Public Administration Commons^™

How Managers Use The Stockdale Paradox To Balance “The Now And The Next”, C. W. Von Bergen, Martin S. Bressler

Administrative Issues Journal

Recent discussions of leadership paradoxes have suggested that managers who can hold seemingly opposed, yet interrelated perspectives, are more adaptive and effective. One such paradox that has received relatively little attention is the “Stockdale Paradox,” named after Admiral James Stockdale, an American naval officer who was held captive for seven and one-half years during the Vietnam War and survived imprisonment in large part because he held beliefs of optimism about the future, while simultaneously acknowledging the current reality of the desperate situation in which he found himself. This contradictory tension enabled him and his followers to emerge from their situation …

Letter From The Editor, Amanda Evert

Administrative Issues Journal

The Winter 2017 issue of the AIJ begins with an invited article on the evolution of a bridge-to-college program at Idaho State University.

Invited Article: Bridging The Gap – Supporting The Transition From High School To College, Julie A. Frischmann, Kelly S. Moor

Administrative Issues Journal

Idaho State University’s Bengal Bridge is a summer program designed to help students successfully transition from high school to their first year of college at Idaho State University. All Bridge students at ISU take two general education courses, plus an additional credit of supplemental instruction focused on academic strategies specific to the disciplines represented by those general education courses, as well as a First Year Transition (ACAD) course to facilitate engagement with and acculturation to the university community—a total of nine to 10 credits in just seven weeks. Bridge students are also supported by one-to-one academic coaching, supplemental tutoring, peer …

Classical Literature Gives Life To Business Paradox And Systems Integration, Robert A. Page, Samuel K. Andoh, Robert A. Smith

Administrative Issues Journal

Professors bemoan the great difficulty students have understanding the complexity of their disciplines or functional specializations. Many non-traditional students have work and family commitments that limit the time needed to reflect professionally and to master these concepts. This disconnect has persisted despite decades of work developing more integrated, interdisciplinary curricula. One potential, partial solution is to simply start sooner and partner with liberal arts courses to introduce business students to complexity and paradox before they arrive at the business school. Grounding these concepts in the Classics embeds them in great stories of passion, betrayal, commitment, and emotion normally absent in …

Authentic Leadership—Is It More Than Emotional Intelligence?, Phyllis Duncan, Mark Green, Esther Gergen, Wenonah Ecung

Administrative Issues Journal

One of the newest theories to gain widespread interest is authentic leadership. Part of the rationale for developing a model and subsequent instrument to measure authentic leadership was a concern that the more popular theory, the full range model of leadership and its instrument, the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) (Bass & Avolio, 1985), did not sufficiently emphasize aspects of leader emotional intelligence (EI), such as self-awareness (Avolio & Gardner, 2005).

In its current configuration, the Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (ALQ) (Walumba, Avolio, Gardner, Wernsing & Peterson, 2008) measures four dimensions of leadership: relational transparency, internal moral perspective, balanced processing, and self-awareness. …

Addressing Uncertainty During Workplace Change: Communication And Sense-Making, Rich Parsells

Administrative Issues Journal

Change is a commonplace occurrence in today’s organizations. A number of scholars suggest that communication strategies during organizational change are an important element to the success of a change initiative, yet such strategies are not given primacy in the research literature. The purpose of this paper is to add to the discourse on communication and workplace change initiatives by reporting on a research project that explored communication actions which were employed and viewed as useful by those experiencing a change in the workplace. This paper presents the findings that emanated from the study and explore their meaning in relation to …

Canines For Disabled Kids, Erin Jerrett, Margarita Mnatsakanyan, Colleen Reynolds, Yin Wang

School of Professional Studies

Canines for Disabled Kids have been working on behalf of children and their families to educate communities and promote service dog partnerships for almost twenty years. Their advocacy with local legislatures, business owners, and community leaders highlighted the difficulties encountered when differentiating service dogs from emotional support/comfort dogs. Service dogs are entitled to access by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), while emotional support/comfort dogs are not protected under the federal statute or to the same rights. Canines for Disabled Kids proposed a study to obtain a current count of licensed service dogs in the Commonwealth and investigate the feasibility …

