Leadership Studies Commons^™

Building Belonging: The Impact Of Physical Space On Student Sense Of Belonging In Student Leadership, Involvement, And Changemaking At The University Of San Diego, Madeline Kreig

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

The purpose of this research is to understand how the structure of the Student Leadership, Involvement, and Changemaking (SLIC) space influences students’ sense of belonging. This study uses Mills’ (2000) Dialectic Action Research Spiral in conjunction with surveys, interviews, and focus groups to explore the questions: How does the structure of the Student Leadership, Involvement, and Changemaking space influence undergraduate students’ sense of belonging? Also, how can I, as a student affairs practitioner, enhance students’ sense of belonging in the SLIC?

In the context of this study, sense of belonging refers to the extent that one feels accepted, respected, included, …

Understanding Hidden Diversity: The Third Culture Student Experience At Usd, Bianca Chau

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

The intention of this research was to expand the common notion of who international students are. This research uncovered the unique experiences of third culture students at the University of San Diego with the hopes of raising awareness of the existence of this group of students. The term third culture [student] was defined as an individual “who has spent a significant part of his or her developmental years outside their parent’s culture” (Pollock, Van Reken, & Pollock, 2017, p.23). Third culture students have experienced a highly mobile life; a kind of lifestyle that is unique and unfamiliar to many USD …

Understanding Group Cohesion And Self-Advocacy In Student Leaders, Jordan Desousa Ma

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

The purpose of this study is to understand what compels student leaders to advocate for others or for themselves in groups. The data will be gathered through surveys and personal reflections. The study will better our understanding of motivations for advocacy, and reveal empowerment strategies for self-advocacy.

Cultivating Community Relations And Fostering Student Self-Efficacy With An Improved Clinical Placement Process, Amy C. Wright

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

In my action research study, I have looked closely at my transition into the role of the clinical placement coordinator for the nurse practitioner programs at the University of San Diego (USD). A role that is traditionally filled by clinical experts has been occupied by a student service professional and this study begins to provide solutions and strategies for navigating the role as an outsider of the nursing field. I have focused on challenges for identifying and retaining quality, appropriate community providers, referred to as preceptors, to volunteer as mentors to the students. I have also reintroduced myself as a …

Underrepresented Student Involvement With The Office Of Sustainability, Jelitsa Fonseca

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

The purpose of this study is to further understand the disconnect between sustainability efforts and the underrepresented student population at the University of San Diego (USD). One of the main concerns of this study is why underrepresented students are not getting involved in sustainability activities on campus, and whether or not that is due to being a minority on campus, which may impact how they choose to get involved in these efforts. The main research questions are: How can I help the Office of Sustainability at USD reach out to underrepresented students who may have stigmas and/or stereotypes towards sustainability? …

Compassion With Action: A Glimpse Into Institutional Influences Cultivating Long-Term Philanthropic And Volunteer Morale Within Undergraduate Student Leaders, Novien Yarber

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

This action research explores the extent of social responsibility—by means of philanthropic learning and volunteerism—that develops within the University of San Diego’s undergraduate student government leaders (Associated Students). The study further explores how the organization’s culture may influence service leadership development, and will identify opportunities within the advising methodology that may encourage students’ service to the larger community. The objective of this research is to: 1) observe whether involvement with undergraduate leadership positions (i.e. student government) can have a substantial impact on students’ conceptualization and commitment to their social responsibility to surrounding communities, 2) explore ways in which the Student …

Greening The Graduate Experience: An Exploration In Sustainability Education For Higher Education Leadership Students At The University Of San Diego, David Horber

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

The purpose of this research is to understand the impact of interactive educational interventions, namely a sustainability inventory (Green Graduate Inventory), campus tours, and sustainability game events, on sustainability engagement in graduate students studying Higher Education Leadership at the University of San Diego. Utilizing an Appreciative Inquiry lens, I aim to celebrate sustainability achievements of participants and the University of San Diego community. My research question is, how can I help develop and empower environmentally conscious leaders, amongst higher education leadership graduate students at the University of San Diego, through intentional educational interventions? Additionally, this research will examine the culture …

Generation Z: Utilizing Adaptive And Authentic Leadership To Promote Intergenerational Collaboration At Work, Elizabeth Laudert

M.A. in Leadership Studies: Capstone Project Papers

This paper explores intergenerational collaboration between Generation Z and the older generations. Through the use of both Adaptive Leadership and Authentic Leadership, organizations can promote positive work environments and foster collective intelligence. This paper will start by reviewing existing literature surrounding Millennials in the workplace as well as what we know so far about Generation Z in order to fill in the gaps around what corporate leadership can expect from their Generation Z followership. By overcoming fixed mental models, leadership can change the way younger generations are viewed and can start to embrace the rapidly changing world of the future.

