Educational Administration and Supervision Commons^™

Creating Intentionally Inviting School Cultures During Crisis, Corinne Brion

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

This qualitative study used Purkey and Novack’s (1988) Invitational Education as a conceptual framework to understand how 30 educational leaders in Ohio’s urban and suburban districts created intentionally inviting school cultures during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Findings indicated that leaders altered their leadership styles to focus on people rather than programs and policies in order to be more inviting. Challenges pertained to insufficient funding to provide professional development for teachers and parents and the need for more mobile devices and connectivity. This study is significant because it expands the invitational education framework to show how leaders are being intentionally inviting …

Covid-19 Crisis Management Strategies And Challenges Of Educational Leaders In America, Corinne Brion, Bilgen Kiral

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

This research was conducted to understand how 30 American school leaders managed during the COVID-19 pandemic. This qualitative study used a case study approach. The researchers utilized a convenience and snowball sampling to conduct Zoom interviews in May 2020. The research findings revealed that leaders encountered numerous difficulties related to having to lead during two crises (a global pandemic and social-racial issues). Findings also indicated that leaders altered their style and used many strategies to lead in times of crises: They emphasized communication, became stress managers and cheer leaders, focused on developing a sense of belonging among teachers and students …

Marianist Educational Associates: Advancing And Promoting The Mission Of Catholic And Marianist Universities, Corinne Brion, Allison P. Leigh

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Preparing employees to become stewards of the Marianist values and charisms has become a priority at a Marianist institution because employees impact the institution’s environment and faculty and staff directly impact student learning. To date, there is a lack of research conducted among employees of a Marianist institution on how new understandings of institutional mission get transferred to their jobs. Additionally, there is a lack of empirical studies that examine what enhances and hinders the transfer of such understanding. Using the Multidimensional Model of Learning Transfer as a theoretical framework, the purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the …

Changing Cultural Norms Through Educational Leadership: Voices From Ghanaian Women Principals, Corinne Brion, A. Ampah-Mensah

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

The purpose of this phenomenology study was to understand the experiences of women principals located in Komenda Edina Eguafo Abrem (KEEA) district of the Central Region of Ghana, a patriarchal and traditional society. Specifically, this study examined how cultural factors positively or negatively influenced women access to the principal role and influenced their leadership experiences. Using Hofstede et al.’s (2010) six dimensions of national culture as a conceptual framework, this study elucidates the experiences of 12 women school leaders. Findings revealed that these women navigated cultural norms and beliefs in order to exercise their own leadership style and pursue their …

Trauma-Informed Leadership, Corinne Brion

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

According to recent data, over 34 million students have experienced at least one or more types of serious childhood trauma. As a result, current and prospective school leaders urgently need to develop trauma-driven skills and abilities in order to create safe schools for all students and raise academic outcomes. This teaching case study raises issues related to trauma experienced among students and its impact on students and school improvement. The author discusses one case in a fictitious district that is representative of the kind of traumas many other American schools face. I also provide additional resources for practitioners.

Leading In Times Of Crisis, Corinne Brion

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Defining what a crisis is can be challenging because the definition may vary based on information such as who the person defining it is and the context in which this person resides or learns. Educators and community members may argue that their educational organizations have always been in crisis depending on where their schools are located, their schools’ resources, and their students’ learning outcomes and well-being. Thus, for these communities it may be difficult to pinpoint how and when a crisis hits.

In this case study, the author defines crisis as, any situation that disrupts the education and training process …

An Exploration Of Campus-Wide Pauses Of Fraternity And Sorority Communities: Utilizing A Four Frame Approach, Corey Esquenazi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

In recent years universities have tried to address fraternity and sorority drinking and hazing culture by utilizing pauses on fraternity and sorority activity. This study of this phenomena appears to be absent from the extent literature on prevention strategies. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the phenomena of campus-wide pauses of fraternity and sorority communities. The two cases examined were at large public research institutions with robust fraternity and sorority communities. Analysis occurred through a process of open coding, theoretical propositions, derived from Bolman and Deals organizational frames and cross case analysis. Data was collected through …

