Education Commons^™

Applying The Social Model Of Disability: A Phenomenology Of Initiating Change In Higher Education, Olena M. Marshall

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

In the past decades, disability service professionals in higher education began adopting the social model of disability as a theoretical and practical framework for creating more inclusive campus environments for students with disabilities who attend colleges and universities in growing numbers. Specifically, in the early 2000s, an international organization of disability service professionals, the Association on Higher Education and Disability, took on a strategic effort to shift the paradigm of disability services toward systematically removing barriers to full participation and transforming disabling environments—away from the prevalent modes of service focusing on the medical model, legal and regulatory compliance, and ad …

A Student Conduct Administrator’S Journey To Wellness, Corie Amanda Marie Mccallum

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation research chronicles my experiences with emotions and learning as a student conduct administrator throughout the arduous process of investigating, becoming, and transforming by engaging sociocultural theory. Grounded in Authentic Inquiry (Tobin, 2006), this research centers my lived-experience and nuances the role of emotions in student affairs and especially student conduct practices. Throughout this dissertation I address themes surrounding reflexivity (Bourdieu, 1992), emotions (Turner, 2002) (Collins, 2004), and self-care. Each chapter is interpretive and impressionistic and represents my thinking as a researcher and conduct administrator. Throughout the chapters I narrate salient events and experiences in my student conduct practice …

Views From The Margins: A Multiple-Case Study Of The Lived Experiences Of Black Women Senior-Level Student Affairs Administrators, Tamekka L. Cornelius

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

Abstract

This qualitative study explores the lived experiences of senior-level Black women student affairs administrators at four-year degree granting institutions. Moreover, this study documents Black women in nonfaculty administrative roles in student affairs at both predominately White institutions (PWIs) and historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). A multiple case study research design was used to investigate this phenomenon. Two frameworks were used to ground the study: Black feminist thought and representational bureaucracy. The following questions guided it: (1) What are the work experiences of Black women in senior leadership positions in student affairs? (2) What barriers/issues to obtaining senior leadership …

Best Practices For Voter Engagement Within Higher Education, Alyssa Tomins

Honors Projects

It is imperative that higher education institutions learn more about how to recruit members of younger generations to participate in future elections. Young people have historically voted at low rates, but that trend has started to change in recent years as more resources are being devoted to voter engagement among young people. This leads to the interest of understanding what best practices and strategies have academic institutions utilized to advance voter engagement on their campuses. This qualitative study analyzes these best practices and strategies at 84 colleges and universities, all of whom are members of The Andrew Goodman Foundation Vote …

Pine Technical And Community College Policy Alignment Project, Amy Kruse

Leadership Education Capstones

The purpose of this project is to create an easily navigated campus policy and procedure process by aligning these documents with governing standards.

Emotionally Intelligent Leadership: An Application To Student Affairs, Alexander David Snowden

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to show the prevalence of emotionally intelligent leadership (EIL) that exists among student affairs professionals. The study evaluates the scores among student affairs professionals on the Emotionally Intelligent Leadership for Employees: Inventory (EILE-I) by utilizing information such as educational background, level of experience, gender, and racial identity.

The survey instrument, the Emotionally Intelligent Leadership for Employees Inventory, was designed and administered to 1068 student affairs professionals. Statistical tests from the responses included descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, reliability analysis, and analysis of variance. Results showed that student affairs professionals scored an average of “Somewhat …

Student Retention At The Community College Level, Davia Debisha Ramgeet

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Student retention has been a serious issue for many community colleges globally for several decades. In a community college in Jamaica, persistence rates have been steadily declining within the last several years. The purpose of this study was to investigate students’ experiences with the pre-college program that was designed to prepare students to enter and successfully complete college undergraduate programs. Astin’s conceptual framework on involvement was used for this qualitative project study. Key questions for this study included what in-class experiences and what student support services students participating in the pre-college program perceived to be most useful to their college …

A Qualitative Study Of The Lao American College Experience, Jerry Sithiphone

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The majority of the Lao American population arrived in the United States after the end of the “American War in Southeast Asia” in 1975 as political refugees. Nevertheless, as Asian Americans, Lao Americans are also stereotyped to be the “model minority” and therefore do not face the same educational and socioeconomical challenges like other communities of color. However, Lao Americans are not the model minority and face numerous obstacles as the community is overlooked and history is forgotten by mainstream America. The lack of scholarly literature on Lao Americans highlights not only the general misunderstanding of the community, but also …

“It Sucks, But I’M Grateful”: Understanding The Experience Of Autistic Students Living In The Residence Halls, Mary F. Elliott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As populations of Autistic students at institutions of higher education increases, it is becoming more important for institutions to evaluate their programs with these students in mind. While the Autistic population has grown, policies and services on campuses have not become more inclusive or supportive of this population as a response. This evaluation examines the Residential Learning Model, the guide through which the residential life program at one institution of higher education is delivered to the students living in the residence halls. Through the lens of the Autistic students and the student staff who live and work in the residence …