For-Profit Educational Institutions, Rogelio Mcinnis

M.A. in Leadership Studies: Capstone Project Papers

In this paper, I analyze the dynamics of for-profit educational institutions in the United States. and how some of them employ unethical practices to maintain high rates of enrollment while providing substandard services to the non traditional students they serve. The intent of the paper is not to condemn all of the institutions in this industry but instead to point out the aspects of the educational system that bring negative results, pain and suffering to the students that put their time and money into an education they are led to believe will significantly improve their livelihood. The concept of the …

First Generation College Parents: Bridging The Gap Between The American Higher Education System And Latino Families, Georgina Pérez

M.A. in Leadership Studies: Capstone Project Papers

This paper explores the gap that exists between the American higher education system and the families of Latino first-generation college students. Research conducted for this paper details the many barriers immigrant Latino families encounter when navigating the American education system, as well as how parent involvement is key to student success no matter where the student is in their educational career. Furthermore, this paper offers a possible solution to closing that gap by implementing a program that would mentor and support the parents of first-generation college students through the transition from high school and up until students graduate from college. …

Mindful Action For Practice Of Sustainability, Gary Ransom

M.A. in Leadership Studies: Capstone Project Papers

Considering that most of our employed society works the typical eight to nine hour job in a corporate setting, attaining a healthy lifestyle both in and out of the office is known to be unattainable. Much of this mindset of unattainability is due to the lack of an adequate workplace programs. Many employees are in desperate need of a program that is designed for their personal benefit and success. A program like such, caters to the success of the employees and employers and its programmed to carry on after the office doors are closed. A program that offers the proper …

An Analysis Of The Effects Of Cultural Expectations And Family Obligations On Latina Women Attending College, Valeria Bielma

M.A. in Leadership Studies: Capstone Project Papers

This paper explores the existing research involving the cultural roles, expectations and family obligations that may be affecting Latina college students. Latina higher education attainment rates are significantly lower compared to their female counterparts and this paper seeks to explore how strong collectivist orientations may be contributing to this achievement disparity. Familismo is a cultural value that emphasizes loyalty, reciprocity and solidarity, involves strong identification and attachment to the family, and requires members to prioritize family. Latinas may be prioritizing family obligations or fulfilling cultural expectations over school responsibilities, which could lead to the decision to stop pursuing a higher …

Thought Forge: Investment In Critical Thinking, Christian Hampton

M.A. in Leadership Studies: Capstone Project Papers

Critical thinking is an essential part of holistic education. Research shows that it has benefits across curriculum. In both core subject areas and elective subjects alike, critical thinking benefits the development of the needed thought processes. Despite this it is woefully underrepresented in classroom. Thought Forge is a program designed to provide accessible and fun critical thinking curriculum through technology. Designed as a longitudinal difficulty scaffolding program, Thought Forge aims to assess, develop, and reveal critical thinking skills in students of all ages.

Developing Cultural Intelligence And Transformational Leadership Through Participation In Short-Term Study Abroad Programs, Rebecca Whitham

M.A. in Leadership Studies: Capstone Project Papers

This paper explores the concepts of cultural intelligence (CQ) and transformational leadership in the context of graduate students’ participation in short term study abroad programs offered at a small, private university. While existing literature is explored, the findings discovered through a self-conducted research study, indicate that participation in these particular programs raised levels of motivational and behavioral CQ significantly amongst participants. The author utilized a pre and post-test design to survey two programs, one that traveled to Northern Ireland and the other to Brazil. In connection with the rise of CQ, therein lies the possibility for participants to adopt characteristics …

Identifying Factors That Impact Female Leadership Presence, Victoria Elizabeth Kendall

