Higher Education Commons^™

Book Review Of Douglass, J.A. (2021). Neo-Nationalism And Universities: Populists, Autocrats, And The Future Of Higher Education., Bhavika Sicka

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Student Perceptions Of The Impact Of Faculty Race And Gender On Their Sense Of Connectedness, Engagement, And Persistence, Sherrie Y. Fuller

Dissertations

This quantitative study examined how faculty demographic characteristics, specifically race and gender, influence undergraduate students’ perceptions of connectedness, engagement, and persistence at a public Midwestern university. Guided by Tinto’s Model of Student Integration (1975, 1993, 2012), the research explored whether perceived alignment between student and faculty identities contributes to students’ sense of belonging and motivation to persist toward degree completion. Data were collected from 100 undergraduate participants representing diverse racial, gender, and academic backgrounds. Participants completed a researcher-developed survey instrument utilizing a four-point Likert scale to measure connectedness, engagement, and persistence.

University Athletic Subsidies Connections To Various Campus-Wide Outcomes, Daniel Vainner

Dissertations

This study examines the relationship between university athletic subsidies and outcomes for the broader undergraduate student population. The athletic subsidy, referred to as an athletic tax, is defined as institutional and student fees used to support athletics. Although athletics are often viewed as enhancing institutional prestige and recruitment, most universities depend heavily on subsidies to sustain their programs. In 2019, National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) institutions spent over $18.8 billion on athletics, with $8.3 billion, or 44 percent, coming from institutional and student sources rather than athletic revenue (NCAA, 2019a). This research explores whether such subsidization predicts measurable differences in …

Intercultural Competence Among Emerging South Asian Leaders: Preliminary Results Of The 2025 Ysali Cohort Study, Elizabeth J. Sandell, Malaika Azam

Elementary and Literacy Education Department Publications

In today's connected world, young leaders need more than just technical skills—they must be able to work effectively with people from different cultural backgrounds. This study examines intercultural competence (the ability to interact respectfully and effectively across cultures) among participants in the first Young South Asian Leadership Initiative (YSALI) program. Using the Intercultural Development Inventory and follow-up interviews, investigators considered how well these emerging leaders from seven South Asian countries were prepared to lead in multicultural environments. This article presents a preliminary report, based on early survey returns from 15 of 82 participants. This research will provide important insights into …

2025-12-01 Course Proposal / Course Suspension / Deletion Forms, Morehead State University. Faculty Senate., University Graduate Committee.

Faculty Senate Records

Course proposal, suspension, and deletion forms approved on December 1, 2025 by the University Graduate Committee.

A Word From The Writing Team (December 2025), Pam Walter, Mfa, Laura Deloretta, Phd

A Word From the Writing Team (Newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Ethnic Identity, Parental Involvement, And Academic Outcomes: A Qualitative Study Of African International Students' Experiences, Kenanile Olivia Marie-France Bigba

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This qualitative study explored how parental involvement intersected with cultural backgrounds and values through ethnic identity formation among African international students, and how these interactions influenced students' self-concept clarity, self-esteem, and subsequent academic attitudes and performance. Using hermeneutic phenomenological methodology guided by van Manen’s (2023) approach, the study conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with African international students (one from East Africa, one from West Africa) enrolled at a Midwest university. Through systematic thematic analysis, five interconnected themes emerged: (1) Evolving Parental Involvement, from direct guidance to distant trust, revealing how parental engagement transforms across geographical distance with financial circumstances moderating this …

Conceptual Gerrymandering In Sffa And Some Thoughts On How It Enables The Case’S Weaponization, David Simson

Buffalo Law Review

This Article makes two main contributions at the intersection of Constitutional Law and critical analyses of race and racial (in)equality. First, and more narrowly, the Article provides an in-depth analysis and critique of the Supreme Court’s most recent affirmative action decision in Students for Fair Admission v. Harvard (SFFA), specifically with respect to a crucial aspect of the case that has not been addressed in depth in other scholarship on the decision: how key opinions conceptualize “race” in their reasoning. The Article shows how the SFFA majority opinion and a concurring opinion by Justice Gorsuch incorporate multiple, and inconsistent, understandings …

Uab Libraries News, 12 2025, Uab Libraries

UAB Libraries News

No abstract provided.