Migrating Learning Management Systems: A Case Of A Large Public University, Brenda L. R. Such, Albert D. Ritzhaupt, George S. Thompson

Administrative Issues Journal

In the past 20 years, institutions of higher education have made major investments in Learning Management Systems (LMSs). As institutions have integrated the LMS into campus culture, the potential of migrating to not only an upgraded version of the LMS, but also an entirely different LMS, has become a reality. This qualitative research study examines the perspectives of five stakeholders involved with the migration of an LMS at a major research institution in the southeastern United States. Using Lewin’s (1947) Change Management Model and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Model as analogies, this research seeks to understand the role and responsibilities …

Improving Service Delivery Through Provider Training: A Process Evaluation Of The Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System “Commitment To Serve” Workshop, Ismael Barrera

Master's Projects

As the customer-focused management strategies gradually advances into all of the VISNs [Veterans Integrated Service Networks], the Veterans Health Administration in Palo Alto, California implemented a customer service training program for employees to meet the diverse and complex needs of its customers. This research will analyze whether participants in this training, known as Commitment to SERVE, believe that it is achieving its goal. In other words, does the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System (VAPAHCS) staff perceive the Commitment to SERVE workshop as a beneficial customer service training program?

Suicide Prevention: Do San Francisco Afsp Community Walks Reduce Hopelessness?, Tyson Peltz

Master's Projects

Community-based outreach programs have been found to be effective, helping to educate people, and reduce suicide through outreach and peer group support. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) has been at the forefront of the battle to reduce suicide through education, fund raising, lobbing, and support efforts to those in need of suicide prevention services, as well as those who have lost someone. One of the ways they have done this is through community walks and fundraising throughout the nation for anyone affected by suicide. These events are called Out of the Darkness Walks, which allow the community to …

Santa Clara County Senior Nutrition Program Evaluation Report, Tae Hwan Ihm

Master's Projects

Santa Clara County conducts a Senior Nutrition Program (SNP) in conjunction with the City of San Jose, the Outreach Paratransit Program and local community-based organizations (CBOs) like Sourcewise (Lam, 2015). These programs combined represent a significant investment of public funds, with more than 45% of the SNP program’s funding coming from the county General Fund (Lam, 2015). Such a large financial commitment needs to demonstrate some benefit to the participants, and some positive outcomes from the current program design. This study evaluated the SNP’s effectiveness in achieving its primary goals. Primary goals of the SNP are to promote senior citizens’ …

Consult Management At The Va Palo Alto Health Care System: Has The Implementation Of Business Rules Improved Consult Management, And Did It Help Measure Performance For Select Services?, Christine Poblete

Master's Projects

This research project was developed to determine whether the new business rules implemented at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System have resulted in an improvement in the delivery of critical health care services through consults; and whether this process can be used as a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) for measuring performance of clinical services by health care administrators.

Analyzing The Effectiviness Of A Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Targeting At-Risk Opioid Abuse Patients, Treadway Childs

Public Administration ETDs

The effectiveness of a prescription drug monitoring program in coordination with a prescription opioid recidivism program was examined at a semi-rural community hospital. Patients were identified by a multi-disciplinary committee to be at-risk for opioid misuse or abuse, and were denied prescription opioids. Patients were considered eligible for the program if they had over 12 emergency department visits in the previous 12 months, or 6 visits in the previous 6 months, depending on how long the hospital had records on a patient. Patients who were placed in the prescription opioid recidivism program could not receive opioids at this hospital. The …

Mapping The Alignment Of Programmatic Mission, Functions And Outcomes With The Attainment Of Health Equity: An Overview Of The Approach And Initial Outcomes Through The Lens Of The Usda’S Cyfar Scp Program, Onyemaechi Nweke, Kara Ryan, Mpp, Bonita Williams, Phd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Eliminating health disparities is a priority across national agenda and initiatives such as the National Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities (NPA), the National Prevention Strategy, and Healthy People 2020. To advance this priority under the NPA, the Federal Interagency Health Equity Team (FIHET), which is an NPA federal cross-sector and collaborative platform, initiated a voluntary pilot “health equity mapping” exercise in 2014. This exercise served as a strategy to clarify the strategic alignment between participant federal partner program missions, goals, and activities, and the goal to end health disparities and promote health equity. The mapping process included an …

