Educational Administration and Supervision Commons^™

An Assessment Of Florida Community College Presidents' Acceptance Of Quality Indicators, George Cameron Barcus

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

This report describes a study that was conducted to determine the perceived degree of usefulness the indicators of progress toward excellence have for the presidents of Florida's 28 community colleges. This study reports this degree of perceived usefulness by using a survey instrument that identified quality indicators developed by the State Board of Community Colleges, Florida Department of Education.

Based on a project design and format adapted by the Florida Community/Junior College Inter-Institutional Research Council, this study proposed to identify what information (indicators of progress toward excellence) is considered most valid to the presidents of Florida's community colleges in making …

The Identification And Comparison Of Effective Merit Pay Factors By Central Florida Public School Educators, Richard K. Bommelje

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this survey was to identify and compare the specific factors relating to merit pay that teachers, principals, and superintendents in Central Florida would accept in the development and implementation of a merit pay plan. A questionnaire, based on an instrument that was used in a previous study on merit pay factors in 1970, was developed that consisted of 38 factors. A five-point ordinal scale was used to measure the educators' degree of acceptance for each factor. There were 14 Central Florida school districts that participated in the survey including 433 teachers, 211 principals, and 12 superintendents. The …

Undergraduate Catalog (1987-1988), University Of Nebraska At Omaha

Undergraduate Catalogs

The University of Nebraska at Omaha is a fully-accredited, four-year, public university located in the heart of Nebraska's largest city. Approximately 15,000 full- and part-time students are enrolled in day and evening classes, making UNO the second largest higher education campus in the state.

Writing Apprehension: Can An Individualized Approach Help?, Elizabeth B. Loftin

Theses and Dissertations

This study was a descriptive investigation of the effects of the Individualized Language Arts (ILA) program חס writing apprehension. Subjects were 152 eighth graders enrolled in a middle school. The subjects were from five language arts classes and were taught writing during the 1986-87 school year by the Individualized Language Art's (ILA) program. The data gathering instrument for this study was the Daly-Miller Test of Writing Apprehension (WAT), administered in August, 1986 as a pretest and again in the spring of 1987 as a posttest. Between the pre and posttests, students were instructed by the ILA, a method of teaching …

The Effects Of A Freshman Orientation Course On Academic Achievement And Retention, Daniel J. Kelly

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

Freshman business administration students were placed into an extended orientation course during their first semester of enrollment at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. The 60 course participants met twice a week for fifteen weeks in a 55-minute class spending approximately 20% of class time in each of the following: (a) lecture; (b) skill exercises; (c) group discussion; (d) guest speaker presentations; and (e) a combination of reviews, quizzes, previews, and assignments. The purpose of the course was to provide students with information and the opportunity to acquire skills to help them to be more successful in college.

Following the end of their …

Growth Contracting In The Small College, Patrick Allen

Faculty Publications - College of Education

Hard times are producing nothing less than a complete change in the character of our institutions of higher learning. Every aspect of their work is being affected.

The Homeschool Enrichment Center: A Handbook For Implementation, Linda Maude Anderson

All Master's Theses

A handbook was compiled, explaining how to implement an enrichment center for homeschooled children. The author coordinated an educational enrichment center in Bremerton, to meet certain needs of home educated children and their parents in the community. Research was also done on two other home school enrichment centers. The handbook, written to answer many inquiries on how to start up similar enrichment centers in other communities, covered what an enrichment center is, how to organize and begin one, costs, schedules, qualifications, descriptions, questions and answers.

Promoting The Department Within The Institution, Thomas M. Scheidel

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

This article outlines effective strategies for departmental leadership and institutional advocacy based on a case study from the University of Washington’s Department of Speech Communication. Emphasizing the chair’s central role in promoting departmental visibility and influence, the discussion identifies two essential requirements: active advocacy and evidence-based representation. The chair must serve as a visible and persuasive representative of the department through continual institutional engagement, cultivating relationships across administrative levels, and contributing to governance through service on committees. Equally important is the use of demonstrable evidence—teaching excellence, curricular strength, scholarly productivity, and faculty service—to substantiate departmental claims of quality. Drawing on …