Review Of Information Literacy And Social Media: Empowered Student Engagement With The Acrl Framework, Rebecca M. Mccall

Communications in Information Literacy

Review of Santamaría, M., & Pfannenstiel, N. (2024). Information literacy and social media: Empowered student engagement with the ACRL Framework. Association of College and Research Libraries.

Supporting The Efficacy Of Admission Counselors When Working With Neurodivergent Students: A Study For An Equitable Review Process, Rose Llanos

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

The focus of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of utilizing a universal design learning training module for college admission professionals to help assess student fit during the application review process. The conceptual framework in the research design followed that of the Universal Design of Learning (UDL) framework, which upholds the United Nations Sustainable Developmental Goals (UN-SDG), specifically goal four of quality education and goal 10 of reduced inequalities. The hypothesis for using an equitable training module is that an improved understanding of working with diverse students will lead to more confident admission professionals holistically recommending an admission decision …

Finding Utopia: An Examination Of Pedagogical Approaches To Teaching Utopianism In U.S. College Classrooms, Brittany Page Brake

Dissertations

This dissertation investigates how, and if, utopianism is being taught in college classrooms across the United States. Long considered impractical, overly idealistic, and/or politically dangerous, utopianism has been largely marginalized in political science and American culture. However, this project finds that there are instructors teaching utopianism and they are using the concept to challenge students to think differently about governance, justice, and institutional design. Drawing from political theory literature, course syllabi submitted by faculty from different U.S. universities, interviews with instructors, and personal case studies of my own courses at Central State University and Manchester University, I explore how utopian …

Development Of The Hydrogeology Concept Inventory And Exploration Of Its Embedded Spatial Thinking Components, Oluwarotimi Akindele Popoola

Dissertations

Hydrogeology is a sub-discipline of geoscience that deals with the occurrence and movement of water and possible contaminants within the subsurface. Understanding basic principles of hydrogeology is important for applying practical solutions to hydrogeology problems. Hydrogeology is a visuospatial discipline in which spatial thinking skills play a significant role. To assess the hydrogeology knowledge of students, a valid and reliable assessment instrument with spatial components is required.

This research was conducted as a series of quantitative studies with three goals: (1) to develop the Hydrogeology Concept Inventory (HCI), a valid and reliable measure of upper-level undergraduate students’ hydrogeology knowledge, (2) …

The Lived Experiences Of School Counselors, Job Burnout, And The Blurred Lines Of The Profession, Cecilia Angelica Gomez

Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological qualitative study explores the lived experiences of school counselors during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on job burnout, role ambiguity, and the blurred lines of the profession. Through semi-structured interviews with practicing school counselors, the study identifies common themes including role overload, manifestations of burnout, coping and resilience strategies, and the impact of administrative support. Findings highlight the systemic factors contributing to counselor stress and the importance of self-care, peer collaboration, and role clarity for counselor well-being and student outcomes.

Provenance: The History Of Ownership Of A Valued Object Or Work Of Art Or Literature, James C. Schaap

Pro Rege

No abstract provided.

“‘What Is One Takeaway You've Gotten From This Learning Experience?’ Analyzing Student Reflections On Introductory Information Literacy Instruction”, Amanda Nichols Hess, Emily Ruth Benoit, Rebecca M. Krystyniak, Stephanie Williams

Communications in Information Literacy

Reflection is a useful pedagogical tool for both learners in instructional settings and educators seeking to offer meaningful experiences; in this article, a group of academic librarians use the former to engage with the latter. We analyzed more than 830 first-year students’ responses to a reflection question posed at the conclusion of library instruction over the course of the 2023–2024 academic year with a specific eye to the concepts that were and were not resonant, as well as whether there were common areas of confusion. We used a grounded theory approach to make sense of the data and allow ideas …

