Leadership Studies Commons^™

Developing Strategies For Pce Outreach, Mariah Blankenbaker, Gordon Carlson, Daniel Adesoji, Levi Eck

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

In collaboration with Professional and Continuing Education (PCE), we produced projects to automate their internal tasks, as well as to promote their services. By taking advantage of software techniques, we bridged live-action footage with 2D and 3D computer visuals for promotional material. In addition, we researched the capabilities of creating a custom Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT) and trained it to analyze and interact with thousands of industry datapoints.

Behaviorally-Anchored Team Member Feedback In Undergraduate Learning: Linking Verbal Communication To Ai-Detected Emotional Expressions, Ryan Will, Brent J. Goertzen, Magdalene Moy, Jace Hesford

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

This study examines how undergraduate team members’ verbal communication behaviors are associated with the emotional expressions of their teammates during student project team interactions. Drawing on data from a semester-long, team-based undergraduate course, three key team meetings were video-recorded across the team life cycle. Verbal communication was analyzed using a systematic content analysis with an a priori codebook capturing emotionally relevant behaviors such as optimism, empathy, building bonds, developing others, service orientation, and task-focused communication. Nonverbal emotional expressions were assessed using AI-based facial expression analysis grounded in Facial Action Coding System research, generating average emotion scores for each team member. …

Validating Llm-Assisted Coding Of Student Leadership Teams For Formative Feedback, Jace Hesford, Magdalene Moy, Ryan Will, Brent Goertzen

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Leadership education scholarship increasingly calls for direct assessment of leadership behaviors rather than reliance on proxy measures (Banks et al., 2023). This poster reports a validation study situated in a project-based leadership course at a midsized university. While teams meet regularly throughout the semester-long project, three meetings are digitally recorded, transcribed and analyzed to provide students with objective feedback based on the content of their communication. Team meetings are coded using an a priori framework grounded in emotional intelligence (Salovey & Mayer, 1990; Lee & Wong, 2017), with codes reflecting self-awareness, self-regulation, self-motivation, social awareness, and relational management as enacted …

Relational Realities Of Readiness: What Managers Wish Colleges Knew About Business Communication, Karen Mccullough, Laura N. Miller

Applied Business Faculty Publications

This grounded theory study, informed by Communication Accommodation Theory, explores how frontline managers (n = 11) support early-career employees’ communication development. Findings identify three support strategies—structured scaffolding, adaptive leadership, and onboarding for cultural fit—and suggest colleges emphasize verbal and intercultural communication, applied learning, and professional presence. These insights reframe communication readiness as a relational process shaped by emotion, power, and organizational norms. The study calls for stronger collaboration between higher education and employers.

Interdisciplinary Co-Teaching And Community-Engaged Learning: Integrating Community Case Studies To Teach Ethics, Justice, And Grassroots Leadership, Ziwei Qi, Lori E. Kniffin, Sammuel Byer (Rob)

Leadership Faculty Publications

This paper serves as a teaching report examining an interdisciplinary, co-taught course at a rural, regional state university designed to promote ethics, justice, and grassroots leadership through community-engaged learning (CEL). Faculty from criminal justice, philosophy, and leadership studies co-developed and taught the course using Socratic dialogue and reflective journaling to help students analyze community challenges from multiple disciplinary angles. Students also engaged in training on positionality, power dynamics, and cultural humility, incorporating their reflections into final reports to deepen ethical engagement. Regular faculty collaboration aligned teaching strategies across disciplines, while a case study presentation and analysis allowed community partners to …

An Inquiry Into The Program Planning Orientations Of Community Engagement Administrators In Community-Academic Partnerships, Mary F. Price, Jasmina Camo-Biogradlija, Patti F. Clayton, Lori E. Kniffin, Robert G. Bringle, Haden M. Botkin

Leadership Faculty Publications

Planning is a ubiquitous dimension of service-learning and community engagement (SLCE) partnership practice. How SLCE administrators conceptualize, inhabit, and negotiate their roles as planners remains empirically under-investigated, however, as does when and why planners experience shifts in perspective that affect partnership quality and outcomes. We introduce the concept of planning orientations and report on a study in which SLCE administrators reflected on their desired and practiced planning orientations as they planned and implemented a partnership reflection process. Key findings illustrate the utility of intentional reflection on planning orientations for examining and enhancing community-academic partnership practice, including the recognition that the …