Marketing Strategy Of School Of Professional Studies In China, Jiahui Liu, Jing Wang, Shuo An, Wengxing Wang, Yiwei Wang

School of Professional Studies

Chinese students are the most visible international presence at many universities across the United States, and the number continues to grow. Since 2010, The number of graduate students studying abroad has entered the period in which the increase has been declining. Under the circumstance of the weak global economy and high cost of education, the administration needs to attract the attention of Chinese students. In the process of competing for applicants, how to develop marketing strategies to attract students’ eyeballs has become an important means of trying to increase school income through Chinese students. The marketing strategy mentioned in this …

Utilizing Title Vi As A Means To Eradicate Health Discrimination, Adrian D. Samuels, Mariah L. Cole

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Health disparities among people of color are persistent and detrimental to the overall wellness of these groups. Discrimination in the provision of health care services is one of the primary causes of health disparities. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964’s availability as a tool to prevent discrimination and, in turn, disparities among these groups is underdocumented. The legislative intent of Title VI and the historical context of the law have been helpful in its use outside of the health care arena to prevent discrimination. This sheds light on the ways that the law can influence the health …

Color-Blind Racial Attitudes: Microaggressions In The Context Of Racism And White Privilege, Jared F. Edwards

Administrative Issues Journal

Interest in institutional racism, White privilege, and microaggressions appears to be growing. We are living in times when the impact of race and racism are debated—when even the existence of racism is debated along with the appropriateness of examining the worst parts of U.S. history. This special-issue invited article includes a brief examination of historical information and current context in which racism and microaggressions exist, leading to their connections to Color-Blind Racial Attitudes (CoBRAs). Reviewed research on CoBRAs addresses teacher training, educational practices, experiences on college campuses, and organizational management.

Investigation Of Factors Relating To The Web-Based Presentation Of Policy And Information On Campus Firearm Policy And Smoking Policy, Veronica F. Mcgowan

Administrative Issues Journal

In order to explore themes of privilege in regard to policy availability, language accessibility, and underlying bias, policies related to two topics of interest to higher education campus visitors, campus firearm carry policy and smoking policy, are explored to determine how Web-based information is presented to various audiences. Implications of policy accessibility are compelling; language barriers can adversely affect access to campus events and educational services. Representative samples of policies of five states that allow some form of open or concealed campus firearm carry were studied to determine possible factors of importance. Representative samples of two additional states in the …

A Systems Theory Approach To The District Central Office’S Role In School-Level Improvement, Jackie Mania-Singer

Administrative Issues Journal

This qualitative case study used General Systems Theory and social network analysis to explore the relationships between the members of a district central office and principals of elementary schools within an urban school district in the Midwest. Findings revealed sparse relationships between members of the district central office and principals, more opportunities for higher performing schools to participate in decision making, and few opportunities for all schools to provide feedback to the district, resulting in a centralized network structure that may inhibit the transfer of knowledge and communication, and ultimately, hinder school-level improvement efforts.

Letter From The Editor, Aij Editors

Administrative Issues Journal

No abstract provided.

Factors Contributing To The Persistence Of African American And Hispanic Undergraduate Males Enrolled At A Regional Predominantly White Institution, Reginal R. Hall

Administrative Issues Journal

The purpose of this study is to explore factors that may contribute to the persistence and graduation rates of African American and Hispanic undergraduate males enrolled at regional four-year public universities in Texas. African American and Hispanic males have lower graduation rates in both secondary and post-secondary education than their White peers (Harper, 2010; Swail, Cabrera, Lee, & Williams, 2013). The qualitative research investigated characteristics that exist among African American and Hispanic undergraduate males who have persisted and were retained at the university through their senior academic year. The research problem was explored through the lens of critical race theory …

A Faculty Woman Of Color And Micro-Invalidations At A White Research Institution: A Case Of Intersectionality And Institutional Betrayal, Doris Carroll

