Education Commons^™

Create A Better Flow Through Sequencing Resident Assistant Training, Rich Whitney, Sherry Early, Travis Whisler

Leadership Studies Faculty Research

The Resident Assistant (RA) role in higher education institutions is one of the most well-known functions on the modern campus (Akens & Novak, 2011; Porter, 1999), tracing back in some form to colonial times (Blimling, 2010; Winston & Fitch, 1993). There are roughly 10,000 (U.S. Department of Labor, 2011) RAs working at U.S. institutions. According to Winston et al. (1984), residence hall administrators are most likely the first student affairs professionals to employ students as paraprofessionals. Their functions include peer support and development, planning educational and social programs, and ensuring safety within the halls. The RA role, as peer educators, …

An Examination Of Mentoring Relationships And Leadership Capacity In Resident Assistants, Sherry L. Early Phd

Leadership Studies Faculty Research

The leadership capacity of resident assistants can be impacted by many experiences, including involvement in mentoring relationships. The purpose of this study was to examine if and how resident assistants’ leadership capacities are influenced by participating in these relationships. A sample of 6,006 resident assistants was analyzed using data from the 2009 Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership. An adapted version of Astin’s Input-Environment-Outcome college impact model was used as the conceptual framework, and the Social Change Model of Leadership was used as the theoretical framework. Overall findings revealed that resident assistants who participated in mentoring relationships exhibited significantly higher leadership capacities …

Welcome From The Co-Chairs. Knowledge Community For Student Leadership Programs Innovation Newsletter, Sherry Early, Michael Baumhardt

Leadership Studies Faculty Research

On behalf of our entire SLPKC Leadership Team, we'd like to be the first to welcome you to another academic year. We hope that the summer has allowed you the opportunity to unwind, rejuvenate, and come back ready to serve your students. Be assured that the SLPKC has been busy over the summer offering webinars, conducting research, representing our members at a national leadership collaborative summit, recognizing outstanding leadership programs, and much more. We are fortunate to have many of these summer projects highlighted within this newsletter.

Experiential Research And Practical Application: A Case Of Student Affairs Partnering With Academic Affairs, Sherry L. Early Phd, David Sleasman Mph, Jd, Nicholas A. Bowman Phd

Leadership Studies Faculty Research

Excerpt:

Learning occurs everywhere. Jernstadt (2004) suggests learning occurs on a continuum comprised of knowledge, recognition, application, and extrapolation (as cited in Keeling, 2006). “In our need to put things into categories, we have classified some parts of higher education as curricular, and other parts as co-curricular, but students just call it college” (Keeling & Associates, 2006, p. vii). Learning Reconsidered argued for the integrated use of higher education’s resources in the education and preparation of the whole student. One of the most critical elements required to accomplish this was the creation or enhancement of strong, collaborative working relationships among …

Values-Based Ethical Leadership: Developing Leaders With Integrity, Sherry L. Early Phd, Kim Kushner

Leadership Studies Faculty Research

Values-based leadership and ethical decision-making are hot topics. However, the expectations and frameworks surrounding these characteristics are often unclear. The purpose of this article is to analyze values-based, ethical leadership by defining values and ethics, summarizing values-based ethical decision-making frameworks, and examining how leadership educators (scholars and practitioners) can develop students who lead with integrity.

The Reflective Principal: Surviving The Journey, Louis K. Watts

Leadership Studies Faculty Research

I recently retired from the public school system after 34 years of service in the rural West Virginia county where I was born, reared, and educated through grade 12. For 22 of those years I was an elementary principal. Those years were an exciting and challenging time for me, and I hope that sharing some of my experiences will be entertaining and useful to young principals who are just beginning their journey. It is impossible to prescribe all of the steps that will be a part of that journey, but I can’t think of any better source of guidance than …