What Our Faces And Words Convey: An Ai Assisted Behavioral Approach To Emotional Intelligence Development In An Undergraduate Teams Course, Ryan Will, Brent Goertzen, Magdalene Moy

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

This poster explores the development of emotional intelligence in leadership and team dynamics, addressing limitations of traditional methods that rely on perceptual measures which serve as proxies for leader or follower behaviors (Banks et al., 2023). Participants analyze verbal and nonverbal communication patterns from team meetings throughout a semester-long project using content analysis and emotion-detection AI (Imentiv.ai), which leverages the Facial Action Coding System (FACS) (Rosenberg & Ekman, 2020). The intervention involves video recording three team meetings at key stages (early, mid-point, and end) to capture communication changes over the team lifecycle. Individualized feedback, combining verbal and nonverbal analysis, is …

Power And Influence: A Media Analysis Of Toxic Leadership In Michael Scott & Jordan Belfort, Lily M. Garrison, Aidan Hammond

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

For our SACAD presentation, we were given the task of looking at and analyzing two toxic leaders from various types of media, this could be from books, movies, television shows, or video games. The purpose of this was to look at the various traits these people have that make them classified as toxic leaders. For our examples, we chose to analyze Jordan Belfort, specifically from the movie, “The Wolf of Wall Street”(M. Scorsese, 2013). As well as Michael Scott from “The Office”(A. Greene, 2005). The theme that connects these two is as simple as being business people, they are each …

Manipulation And Power: A Comparative Analysis Of Toxic Leadership In Mean Girls And The Hunger Games, Madeline G. Schlyer, Kerstin R. Brown

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

This project employs a qualitative media analysis to compare two toxic leaders, Regina George from Mean Girls (2004) and President Snow from The Hunger Games series. Both characters exhibit manipulative leadership tactics to maintain control in different social contexts. Regina, the dominant queen bee of her high school, leads The Plastics through emotional manipulation and fear tactics. She employs a transactional leadership style, offering social rewards for compliance and punishing lack of agreement with exclusion. Her leadership is rooted in a need for validation, using her followers to reinforce her own status. In contrast, President Snow rules through violence and …

Deception And Domination: A Comparative Analysis Of Toxic Leadership In Scar: The Lion King And Mother Gothel: Tangled, Anneliese Elder, Cale T. Cormaney

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Abstract: This project revolves around toxic leadership through a comparative analysis of two infamous Disney villains: Scar from The Lion King and Mother Gothel from Tangled. Through the use of qualitative media analysis, this study examines how both characters manipulate power, as well as exploit followers, and exhibit various destructive leadership traits. Referencing Haslam et al.’s (2020) The New Psychology of Leadership, the analysis focuses on their particular leadership contexts, and their use of deception and control to create a sense of fear within those they lead. Scar’s leadership is characterized by manipulation, betrayal, and an obsession with power. In …

Can We Just Talk, Reesa G. Williams

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Our goal is to promote more information about Can We Just Talk (CWJT). CWJT is a non prophet organization to address the problems of loneliness, mental health issues, societal disconnections and difficulty of talking to people who hold differing perspectives. CWJT is open to the community where you get to listen to different speakers each week . It provides a free support system where people can then have meaningful conversations about the topic and help people process their feelings in a constructive way.

Collective Leadership Development In The Civic Arena, Lori E. Kniffin

Leadership Faculty Publications

As a collective paradigm of leadership emerges in the literature, many community leadership programs still align with leader-centric perspectives. The Kansas Leadership Center’s Leadership Transformation Grant is an exemplar of developing collective leadership in the civic arena. The purpose of this article is twofold: (1) to present the findings of a community-engaged, qualitative research study on the impact of collective leadership development on the practice of civic leadership and (2) to discuss relevant implications learned from reflections on the methodology for the practice of community-engaged research.,This study is a form of engaged research (Van de Ven, 2007) and is consistent …

Keep Talking And Nobody Explodes: Using Gamification Of Cognitive Overload To Teach Leadership And Psychology Concepts, Brett Whitaker, Whitney Whitaker

Leadership Faculty Publications

Purpose

Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes is a puzzle-based video game that allows Leadership educators to facilitate a highly interactive and behaviorally intense experience within a traditional classroom environment. In this manuscript, we discuss appropriate use cases, curricular alignments and provide a sample lesson plan outlining one way of using the game.