M.A. in Leadership Studies: Capstone Project Papers

This research aims to acknowledge and weaken various factors that deter women from taking up leadership in our current systems. Increasing one’s personal capacity for leadership is especially beneficial for women who participate in systems that lack equal gender representation. Despite differences in organizational culture, certain patterns of experience have been negatively related to female Leadership Presence, and depend on the theoretical lens of leadership for development. Examining the demand-side and supply-side factors that inhibit female career progression is significant to understanding the environmental and individual impositions impacting leadership development. Specific strategies to strengthen Leadership Presence, as well as the …

Dreaming Qontigo: Imagining Possibilities, David Alejandrx Cervantes

M.A. in Leadership Studies: Capstone Project Papers

This paper, through an applied project explores the challenges and opportunities of identity and leadership development of a Queer Chicanx/Latinx graduate student at a faith-based institution. Dreaming Qontigo: Imagining Possibilities weaves together the complexity of mind, body, and spirit with personal, historical, and political glimpses offering a portal for new understandings and reconciliation.

Segregation Of Student Financial Aid In Higher Education: The Effects On Low-Income Students When Ebt Is Not Accepted At University Campuses In San Diego, Ca., Tanisha-Jean Martin

M.A. in Leadership Studies: Capstone Project Papers

The student bodies of universities are made up of a diverse financial class of students which utilize various methods to cover financial obligations on campus, even with the use of welfare governmental assistance. Low-income students that are involved in government welfare programs are given an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card to support them while they are pursuing an education; however, every university in San Diego, CA (and nearly the entire United States), segregate EBT into an unacceptable category and refuse to accept the card at any venues on campus. The EBT card is a plastic card that can be used …

Personal And Leadership Development In The Middle School Environment: The School Strong Initiative, Ashley Kunkle

M.A. in Leadership Studies: Capstone Project Papers

Schools today are extremely focused on the academic rigor demands of standards and literacy that students aren’t learning the skills necessary to become self-initiating individuals and leaders. Through the School STRONG Initiative, students and teachers will have an outlet for community, technical skills enhancement, and leadership and coaching development. With this program in place, schools will transition from the traditional schooling approach, to an authentically led learning organization.

Native American Education: Building Stronger Families, Communities, And Youth Through Cultural Education, Kenia Rodriguez

M.A. in Leadership Studies: Capstone Project Papers

The College dropout rate among Native American students in public high schools, Colleges and Universities is the highest compared to any other student group in the United States. Many have attributed this to the educational disparity that Native American students experience to the lack of cultural education, in addition to cultural bias against them in school or communities. Therefore, this research/applied project is focused on analyzing the collective leadership in Native American communities and the impact it has on a young person’s decision in pursuing higher education. In addition it will examine the importance of integrating Native American cultural classes …

Positive Organizational Leadership: Some Recent Findings In Positive Organizational Scholarship, Lawrence Chan

M.A. in Leadership Studies: Capstone Project Papers

The study of positivity is multifaceted, with roots across psychology, philosophy, and more recently organizational behavior (Csikszentmihalyi, 1997; 2014). This review article highlights the framework from which the study of positivity originates, and then explores positive behaviors in the workplace that have correlated to increases in fulfillment, productivity, engagement, and leadership capacity (Cameron & Dutton, 2003). This essay reveals core components of positive organizational scholarship (POS), notably the interaction of positivity within job demands and job resources, positive employee engagement, and positive deviance, and uncovers some recent findings of these POS components in empirical research and application within human resource …

Re-Imagining Business Enterprise As A Force For Social Good: Exploring Shared Values And The Future Of A Sustainable World, Regina Bernal

M.A. in Leadership Studies: Capstone Project Papers

The world is at a crossroads when it comes to understanding business models and their impact on the world and the environment. Business enterprise fuels the economy and plays a key role in society. However, business enterprise has also been in the spotlight recently due to the damages it has inflicted on society and the environment. We have finite resources on this earth and “business as usual” will no longer suffice for 21st century business models. Companies and leaders are called to re-imagine different business models that integrate a more holistic view of profit, humanity, and the potential for business …

The Resiliency Of Highly Mobile Military Children: Implications For Military And Education Leadership, Kim D. Hunt

Dissertations

The life of a highly mobile child brings educational and social challenges. Highly mobile children who move at least four to five times during their PK-12 grade years generally experience greater difficulty in their social interactions and education than children with a more stable living experience. One specific group of highly mobile children, military children, face these challenges and more, due somewhat to the unique culture of the military. Military children are called upon to move across state lines and/or international borders and typically face multiple school absences and stress related to deployments of their active duty parent(s). There is …

Turn Off That Device, Kris Iacono

M.A. in Leadership Studies: Capstone Project Papers

This paper offers a look into the effects of screen time on children, best practices for parenting, and a curriculum guide for parents to learn the best ways to help their children have healthy screen habits.

