and Dissertations

The current and projected nursing shortage makes it imperative for healthcare organizations to examine factors that promote staff retention. Previous studies identify nursing leadership as a key component influencing staff retention and turnover. This study supplements these studies by identifying key behaviors and attitudes of frontline nursing leaders that influence staff retention. Using a grounded theory qualitative approach, the researcher interviewed 19 frontline nursing leaders in an acute care community hospital. The researcher also explored the extent to which nursing leaders felt current leadership education and training programs support their practices that promote staff retention. The goal of the study …

Spring 2009 Farquhar Forum, Farquhar College Of Arts And Sciences

The Farquhar Forum College Magazine

No abstract provided.

A Comparison Of The Leadership Practices Of Principals Of High Schools That Work Schools As Measured By The Leadership Practices Inventory, David Knab

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

According to the online Merriam-Webster dictionary, leadership is defined as “the office or position of a leader, capacity to lead, the act or an instance of leading.” (Merriam-Webster, 2008). Therefore, one needs to go to the definition of “lead” to discover the true meaning of leadership. Accordingly, to lead means “to guide on a way especially by going in advance, to direct on a course or in a direction, to serve as a channel for ” (2008). Leadership as a verb must mean that individuals are able to motivate people to advance in some direction. Leadership also implies that the …

Teaching Leadership And Communications Skills And Responsibilities: A Comparison Of 4-H And Other Youth Organizations, Rama Radhakrishna, Prosper Doamekpor

Journal of Extension

This article compares 4-H and other youth organizations in helping youth to learn skills such as leadership, communications, and challenges and responsibilities. One-hundred fifty-eight former 4-H members who were also members of other youth organizations provided data for the study. More than one-half of former members indicated that 4-H was "more helpful" than other youth organizations in teaching skills relative to leadership and communications skills and responsibilities. Findings suggest that youth organizations, especially 4-H, have worth in that they help prepare youth to be responsible and contributing members of society.

Extension: A Modern-Day Pony Express?, Ben C. Ward, David Drake, Andy Londo

Journal of Extension

Extension now faces the same problem that threatened and ultimately led to the demise of the Pony Express: survival in changing times. The Pony Express was made irrelevant by revolutions in society and disappeared into American history. American society has undergone many revolutions since Extension's creation, and we argue that the organization simply has not kept pace. We opine that Extension is dangerously close to also becoming irrelevant, but that it can survive with bold and visionary leadership that addresses Extension's niche and mission, funding challenges, marketing strategies, and rigor of our programs.

Making Communities More Viable: Four Essential Factors For Successful Community Leadership, Kristina Ricketts, Nick T. Place

Journal of Extension

A recent study was undertaken to compare two particularly successful rural communities, focusing on the importance of leadership within the community. Four significant factors set these successful communities apart from those less viable-effective communication, development of social capital, community engagement, and collaboration across and within communities. This article describes each component and provides specific suggestions for improvement. Ultimately, these factors could be used as focus areas to improve community leadership through the development of community-appropriate curricula, seminars, and workshops.

Strategic Planning Leadership In Illinois Community Colleges: Who Is Leading The Process?, Tasha S. Williams

Dissertations

Planning is believed to bring stability, growth and reassurance to our lives. Since the recent economic downturn in the U.S. economy, individuals, families, small businesses, and major corporations are all looking to planners to assess every aspect of their financial futures. So, when it comes to our community colleges, the fabric of higher education in America, who is leading the planning process?

The 21st century will continue to unveil new challenges for community colleges. Beset with many challenges such as an austere funding environment, growing diverse student populations, community issues and needs, impending leadership and faculty retirements, globalization, and mounting …