Design/methodology/approach

The cooperative and team-based nature of this game provides opportunities to create interactive lessons on a variety of topics, such as communication, group dynamics, leadership, conflict strategies and cognitive load.

Findings

Our primary reflection is that this game provides a good balance between fun engagement and rigorous …

Are State Comprehensive Institutions Prepared For Ai? Not Yet., Brent J. Goertzen

Teacher-Scholar: The Journal of the State Comprehensive University

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has profound implications for higher education and teaching and learning. The present study, conducted at a state, comprehensive university (SCU) is the US Midwest, evaluated how effective faculty in a leadership focused program are at differentiating between human or AI-generated content. Participants reviewed 12 “student assignments” representing short answer essays, and completed the following tasks: 1) evaluated the assignment on three dimensions of the grading rubric; 2) assigned a percent grade; 3) indicated whether it was human or AI-generated; and 4) provided a rationale for their selection.

Evolving technologies like ChatGPT and other LLMS …

Fostering Civility And Constructive Debate In A Polarized Society: How Leadership Educators Can Leverage Diverse Perspectives, Donnette Noble, Jesse James New Ii

Leadership Faculty Publications

Purpose – This paper highlights an assignment in a combination upper-division undergraduate and graduate civic leadership class at a Midwestern state comprehensive university. The three-part assignment challenges students’ critical thinking skills and research capabilities while simultaneously necessitating the exploration of contrasting viewpoints on contentious issues. Design/methodology/approach – Intentionally exposing students to diverse perspectives in a controlled environment. Findings – We posit that the severity and frequency of these issues can be mitigated through focused efforts. Originality/value – Students are better prepared to engage in civil debate on controversial topics, which continuously divide our communities, after completing a class using this …

The Reflective Administrator: A Leader-Centered Focus | Chapter 5. Reflection As Mindfulness, Angela Pool-Funai, Tony E. Summers

Sociology Faculty Publications

This chapter will revisit some of the theories introduced in Ch. 1 and take the reader from the concept of a cycle in which reflection is a step toward a spiral or ongoing process. Reflective practice is not a standalone concept; on the contrary, it contributes to organizational culture. Adopting a mindfulness aptitude can help to develop an awareness of, and appreciation for, creativity within the public sector workplace. This, in turn, opens opportunities for reflective practice through action research and other means.

Deepening Community-Campus Relationships Using A Critical Reflection Tool: A Multisite, Mixed-Methods Study, Lori E. Kniffin, Patti H. Clayton, Jasmina Camo-Biogradlija, Mary F. Price, Robert G. Bringle, Haden M. Botkin

Leadership Faculty Publications

Critical reflection is a staple of service-learning, primarily as a meaning-making process for students. This article describes a critical reflection tool designed for all participants in community-campus relationships to generate actionable learning regarding their collective work and to serve as an intervention to deepen those relationships. This tool was designed to accompany the Transformational Relationship Evaluation Scale II (TRES II), which, on its own, has documented utility to enhance partnership inquiry and practice (Kniffin et al., 2020). The TRES II Reflection Framework broadens and deepens the scale with intentionally designed prompts structured using the DEAL model for critical reflection (Ash …

Gratitude At Work, Ginger H. Williams

Library Faculty Publications

Guest columnist Ginger H. Williams is a new dean at Fort Hays State University, a regional comprehensive university in western Kansas. Ginger reflects on aspects of her work she is grateful for, such as a challenging renovation project and other new-to-her duties that help expand her skills. She also considers the many people whose support she relies upon. Readers are encouraged to consider what they are grateful for in their own professional lives and to find ways to express gratitude in a professional setting.

Faculty Perceptions Of The Essential Elements Of Leadership Across Generations And Sex, Seth D. Kastle Ed.D., Haley Moon, Jeni Mcray Ph.D.