Intertwining Personal And Professional Domains: Examining Challenges, Strategies, And The Impact Of Mentoring On Careers Of Women In Higher Education Senior Leadership, Janice M. Johnson

All Theses, Dissertations, and Capstone Projects

Women are underrepresented in higher education senior leadership. Though this work focuses on senior leadership roles, it is important to note that this underrepresentation reaches beyond senior leadership roles and impacts all college and university employment levels, including recruiting and retaining qualified and diverse faculty members. The challenge is to identify push factors, glass ceilings, and other barriers that prevent women's equitable representation. The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the lived experiences women in higher education senior leadership roles identified as they navigated their career paths, including identifying personal, professional, and institutional challenges women …

Emergency Managers’ Perceptions Of Active Threat Preparedness In Higher Education, Shannon Daniel

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The shooting on Virginia Tech’s campus that left 32 dead in 2007 and other incidents since then resulted in active threat preparations at institutions of higher education (IHEs) in the United States. Little is known about how emergency managers understand campus preparedness and what enhanced learning in the implementation, training, and effectiveness of policies. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to understand how campus emergency managers perceived the effectiveness of the design and implementation of their standard operating procedures to protect against an active threat and what the emergency managers perceived enhanced their learning in the design and …

Oh, You're The One That's Keeping Us Open: Senior Student Affairs Officers' Crisis Leadership And Decision Making In Response To Covid-19, Michael R. Lango

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to understand the experience of higher education crisis leaders while facing an unprecedented crisis. COVID-19 thrust senior student affairs professionals, who most often serve as crisis leaders on small college campuses, into the position of decision-maker guiding the campus response to the pandemic. The research explored the crisis leadership experience of SSAOs during the first year of their crisis response. Five themes emerged from the data collected during the research: a) the influence of institutional structure and culture on decisions, b) uniqueness of crisis decision making, c) engagement and utilization of human resources, d) …

Academic Agenda, Goal Setting, And African American Male Student Persistence At A Predominantly Black Institution, Hamilton Jb Raymond

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Low African American male student graduation rates in the United States have been a concern for higher education administrators, and more strategies to address their challenges are needed. This basic qualitative study addressed the experiences of African American male students who persisted to graduation at a predominantly Black institution in the northeastern United States. The institutional departure model and goal setting theory formed the conceptual framework for the study. Nine African American males who graduated from the institution described their experiences with academic goal setting and a graduation agenda, through one-on-one interviews. Key findings included the challenges of financial concerns, …

Stress Resilience Development Of Undergraduate Student Leaders At Faith-Based Universities During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Grounded Theory Study, David Heitman

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Undergraduate student leaders express increasing stress levels, often leaving them unprepared to lead in a complex world of challenge and change. While higher education heavily invests in preparing graduates to think critically and lead successfully, research shows an increasing number of students display low-stress resiliency and risk-aversion while struggling to cope with challenge and failure pre-and post-graduation. This study, conducted at faith-based Christian universities during the COVID-19 pandemic, used grounded theory to generate a generalizable leadership stress resilience model that explains: (a) Why and how undergraduate student leaders experience stress; (b)The influence of stress on student leaders at faith-based institutions; …

Incorporating Critical Perspectives In Nonprofit Management Education Programs: How Critical Scholars Of Color Navigate Pressures In Higher Education, Khanh H. Nguyen

Doctoral Dissertations

The nonprofit sector has grown from a few charities, based on religious affiliation, to a multi-billion-dollar sector that supports the United States of America’s economic stability. As a result, the need for nonprofit management education has increased over the last three decades from 1990 to 2019 (O’Neill, 2005; Mirabella, 2014). However, most of the classes taught in nonprofit programs across the US focus on the transactional aspect of nonprofit leadership (Mirabella, 2014; Wang & Ashcraft, 2012). The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of the ways critical perspectives are engaged within nonprofit management education programs by …

Policies Affecting Post-Traditional Students And Students Facing Economic Instability At The Community College, Joshua Patrick Bowens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The following dissertation in practice researches policies from the Colorado Community College System (CCCS) that relate to Post-Traditional students and students experiencing economic instability. Using a conceptual framework of Motivational Theory (Maslow, 1943; Harrigan & Lamport-Commons, 2015; Herzberg, 1959) and the Principal-Agent theory (Jensen, & Meckling, 1976), this dissertation focuses on how one community college (CC) within the CCCS system interprets and implements those policies both college and campus wide, as well as departmentally. Although many studies exist pertaining to community college students, literature pertaining to Post-Traditional students in a community college setting has not been fully explored. This will …

Evaluating Foundational Components Of Research Consultations In An Academic Library Research Center, Ryan F. Buller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As our society continues to evolve at an ever-increasing rate, our higher education institutions, and the services they provide, must keep pace with societal changes in order to ensure that those services stay current and relevant. This program evaluation examines one such service, the research consultation model in University Libraries at the University of Denver. This evaluation was situated within the Human Ecological Theory Framework, to help understand how different environments can impact the recognition and value placed upon the foundational components of the service. An exploratory sequential mixed methods approach was used to determine what the foundational components of …