Challenges Of Duality: Conflict And Satisfaction In Maintaining Roles As Students And Employees, Jade Laderwarg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Previous research has overlooked university employees' dual working student role as a potential antecedent to altered job perceptions. Therefore, a causal-comparative, quantitative study was conducted to examine how enrollment affects the job satisfaction, role conflict, and role ambiguity of non-instructional university staff. The researcher tested demographic variables, such as age, gender, racial identity, parental status, marital status, and years of service to determine if they moderated the relationship between enrollment and job perception. Among the 811 full-time university staff members who participated, 197 were enrolled as students and 614 were not enrolled. Participants completed the Measure of Job Satisfaction, the …

University Of Nebraska At Omaha 2021-2022 Course Catalog, University Of Nebraska At Omaha

Undergraduate Catalogs

Located in one of America’s best cities to live, work and learn, the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is Nebraska’s premier metropolitan university. With more than 15,000 students enrolled in 200-plus programs of study, UNO is recognized nationally for its online education, graduate education, military friendliness, and community engagement efforts. Founded in 1908, UNO has served learners of all backgrounds for more than 100 years and is dedicated to another century of excellence both in the classroom and in the community

Distance Education Administrators Starting Online Programs In Higher Education: A Case Study Of The Tasks, Processes, And Challenges Of Change To E-Learning, Jason P. Johnston

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

While total enrollment for Title IV universities in the United States has declined 4 percent from 2013-2018, overall online course enrollment has rapidly increased by 22 percent (National Center for Education Statistics, 2020). Not long ago, distance education had limited diffusion in universities and was considered a tertiary, experimental “add-on” to education (Burnette, 2015). Now, online learning is becoming a transformative power striking profound influence and change on all aspects of higher education (Otte & Benke, 2006). Beaudoin (2015) claims this may be the most crucial change impacting education since the printing press. This study explores the tasks, processes, and …

Catalyzing Change In Higher Education: Social Capital And Network Leadership In The Competency-Based Education Network, Bruce William Haupt Jr.

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Collaborative inter-organizational networks can be effective at catalyzing and supporting the generation and diffusion of new models and practices. With shared purpose, structure, and resources, network organizations can facilitate knowledge exchange and the growth of inter-organizational relationships. In this study, I sought to better understand how network organizations influence social capital and the spread of innovative practices. Of particular interest were the roles of national network and sub-national network organizations (sub-networks), and the interactive learning processes of network newcomers. I focused on the diverse array of colleges and universities involved in the Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN), and their efforts to …

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 …

Aristocratic Excellence, Secular Ecumenism, And The Life Of The Modern Law School: Book Review, Neil Fulton

Faculty Publications

Anthony Kronman and John Sexton have both authored books about the state of higher education: Kronman's entitled, The Assault on American Excellence; Sexton's entitled, Standing for Reason. Both authors have extensive experience as instructors and administrators. Both have academic careers centered around law schools. Both use their books to explore the critical mission of universities in modern society, political and social challenges to that mission, and how to overcome those challenges. Both books are informed, provocative, and ultimately hopeful about the future of higher education. Both, while centered on universities more generally, provide avenues to think about the …

Faculty And Administrator’S Perspective On Degree Completion Initiatives In The Commonwealth Of Kentucky, Jennifer Hammonds

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this research is to better understand the factors in students’ lives that determine why they fail to earn a degree and how institutions retain or recruit back stopouts for completion of certificates and degrees. Degree completion is a national, state, and institutional priority as all groups are falling short on meeting degree attainment goals. Currently, there is an abundance of literature on why students stopout. The literature does not directly propose strategies that would increase degree completion or determine the necessary faculty and staff training needed to implement those strategies. This research helps fill the gap in …

Women Who Lead: A Feminist Phenomenology Of Crisis Leadership In Higher Education, Ingrid Helene Mcvanner

Doctoral Dissertations

The landscape of higher education is rife with crisis events, ranging from the global COVID-19 pandemic to natural disasters and institutional and industry-wide scandals; yet, most institutions of higher education are unprepared to tackle these crises as they arrive. As an industry, higher education is also largely dominated by men at its upper echelons, despite being a field that is predominantly staffed by women. Amidst the backdrop of the attention COVID-19 has brought to female world leaders and the quest for parity in higher education leadership positions, this study sought to explore the lived experiences of women leaders in higher …