The Department Chair And Merit Salary Increases, Anita Taylor

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

This article analyzes the administrative and ethical challenges faced by department chairs in implementing merit-based salary systems within higher education. Drawing on the author’s decade of administrative experience, it examines how varying institutional structures (from unionized, step-based systems to wholly merit-driven allocations) shape the chair’s discretion and accountability. Using the case of George Mason University, the discussion details procedures for goal-setting, annual review, and salary distribution, highlighting tensions between equity, gender parity, and institutional policy. The article critiques both the subjectivity of qualitative evaluations and the rigidity of quantitative point systems, arguing for a balanced, evidence-informed approach to faculty assessment. …

Ideas, Comments, And Suggestions On Theatre Administration, Donald L. Loeffler

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

This article offers a comprehensive account of effective departmental management within a university theatre program, emphasizing practical organization, personnel selection, and administrative collaboration. Using the Department of Speech and Theatre Arts at Western Carolina University as a model, the discussion details the chair’s responsibility for building a cohesive administrative environment through the strategic hiring of qualified secretarial staff, faculty cooperation, and student commitment. The paper underscores the importance of accurate bookkeeping, courteous communication, and efficient operations as extensions of the department’s public image. It also addresses recruitment and retention practices, faculty evaluation procedures, and cross-departmental cooperation in theatre, music, and …

Corporate Management Strategies: Applications For Communication Administrators From Iacocca: An Autobiography, Ladonna Mcmurray Geddes

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

This article interprets Lee Iacocca’s managerial philosophy for application in academic and communication administration. Framing Iacocca’s principles of motivation, accountability, and leadership within a university context, the discussion explores how participatory management and clear goal articulation can improve departmental performance. The analysis emphasizes Iacocca’s model of “management by wandering around” as a strategy for maintaining visibility and fostering open communication. It also adapts his quarterly review system and “equality of sacrifice” concepts to faculty evaluation and workload distribution. Drawing from administrative experience, the author proposes a Distribution of Effort Agreement to formalize faculty commitments across teaching, research, and service, aligning …

Applications From In Search Of Excellence By Thomas Peters And Robert Waterman, Jr., Robert S. Goyer

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

This article interprets Thomas Peters and Robert Waterman’s In Search of Excellence (1982) for application in academic administration, particularly within communication departments. The analysis outlines the authors’ critique of the rational-analytic management model and their advocacy for a value-driven, people-centered approach to organizational effectiveness. Goyer argues that while analogies between corporate and academic contexts are imperfect, two of Peters and Waterman’s eight principles—“productivity through people” and “simultaneous loose-tight properties”—offer meaningful guidance for departmental leadership. The first emphasizes creating an environment in which every faculty member’s contributions are recognized and rewarded through systematic yet flexible evaluation. The second highlights the chair’s …

Hiring Practices At An Independent College, Richard W. Platt

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

This article details the hiring process for communication faculty at Marist College, an independent liberal arts institution with a growing communication arts program. It outlines institutional structures, administrative procedures, and decision-making protocols involved in recruitment and selection. Emphasis is placed on the interaction between program-level planning, divisional coordination, and centralized administrative approval. The paper documents each stage of hiring—from needs assessment and position authorization to advertisement, search committee formation, candidate evaluation, interviewing, and appointment. The description highlights the integration of affirmative action compliance, equitable search practices, and procedural transparency. Faculty expectations include teaching, research, and service responsibilities consistent with the …

Aca News

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

This issue of ACA News provides organizational updates and reports on leadership transitions, conference activities, and new administrative initiatives within the Association for Communication Administration (ACA). J. Robert Wills of the University of Texas at Austin assumed the ACA presidency, succeeding Robert K. Tiemens, while Robert M. Smith of Wichita State University was named President-Elect. Newly elected Executive Committee members included Robert E. Davis, Martha Nell Hardy, and James Symons. The bulletin also lists referees and paper submission data for the 1986 publication year, reflecting high participation and a 32% acceptance rate. Salary data from national sources are summarized for …

Minutes Of The Executive Committee Meeting Chicago November 12, 1986

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

The annual meeting of the Association for Communication Administration (ACA)'s Executive Committee, held in November 1986 in Chicago, Illinois.