The Library Instructor As Learner: A Survey Of Reflective Teaching Practices In Us Academic Libraries, Alicia G. Vaandering, Amanda Crego-Emley

Communications in Information Literacy

Reflective practice provides library workers with a critical opportunity to examine professional experiences, question assumptions and approaches, explore new perspectives, and develop innovative solutions to existing problems. When applied to instruction as reflective teaching, this practice better situates library instructors to meet the evolving needs of twenty-first-century library users. This research study explores how library workers engage with reflective teaching in academic libraries across the United States. A survey was distributed to academic library communities, and a total of 153 responses were collected. While 92% of respondents reported participating in reflective teaching practice in a variety of instructional contexts, results …

Teaching Research As An Interdependent Practice: Bringing Alternate Models Into The Scholarly Conversation, Natalia Kapacinskas, Veronica Arellano Douglas

Communications in Information Literacy

The customs and practices of research in academia are often mischaracterized as individualistic pursuits, ignoring the reality that research requires a great deal of collaboration. As teaching librarians, our research instruction often reinforces individualism as a scholarly virtue, even as we simultaneously engage with themes of connection between researchers and their ideas. We propose an approach to teaching research and information literacy grounded in the concept, intention, and practice of interdependence rather than individualism. In doing so, we will call in models of interdependence from critical disability studies, relational-cultural theory, Indigenous Ways of Knowing, and the Cite Black Women movement. …

Searching For Change: Exploring Historical Silences And Counterstorytelling Through Youth-Led Social Justice Movements, Ariana Varela

Communications in Information Literacy

During a first-year engagement program, a librarian and a cohort of students worked towards a shared understanding of dominant narratives, historical silences, and creating counterstories through research to center marginalized stories and complicate existing narratives. As information literacy professionals, we should design interactive lessons that demonstrate critical search and evaluation skills through topics that are relevant to students and encourage them to work with issues that impact their communities. Incorporating critical information literacy, feminist pedagogy, and critical race theory, this two-day micro-seminar introduced first-year students to the legacy of youth community activism in the neighborhoods around their university. They practiced …

Notes For The Stalled, V18n04, December 2025, University Of Northern Iowa. Rod Library.

Rod Library newsletter: Notes for the Stalled

Contents:

--- De Stress Days
--- When You Return
--- Did You Know?
--- Student Technology Fee
--- Upcoming Events

Content And Consequences: Impact Of Representation In Stem Higher Education Instructional Content On Marginalized Students, Nichole Ventura

Doctorate in Education

This qualitative study examined representation of historically marginalized students in STEM instructional content at the higher education level and its impact on their learning experiences. Despite growing diversity initiatives in STEM enrollment, curricular materials often fail to reflect the identities of underrepresented students. Using critical theory and interpretivist approaches, this research investigated how representation—or its absence—shapes students' sense of belonging, academic identity formation, and persistence. Through semi-structured interviews with undergraduate students from historically marginalized backgrounds, and purposeful sampling, this study captured the lived experiences of students engaging with STEM instructional materials. Interview protocols explored how students perceive their representation in …

Amplifying Mother Leaders’ Voices: A Feminist Inquiry Into Gender Inequity In Higher Education Leadership, Katherine Bard

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Women now comprise more than half of mid- and upper-level administrators in higher education, yet they remain underrepresented in the most senior leadership roles. For mothers in leadership, this underrepresentation is compounded by gendered structures, expectations, and norms that shape their personal and professional lives in distinct ways. While scholarship has examined working motherhood broadly and gender inequity in higher education separately, little research has focused on how mother leaders experience and interpret gender inequity in higher education leadership. This study sought to address that gap by exploring the lived experiences of ten mother leaders working at research-intensive (R1) universities …

Ink (2025)

Rabble, 2014-

The student-run features magazine covering the fashion, art, music and culture worlds at VCU and in Richmond. Published annually in print and updated regularly online.