Leadership Faculty Publications

This exploratory quantitative study, whose population consisted of full-time faculty at a Midwestern state university, measures perceptions of the degree of essentiality of ten elements of effective leadership, and whether or not those perceptions were significantly different across generational cohort (baby boomer, GenX, and millennial) and/or biological sex (male, female). Current literature on generational cohort/gender and perceptions of effective leadership is equivocal at best. This study attempted to fill gaps in existing literature, as applied to faculty in higher education contexts. The essential elements of leadership identified for this study were: influence, promoting teamwork, change facilitation, authority, collaborative dialogue, risk-taking, …

A Framework Of Leadership Cultural Dimensions In Outsourced Projects, Donnette Noble Ph.D., Ganesh Vaidyanathan

Leadership Faculty Publications

Outsourced projects are implemented often in environments that are impacted by factors that are internal and external to a firm. One key factor that impacts the success of outsourced projects is corporate culture. This paper explores how corporate culture impacts outsourced projects and what factors of corporate culture influence outsourced projects. We formulate a framework of key cultural dimensions in outsourced projects to help business and Information Technology leaders understand and mitigate cultural issues in outsourced projects.

Enhancing Civic Engagement Through Leadership Education, Lori E. Kniffin Ph.D., Sonalini Sapra

Leadership Faculty Publications

Many civic engagement courses within higher education require students to work with community members to make progress on complex problems, which in itself can comprise leadership practice. Yet, there is little evidence that leadership development is strategically incorporated into such civic engagement courses in general. The authors taught eight leadership sessions over two semesters in the Principled Problem Solving Scholars program at Guilford College. The study discussed in this article examined the perceived impact of a leadership curriculum on the personal leadership practices and the civic engagement of 14 undergraduate students. The authors present their findings in the context of …

“Because Here, White Is Right”: Mental Health Experiences Of International Graduate Students Of Color From A Critical Race Perspective., S. Andiavalli, L. Dianne Borders, Lori E. Kniffin Ph.D.

Leadership Faculty Publications

To examine the mental health experiences of international graduate students of Color (IGSC) as they navigate through a multitude of systemic barriers, the researchers interviewed eight IGSC in the U.S. Adopting a critical race perspective, the researchers sought to address a persistent gap in the counseling literature, and explore how systemic influences of racism, xenophobia, and discriminatory policies impacted the mental health of IGSC. Three distinct themes emerged from phenomenological analysis of the participants’ interviews in the current study: cross-cultural challenges, surviving racism and anti-immigrant sentiment, and mental health and wellness. Implications for how professional counselors can support IGSC as …

Problematizing The Relationship Between Cultural, Social, And Political Capital And Graduate Student Participation In A Community Engagement Professional Association, Lori E. Kniffin Ph.D., Trina L. Van Schyndel, Elizabeth G. Fornaro

Leadership Faculty Publications

The Graduate Student Network (GradSN) brings together emerging scholars who have an interest in research on service-learning and community engagement (SLCE). In this reflective essay, we problematize the relationship between social, cultural, and economic capital and graduate student participation in the GradSN, specifically the GradSN chair role. To begin, we share the origins, process, and initial findings of a collaborative autoethnographic study that involved a group of seven past, present, and incoming chairs. Participation in this study led us to question what barriers exist for graduate student participation in the GradSN, resulting in this reflective essay. Second, we share the …

“I Am Strong. Mentally Strong!”: Psychosocial Strengths Of International Graduate Students Of Color., S. Andiavalli, L. Dianne Borders, Lori E. Kniffin Ph.D.

Leadership Faculty Publications

Positioned at a unique intersection of managing academic pressures and embodying racial and ethnic minority identity status, international graduate students of color (IGSCs) are frequent targets of multiple stressors. Unfortunately, extant counseling literature offers counselors little information on the psychosocial strengths IGSCs employ (e.g., strong familial bond, friendships) to cope with such stressors. To address this gap, interviews with eight IGSC participants were conducted and analyzed using interpretive phenomenological analysis and the lens of the intersectionality framework. Five psychosocial strengths were identified—familial support, social connections, academic aspirations and persistence, personal growth and resourcefulness, and resistance and critical consciousness. Recommendations for …

Next Generation Practitioner-Scholars Navigating Community Engagement Professional Development: A Collaborative Autoethnography, Lori E. Kniffin Ph.D., Trina L. Van Schyndel, Elizabeth G. Fornaro, Jennifer W. Purcell, Stacey Muse

Leadership Faculty Publications

This collaborative autoethnographic research study examines the motivations, experiences, and professional outcomes of seven community engagement practitioner-scholars who served in a high-level elected position in a community engagement research association and its affiliated graduate student network. The findings highlight the role of professional associations and graduate student networks in facilitating professional development for next generation community engagement practitioner-scholars, such as supporting them in creating connections, expanding networks, developing professional identities, and cultivating cultural capital.