The State Of Mass Communication, Ellen Wartella

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

This article evaluates the state of mass communication as an academic field, examining its organizational, educational, and theoretical conditions in the mid-1980s. The discussion situates mass communication within a context of growing public, institutional, and industrial interest in media and communication technologies. Three major areas are identified. Organizationally, the field is experiencing departmental consolidation and debate over nomenclature as traditional speech and journalism programs merge into unified communication units. Educationally, enrollments are expanding rapidly, yet faculty shortages and an industrial hiring model threaten academic rigor. Theoretically, the discipline faces tensions between professional training and liberal arts orientations, as well as …

Assessing The Health Of The Profession: A Diagnosis Of Theatre, Douglas N. Cook

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

This article assesses the overall condition of theatre as both a professional and academic field within the broader context of the performing arts. Using a metaphor of medical diagnosis, the analysis identifies theatre as a “fabulous invalid”—ailing but resilient. National data demonstrate the expansion of regional and nonprofit theatre, with significant growth in professional companies, productions, and employment since the 1970s, despite persistent financial instability. The discussion links this professional growth to developments in theatre education, including the proliferation of degree programs, the acceptance of the MFA as a terminal degree, and the emergence of cooperative relationships between professional and …

Faculty Involvement In Departmental Decision Making, Don B. Morlan

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

This article examines the complex relationship between departmental leadership, faculty participation, and administrative accountability in decision-making within academic units. Drawing on literature from organizational management and personal experience across both public and private institutions, the analysis argues that the degree of faculty involvement in departmental decision making is less a matter of chair preference than a product of institutional structure and administrative culture. While participatory models—such as Theory Z and Likert’s human relations frameworks—are often idealized, actual practice is constrained by hierarchy, accountability, and resource dependence. The essay proposes that effective chairs must balance consultation with authority, aligning faculty expectations, …

Reflections Of A First-Year Department Head, Blaine Goss

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

This reflective essay documents the first year of administrative experience as a new department head at New Mexico State University. Organized around three themes—learning the job, learning the system, and being the “new man in town”—the narrative traces the author’s transition from faculty member to administrator. The discussion emphasizes the paradoxical nature of departmental leadership: the chair functions simultaneously as manager, faculty colleague, and intermediary between conflicting demands. Early lessons concern balancing responsiveness to faculty, staff, and central administration, navigating institutional routines and politics, and managing expectations from multiple constituencies. The essay highlights the emotional and cognitive challenges of leadership, …

A Leader Among Peers: The New Department Head's Role In Faculty Development, Lorayne W. Lester

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

This article examines the department chair’s role in fostering faculty development as a central dimension of effective academic leadership. Arguing that professional growth is too often treated as a peripheral administrative concern, the discussion contends that faculty development must be understood as a continuous and reciprocal process that benefits both the department and the chair. Drawing on research on administrative burnout and personal experience, the analysis distinguishes between chairs who overextend themselves in operational management and those who sustain professional vitality through active teaching and scholarship. Faculty development, the article maintains, requires the cultivation of research productivity, teaching quality, and …

The Piper, The Animals, And The Hustler, Patti P. Gillespie

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

This article analyzes the economic and ideological transformations confronting higher education during the Reagan era and their implications for academic independence. It identifies three interrelated developments: the increasing dependence of universities on corporate funding, the widening salary disparities among faculty, and the evolution of the department chair into a fund-raising administrator. The discussion warns that emerging partnerships between universities, government, and private industry threaten to form a “military-industrial-educational complex,” compromising scholarly autonomy and reshaping curricula toward corporate priorities. Faculty marketization, driven by differential utility to corporate sponsors, is shown to exacerbate internal inequities and distort academic values. Finally, the paper …

Hiring Practices In An Ma Program, Kenneth D. Frandsen

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

This article provides a detailed account of faculty recruitment and hiring practices in the Department of Speech Communication at the University of New Mexico, focusing on strategies for achieving program stability within a master’s-level institution. The discussion identifies the department’s dual challenge: maintaining rigorous hiring standards while managing the instability created by faculty turnover. Operating as a “committee of the whole,” the faculty conducts affirmative action–compliant searches that emphasize collaboration, transparency, and collective decision making. Candidates are assessed for their fit within the department’s tripartite mission of teaching, research, and service, with balanced competence across all areas preferred. Particular attention …

Hiring Faculty At Doctoral Institutions, Patti P. Gillespie

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

This article examines the distinct challenges of faculty recruitment in doctoral-granting institutions, proposing a structured framework for balancing departmental needs, institutional goals, and candidate qualifications. Gillespie articulates six “laws of hiring” that collectively emphasize balance, probability, faculty quality, publication assessment, student feedback, and long-term recruitment strategy. The first principle defines hiring as a process of equilibrium—balancing competing departmental and institutional interests. The second underscores the probabilistic nature of selection, advocating for evidence-based rather than intuitive decisions. The third and fourth stress the importance of institutional pedigree and demonstrable scholarly productivity, while the fifth highlights consultation with former graduate students as …

