Education Commons^™

The Patterns And Structures Of Information Technology Departments In Higher Education, Curt Herridge

Education Policy and Leadership Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the patterns and structures of the Information Technology (IT) department in US colleges and universities. It seeks to understand to whom the Chief Information Officer (CIO) reports, how the top level of the IT department is organized, and what functions the IT department offers. It then examines the university factors that are associated with variations. This quantitative case study uses primary data from the EDUCAUSE Core Data Survey (CDS) and IPEDS, combined with a novel dataset collected from university websites and AAU membership. The study employs Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) using IT variables to classify institutions into …

Scholars Programs: An Institutional Enigma, Lindsay Davis

Education Policy and Leadership Theses and Dissertations

The race to recruit high-achieving students to attend colleges and universities continues to intensify. Institutions view these high-achieving students as a benefit given the prestige associated with their enrollment, which impacts everything from rankings to reputation to resources. Some institutions use scholars programs as one means by which to attract high- achieving students to their campuses, but little is known about scholars programs, why they are created, how they operate, or the role they may play in helping to meet broader institutional goals.

This exploratory study examines scholars programs through the lens of organizational decision-making literature in the context of …

The Impact Of Principal Preparation On Student Outcomes, Tanya Shelton

Education Policy and Leadership Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand the role of principal preparation on first-year principals' ability to positively impact student outcomes. The study sought to understand key learning experiences that contributed to first-year principals' success upon completion of their preparation program. Using the case study method for this qualitative research study, I interviewed first-year principals to gather data on their perceptions of the learning experiences that led to their success. The research question that guided my qualitative research study was: How does one district-led principal preparation program in a large urban city increase first-year principals' capacity to effectively lead …

Core Tensions: An Exploratory Case Study Of Faculty Work At A Striving Institution, Molly Ellis

Education Policy and Leadership Theses and Dissertations

Drawing from the literature on faculty culture and striving institutions, my exploratory case study sheds light on the work tensions and experiences of faculty at a striving university. As the pursuit of prestige permeates the American higher education landscape, a greater understanding is needed on how institutional striving towards prestige influences faculty work. While variation exists in the work of professors across institutional types and disciplines, one constant holds true: too many responsibilities are competing for faculty members’ time. Current research on faculty work posits that the modern professor encounters disparate demands that make achieving a balance challenging.

Using a …