An Exploratory And Descriptive Study Of Destructive Leadership In U.S. Higher Education, Kaley Klaus Ed.D., Stephanie Steele

Leadership Faculty Publications

In recent years, the popular media has seen a host of scandals related to poor leadership in higher education. Penn State University, the University of Michigan, Winthrop University, Northern Illinois University, and Edinburgh College are just a few postsecondary institutions that experienced what many would call destructive leadership, ultimately leading to leader turnover at the highest levels of the organization. But just how common is destructive leadership in U.S. higher education? This study sought to answer that question and others through descriptive, quantitative research using a modified version of the Destructive Leadership Questionnaire. Participants from a variety of sectors in …

Relationships And Partnerships In Community–Campus Engagement: Evolving Inquiry And Practice, Lori E. Kniffin Ph.D., Jasmina Camo-Biogradlija, Mary F. Price, Emily Kohl, Jamie Williams, Alessandra Del Conte Dickovick, Jamie Goodwin, Kristi V. Johnson, Patti H. Clayton, Robert G. Bringle

Leadership Faculty Publications

Inquiry and practice related to community–campus partnerships are ever evolving, with significant current momentum toward democratic engagement. To inform the ongoing development of associated practitioner scholarship, we examine the development of a tool for assessing the quality of community–campus relationships, the Transformational Relationship Evaluation Scale (TRES), as a microcosm of some underlying dynamics in previous and current work. After an overview of its conceptual foundations, we present TRES, review examples of its uses across multiple contexts, and share lessons learned from critical reflection on those uses along with associated implications for the future development of such tools. Subsequent discussion focuses …

The Relative Importance Of Transformational Leadership And Contingent Reward On Satisfaction With Supervision In Nonprofit And For-Profit Organizations, Agnieszka Kwapisz, F. William Brown, Scott Bryant, Robyn Chupka, Terry Profota

Journal of International & Interdisciplinary Business Research (2014-2019)

We study the relationships and intervening mechanism between leaders’ transformational and contingent reward behaviors and the raters’ satisfaction with their supervision in the context of nonprofit and for-profit management settings in the United States. The results show that regardless of the context, transformational leadership on the part of the manager relates positively to the raters’ satisfaction with supervision and that this relationship is stronger in nonprofit organizations. Our results also provide evidence for the differential impact of contingent reward in for-profit and nonprofit settings. In the for-profit context, the relationship between contingent reward and satisfaction with supervision is negative while …

The Green Zone Initiative: Combining Virtual And Face-To-Face Training To Support Veterans In Higher Education, Seth D. Kastle Ed.D., Robert Bruce Scott, Kenton Olliff Ph.D., Jeremiah Carlton

Leadership Faculty Publications

The purpose of the Green Zone Initiative is to address the needs of the nearly 700 student Veterans at a state comprehensive university who are enrolled either on campus or online. The number of service members reintegrating into civilian life is higher than at any time in history since the Vietnam War. As Traumatic Brain Injury is the signature wound of this war, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, as well as the civilian-military divide are all having a monumental impact on our veteran population across America. Student Veterans re-entering civilian life and adjusting to college are under additional pressures which place them …

Book Review: Global Studies Reader, 2nd Ed., Brett L. Whitaker Ph.D.

Leadership Faculty Publications

In the Global Studies Reader, 2nd Edition, editor Manfred Steger offers an excellent compilation of 20 articles that address the varied and complex nature of global issues that are of concern today. Global studies (GS) has, according to Steger (2015), “emerged as a vibrant field of academic study that cuts across conventional disciplinary boundaries and subject markers” (p. 3). Within this book, Steger addresses GS from a problem-centered perspective and contrasts it to its more traditional academic cousin, international relations (IR). While IR is concerned almost solely with the actions of the state, Steger argues that GS goes beyond that …