Mfa Degree Programs: Where Are They Going?, Russell E. Green

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

This article examines the proliferation and sustainability of Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree programs in theatre, arguing that the rapid increase in such programs has created a system-wide imbalance between available training opportunities and viable employment for graduates. Drawing on data from the National Association of Schools of Theatre and the University/Resident Theatre Association (U/RTA), the discussion documents trends in enrollment, expenses, and recruitment practices that contribute to what the author describes as an “anemic” marketplace. The analysis identifies administrative pressure to maintain full-time equivalencies (FTE) and high enrollment as a driving factor in lowering admissions standards and expanding …

Part-Time And Temporary Faculty In Theatre, Patti P. Gillespie

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

This article examines the increasing reliance on part-time and temporary faculty in university theatre programs and identifies the pedagogical, artistic, and administrative implications of their use. It argues that part-time and temporary faculty fulfill three primary functions: they introduce new ideas and creative approaches into established departments; they maintain vital links between academic and professional theatre; and they provide specialized expertise that complements permanent faculty strengths. The discussion distinguishes theatre from other disciplines whose centers of innovation are academic, emphasizing that the creative core of theatre remains in professional practice. Accordingly, guest artists, designers, and actors serve as essential conduits …

The Rights Of Part-Time And Temporary Theatre Faculty, Joe Filippo

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

This article critically examines the working conditions and institutional treatment of part-time and temporary theatre faculty in higher education. Drawing on practical examples from departmental experience, the discussion identifies pervasive inequities in pay, benefits, job security, and professional recognition. It argues that adjunct instructors—often highly qualified and essential to departmental operations—are constrained by structural hierarchies that deny them access to institutional resources, decision-making privileges, and equitable workloads. The analysis highlights how such disparities perpetuate a two-tier faculty system, eroding morale and academic cohesion. Specific issues include inadequate office space, exclusion from faculty governance, limited access to secretarial or developmental support, …

Suggestions For Stimulating Research, J. David Johnson

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

This article outlines specific strategies department chairs can use to promote and sustain faculty research within academic communication programs. Recognizing research as a cornerstone of departmental credibility, faculty advancement, and institutional growth, the paper categorizes thirty-two initiatives into three levels of administrative commitment—minimal, moderate, and maximum effort. Minimal strategies include public recognition of research, promotion of internal grants, and mentoring partnerships between experienced and inexperienced faculty. Moderate proposals expand to include research colloquia, merit-based incentives, clerical and travel support, and formal structures such as a departmental research committee. Maximum-effort initiatives involve establishing research centers, securing computing and clerical resources, and …

Educating Managers: Executive Effectiveness Through Liberal Learning, Russell T. Church

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

Reviews the book "Educating Managers: Executive Effectiveness Through Liberal Learning," by Joseph S. Johnston: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Assessing The Health Of The Profession: A Diagnosis Of Speech Communication, Kenneth E. Andersen

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

This article assesses the condition of the speech communication discipline amid ongoing financial pressures, demographic shifts, and institutional change in higher education. Reviewing the retrenchment concerns of the early 1980s, the discussion finds that while some departments merged or closed, overall disciplinary health remains stable, with new programs emerging in community colleges and other expanding institutions. The analysis identifies continuing challenges—declining faculty salaries, growing reliance on part-time instructors, and intensifying competition for resources—while noting the opportunities presented by rising student interest in applied and professional communication. The paper emphasizes the need for departments to maintain flexibility, strengthen political and administrative …

A Prognosis For The Field Of Communication, Erwin P. Bettinghaus

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

This essay presents an optimistic evaluation of the communication discipline, arguing that the field’s institutional growth, intellectual diversification, and expanding public visibility signal long-term vitality. Evidence of strength includes increased student enrollment across subfields, greater institutional funding, steady employment opportunities, growing recognition by industry and government, and a maturing research culture that has moved beyond foundational definitional debates. Nonetheless, the analysis identifies several risks: declining graduate student recruitment due to market competition, internal fragmentation following departmental reorganization, and ideological polarization between professional and theoretical approaches. The forecast anticipates continued growth driven by technological innovation, heightened demand for communication teachers, and …