Employability In Academe For Athletic Trainers With The Doctor Of Athletic Training Degree, Bonnie L. Van Lunen, Stephanie H. Clines, Tyler Reems, Lindsey E. Eberman, Dorice A. Hankemeier, Cailee E. Welch

Rehabilitation Sciences Faculty Publications

The doctor of athletic training (DAT) degree has recently been introduced into academe. Limited literature exists regarding how individuals with this degree can become part of an athletic training faculty. To identify department chairs' perceptions of the DAT degree and determine whether they viewed the degree as viable when hiring new faculty within a postbaccalaureate professional athletic training program. Cross-sectional study. Online survey instrument. A total of 376 department chairs who had oversight of Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education athletic training programs were invited to participate. Of these, 190 individuals (50.5%) accessed the survey, and 151 of the …

Women As College And University Presidents: Sharpening The Needle, Janell Emmaline Gibson

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

Women are underrepresented as college and university (school) presidents and currently hold about 30% of school presidencies. In 2014, the American Council on Education (ACE) launched an initiative to achieve gender parity among U.S. school presidencies by 2030. To support this initiative, Dr. Belle Wheelan, president of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), challenged member institutions to support ACE’s initiative in achieving gender parity among school presidents by 2030. The boards of trustees hire school presidents and play a pivotal role in achieving gender parity. The research addresses a gap in literature examining if there …

College Choice And College Match Among High-Achieving Pell-Eligible Students: An Instrumental Case Study Exploring Social Actor Influence, Jennifer A. Perkins

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

College undermatch, the pattern of well-qualified students applying to and attending less selective colleges than their academic qualifications would permit, disproportionally affects low-SES students, a particular concern since attending a match college increases the likelihood that a student will graduate and reduces the amount of time to degree. The number of college-going individuals in one’s social network (including parents, peers, teachers, mentors, etc.) has a strong influence on whether a student attends a good academic match college, but little is known about the nature of the interactions between students and these college-going influencers. This instrumental case study sought to fill …

"Sup Bro": Constructions And Perceptions Of Masculinity And Gender Identity Among Division Iii Student-Athlete Men, Mark Carbonara

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Patriarchal systems of power, privilege, and oppression are reinforced by college men every day, but there are certain populations of college men who wield a stronger ability to influence change. Student-athlete men at NCAA Division III institutions are often viewed as “culture creators” on their campuses. Moreover, many of these programs reside at smaller institutions, where the impact of toxic masculinity has potential to be more concentrated. Student-athlete men are often seen as representing hegemonic forms of masculinity, therefore having influence in setting norms of what is expected of men on campus. This critical narrative inquiry study explored how participating …

Internal Funding Newsletter, Academic Year 2020-2021, Office Of Research And Creative Activity

Internal Funding Newsletters

The University of Nebraska at Omaha is committed to fostering the academic and scholarly pursuits of faculty, staff, and students. While the 2020- 2021 Academic Year brought many changes and challenges, UNO has continued to invest in a multitude of funding programs to promote research and creative activity. This year’s programs provided over $530,000 for student and faculty projects that reflect the broad range of scholarly interests of the UNO community, including gender differences in remote meeting behaviors and networking, an inquiry into the scope of missing and murdered Indigenous women on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and its border …

Enrolling And Matriculatiing Adult Learners At A Public Community College In Illinois, Christina J. Coclanis-Loding

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Christina J. Coclanis-LodingDepartment of Higher Education and Student Affairs Northern Illinois University, 2021 Carrie A. Kortegast, Director

There are 44 million adults over the age of 24 who hold a high school diploma, and another 35 million adult who have some college credit, but have not earned their college degree. These numbers make adult learners a viable population to attract and matriculate at community colleges. Considering the impact adult learners would have on enrollment in a time when enrollment numbers have been declining and the benefits to the local economies by providing skilled workers, the recruitment of adult learners is …

What Does The Staff Say?: Front-Line Staff Perceptions Of Their Role In Student Success, Lee A. Helbert

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study focused on exploring the perceptions of front-line staff in supporting student success at a mid-western community college. These staff are generally the employees who are not generally involved with teaching or administration, but work in offices like the business, financial aid, enrollment services, or are administrative assistants to the different departments. Nine participants participated in individual interviews and/or a focus group discussion. These front-line staff shared their stories that related to how they saw themselves contributing to student success, what they saw as the challenges and benefits of supporting students, and what professional opportunities were provided by the …