2017 Executive Summary- The Learning Group Effect: Leadership Development As Capacity Building A Five-Year Examination Of The Fieldstone Leadership Group Program, Michelle Ahearne, Tessa Tinkler, Mary Jo Schumann

Nonprofit Leadership and Capacity Building

This report, prepared by the Caster Center, is a 5-year examination of the Fieldstone Leadership Group Program, a six-month peer-based learning community model to support the leadership development of both executive directors and senior leaders of nonprofit organizations.

2017 Fieldstone Leadership Network's Learning Group Effect: Leadership Development As Capacity Building, Michelle Ahearne, Tessa Tinkler, Mary Jo Schumann

Nonprofit Leadership and Capacity Building

This report, prepared by the Caster Center, is a 5-year examination of the Fieldstone Leadership Group Program, a six-month peer-based learning community model to support the leadership development of both executive directors and senior leaders of nonprofit organizations.

Leadership Style And Employee Turnover A Mythical Relationship Or Reality?, Arwa Alkhawaja

M.A. in Leadership Studies: Capstone Project Papers

Abstract

Employee turnover is one of the most challenging dilemmas organizations have to deal with. A considerable amount of research indicates that turnover is mainly a result of a negative relationship between the leaders and managers in the workplace and their followers. However, seemingly conflicting studies seem to show that employees leave bosses they consider to be good at nearly the same rate as bosses they consider to be bad. If the relationship between the leadership and followers is not the sole factor in an employee’s decision to quit working, what other factors could be the main causes for employee’s …

Examining Hierarchy Structures In Non-Profits; The Keller Model, Scott J. Keller

M.A. in Leadership Studies: Capstone Project Papers

My capstone project started with challenging myself into designing a different structure than what is commonly utilized in the American workforce. I have come up with a model, that is not just structured differently, but a model that involves an entire culture within. According to my environmental scanning work, there are just five typical (more so traditional than typical) hierarchy models. I believe that the scarcity in available models gives for limitations in ways that an organization can perform, and even more saddening, when the organization does not take into consideration that they could resolve a lot of issues within …

The Vicious Cycle Of Mass Polarization And Fear: A Pilot Program Using Comedy And Dialogue To Leverage Political Polarities, Zoë A. Hayman

M.A. in Leadership Studies: Capstone Project Papers

United States polarization has shifted from simple Congressional stalemate to a state of political warfare. While there is debate in the literature as to whether this attitude polarization is mirrored among the general public, the research is clear that American perceptions of their political opposition is marked by fear and animosity (Pew Research Center, 2016). The Impolitic program aims to intervene in this cycle using comedy to reduce anxiety and encourage participation, and dialogue to build understanding and shift relationships among politically divergent participants. This paper details the system of polarization in which Impolitic seeks to intervene, the guiding leadership …

Mindfulness Program For Student Athletes, Daniel J. Savory

M.A. in Leadership Studies: Capstone Project Papers

Student athletes face challenging situations during their time at college which can cause their experience to be a negative one if they are not fully supported. This can be due to several factors; most athletes face an immense amount of pressure to succeed in the classroom as well as in their sport. Also, many athletes are moving away from home for the first time and this can be a daunting feeling. They are expected to manage all of these challenges, and if mishandled, it can lead to an overwhelming amount of negative stress resulting in an unsuccessful time as a …

The Dynamics Of Gender Identity And Implicit Bias Impacting Women's Executive Leadership Development Programs And Female Executive Leadership Coaching, Emelina Belle

M.A. in Leadership Studies: Capstone Project Papers

“The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.” - Albert Einstein

The implicit gender bias and stereotypes in our society continue to impact gender diversity in executive leadership roles within organizations. The critical demand of high-potential talented female leaders to fill the gap in the corporate pipeline of senior executive positions continues to increase in our global world. Our technologically advanced society impacts this demand, the global climate of organizational change, the competition in products and services, and the impact of implicit bias and gender stereotypes influence …