The Lived Experiences Of School Counselors, Job Burnout, And The Blurred Lines Of The Profession, Cecilia Angelica Gomez

Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological qualitative study explores the lived experiences of school counselors during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on job burnout, role ambiguity, and the blurred lines of the profession. Through semi-structured interviews with practicing school counselors, the study identifies common themes including role overload, manifestations of burnout, coping and resilience strategies, and the impact of administrative support. Findings highlight the systemic factors contributing to counselor stress and the importance of self-care, peer collaboration, and role clarity for counselor well-being and student outcomes.

Community College Student Parents And Their Experiences With Mindfulness Training, Polly Nesselrodt

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Community college students who are parents (student parents) are highly motivated to succeed but face many challenges, including finances, transportation, and childcare, which leads to high levels of stress and anxiety. Mindfulness practices of returning to the breath and staying present in the body have been shown to help people manage stress and anxiety and live with greater ease. Using the stress and coping theory of Lazarus and Folkman (1984) as a theoretical framework, the purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of student parents who participated in mindfulness training. Participants attended mindfulness classes, facilitated by an instructor …

Proactive Onboarding Services Model As An Academic And Social Integration Strategy For First-Time In College Students At A Virginia Community College, Jhansi V. Eturu

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

A recent survey by the Education Advisory Board (EAB) found that of the 1000 community college students surveyed, 56% nearly quit before classes started due to challenges during college onboarding. Similarly, admissions data from the Virginia Community Colleges System (VCCS) indicated that more than half of the students who apply do not enroll in classes, highlighting a need to closely examine the onboarding process and support services provided to understand what is effective and what is not. The purpose of this study is to understand the predictive utility of certain student onboarding services, such as an appointment with an admissions …

Unraveling The Links Between Substance Use And Academic Motivation In Higher Education, Melissa Lynn Goins

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Self-Determination Theory (SDT) posits that the quality of students’ motivation regulation (i.e., autonomous versus controlled) shapes both learning and health behavior, yet few studies have examined the relations among motivation regulation, alcohol and cannabis use, and achievement. In this study, I surveyed 459 undergraduates at a mid-sized public university in the southeastern United States. Participants completed the Academic Motivation Scale-College version 28 to assess autonomous and controlled motivation regulation, a typical-week alcohol grid, a seven-day cannabis grid, and self-reported grade point average (GPA). Results indicated that autonomous academic motivation was uniquely related to GPA; however, neither motivation variable related to …

Exploring The Role Of Christian Religiosity In The Acceptance Or Rejection Of Ai Chatbot Use Among Faculty At Church Of Christ Universities, Amos Gutierrez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Higher education institutions are navigating the benefits and challenges of generative AI chatbot use and preparing faculty and students to engage with these tools ethically and responsibly. The problem is that there are many challenges and barriers to using these technologies in higher education, and Christian higher education institutions must also address context-specific considerations regarding mission and vision rooted in biblical faith and practice. The purpose of this quantitative, nonexperimental, cross-sectional study using confirmatory factor analysis and multiple regression through structural equation modeling was to examine faculty perceptions of AI chatbots and how Christian religiosity moderates acceptance. An online survey …

Light & Faith: December 2025, Taylor University

Light & Faith

No abstract provided.

The Librarian Teaching Self-Efficacy Scale, Maoria J. Kirker, David X. Lemmons

Communications in Information Literacy

Teaching self-efficacy is a critical factor in instructional success. Little research has been conducted on how academic librarians perceive their own teaching abilities. This study introduces and validates the Librarian Teaching Self-Efficacy Scale, a tool designed to measure self-efficacy beliefs among academic librarians engaged in information literacy instruction. By adapting established self-efficacy scales to the library instruction context, this study examines key factors influencing librarian teaching self-efficacy, including instructional strategies, lesson planning, and collaboration with faculty. Collective self-efficacy, which is perceptions of colleagues’ teaching confidence, is also examined. Statistical analysis indicates a reliable and valid scale which may benefit …