Undocumented Community College Students: The Impact Of Strategic Enrollment Management Frontline Staff In Level Of Undocufriendliness, Melisa Erica Jimenez

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Thousands of undocumented students are enrolled in post-secondary education institutions across the nation and continue to encounter challenges in accessing the resources and support for an equitable transition into these institutions. The goal of this qualitative case study was to explore the experiences and knowledge gaps of Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) staff by examining their perceptions of their role and responsibility in supporting undocumented students and their assessment of the campus climate and culture for undocumented students. While scholarship exists about undocumented students in colleges and universities, this research explores this in the context of the community college, where there …

Assessing Faculty Perceptions Of A Guided Pathways Model, Lesley Lynn Zimmerman-Cooper

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Since the inception of the guided pathways model in 2015, most related research has focused on the interconnecting processes and practices that lead to student persistence and completion. While the processes and practices are the basis of the model, scholars acknowledge that the model's human capital and change management components are just as significant. An institution must have a majority of its faculty and staff engaged in and excited about shifting to guided pathways for the model to succeed and be sustainable. Buy-in across the institution, but especially from faculty, is essential to the model's overall effectiveness.This qualitative case study, …

That Push Helps: A Qualitative Case Study Exploring Students' Responses To Receiving An Early Alert, Eric Tammes

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation examined the decision-making experience of students receiving an early alert notification at a community college and what influenced students’ responses to the alert. Early alert programs are identified as a high impact persistence practice and may involve significant financial, technology, and personnel investments. Examining how students engage or disconnect from an early alert program may help maximize the institution’s investment and fulfill the program’s intent. Utilizing a qualitative case study, informed by Pascarella’s (1980) Student-Faculty Informal Contact model, this study sought to fill a gap within the persistence and early alert literature. The study also provided participant-driven guidance …

An Exploratory Study Of The Use Of Social Infrastructure Public-Private Partnerships (P3s) For Public University Facilities, Ashley Connors

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Public universities in the United States have experienced continual state budget reductions since 2008. These cuts have forced public universities to defer maintenance on existing facilities and delay new facility construction. Consequently, public university administrators have sought alternative financing approaches to meet their facility needs. Several public universities have turned to social infrastructure public-private partnerships (P3s). Using a multiple case study approach, this exploratory, descriptive research study examines the use of social infrastructure P3 projects by public universities to determine: (1) what public university facility needs are being addressed, (2) what types of P3s are being utilized, and (3) what …

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, …

Building Institutional Support For Undocumented And Daca-Eligible College Students In Michigan, John A. Vasquez, Alejandra Acosta, Rosario Torres, Melissa Hernandez

Journal of College Access

In 2017, the state of Michigan operated, and continues to operate, in an unstipulated policy environment related to undocumented students. There is no higher education commission or policy coordinating body in Michigan nor has the state legislature passed any legislation related to undocumented students or students who are DACA-eligible. Under this unstipulated policy environment, postsecondary institutions have the discretion to establish their own admissions policies and practices, including tuition and financial aid guidelines for undocumented students. Some institutions have stated their public support of these students through what they identify as inclusive and supportive institutional practices via their websites. However, …

Career And Mentorship Experiences Of Women Educational Administrators In Rural Community Colleges, Diane Ashley Gibson

Online Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the topic of current women administrators and their mentorship experiences. The purpose is to examine if these individuals had a mentor at all and how that relationship evolved. There is a universal graying of administration in Higher Education Leadership and many institutions lack a long-term plan to mentor and replace the administrators after retirement. Many of the current leaders in rural education are approaching retirement opening many opportunities for new leaders to come in. Not only that, but there is a large disparity in the number of women educational leaders. One study by Wallace & Marchant (2009) …

The Barriers Students Of Color Experience During The Online College Application, Tichaedza Stephen Chikuni

Online Theses and Dissertations

Recruitment of Students of Color (African American and Latino) is a growing obligation of colleges and universities around the United States (Bauman et al., 2019). Personally, the culmination of my passion for diversity recruitment and my experiences with information technology has led me to study why Students of Color encounter barriers during their online college application process. A vicious cycle of seeing Students of Color students not being able to access key resources during their college application process has frequently left me heartbroken. There are an abundance of excuses and I want to be a part of the solution.