Administrative Issues Journal

Faculty Women of Color should be able to thrive and grow at our best research and teaching institutions. Assuring their academic and professional success requires that an institution’s academic culture shift from a White, male-dominated, meritocratic environment to a global enrichment campus, one that values the richness and diversity of talent that Faculty Women of Color can contribute as scholars. Using CRT and Institutional Betrayal Theory as a context for understanding their experiences, this paper presents a personal narrative regarding the micro-invalidations that Faculty Women of Color face at America’s White research institutions. The outcome of this discussion offers systemic …

A Study Of Rural High School Principals’ Perceptions As Social Justice Leaders, Shelly Albritton, Stephanie Huffman, Rhonda Mcclellan

Administrative Issues Journal

This multisite case study explores how rural principals in high poverty schools in a Southern state that had identified themselves as social justice leaders perceived student diversity, specifically LGBTQ students, and how they sustained a socially-just school climate for all students. Using a qualitative approach lent itself to understanding the principals’ descriptions of themselves as social justice leaders in their respective school and community contexts through their conversations (Creswell, 2007; Marshall & Rossman, 2016). The investigators drew from Theoharis’ (2007, 2009) and Bishop’s (2012) studies to serve as the theoretical framework guiding this study. The results indicated that the principals …

A Review Of For White Folks Who Teach In The Hood…And The Rest Of Y’All Too: Reality Pedagogy And Urban Education, Jackie Mania-Singer

Administrative Issues Journal

This literature review provides a summary and analysis of Christopher Emdin’s For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood…and the Rest of Y’all Too: Reality Pedagogy and Urban Education. Emdin proposes a theory of reality pedagogy and provides a framework, the Seven Cs, for practical implementation of the approach in the urban classroom.

Do Leaders’ Experience And Concentration Area Influence School Performance?, Kimberlin Sturgis, Brittanee Shiflett, Tyrone Tanner

Administrative Issues Journal

The purpose of this study was to examine the educational background of leaders in small, high poverty, high minority schools in an effort to determine if the leader’s concentration area and background were related to the academic success of the students. Through a causal comparative design, a modified version of the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) Self- Assessment (CCSSO, 2000) was used to collect data from principals and assistant principals to answer the following research questions: Is there a difference between the leader’s concentration area (counseling, mathematics, language arts, science, etc.) and school rating? Is there a difference between …

Umass Memorial Healthcare Information System Job Ladder, Matthew Simoncini, Vamsi Kavuru, Antariksh Nanda, Tahaseen Mahaboob Basha, Vikram Patil

School of Professional Studies

The capstone project report emphasizes the importance of a job ladder and the need of an hour to implement it at UMASS Memorial health care. The scope of this project is to create a well-established job ladder at UMASS with pre-defined standards on job levels related to Information Technology department that would facilitate in hiring, developing and promoting employees at various stages.

Human Services Management (Hsm) Certificate Program Expansion To Western Massachusetts Feasibility Study, Paul Campbell, Patrick Deschenes, Maria Pacheco, Bradley Paul, Elizabeth Vittum, Jing Zhang

School of Professional Studies

One of the most popular cost-savings programs that the Providers’ Council currently offers its members is a Certificate in Nonprofit Human Service Management (HSM) provided in partnership with Clark University and Suffolk University. As human services providers are struggling to hire and retain qualified staff, the need to provide professional development opportunities to help grow and expand a skilled health and human services workforce is a critical issue facing nonprofit organizations and communities in Massachusetts. This feasibility study examines the viability of Providers’ Council and Clark University expanding its HSM Certificate Program to organizations and staff located in western Massachusetts. …

Somali National University, Sharmarke Abdulla, Nikala Pieroni, Jenna Caskie, Sergii Odnodvorets, Tanyue Gong, Lahari Dasari

School of Professional Studies

The executive summary presents an overview of the principal conclusions and recommendations for Somali National University Faculty of Education (FoEd) regarding the following concerns: Difficulty with recruiting high quality prospects to the FoEd; Ineffective and counterintuitive use of social media as a tool to improve brand equity, as well as as a tool to attract and communicate with prospective and current students; Unbalanced gender ratio of current student body; Absence of student services and student supports; Low student retention rate; Limited resources for academic advising; This document is the result of a Clark University School of Professional Studies Capstone Project.

A Learning Framework For The Ywca Central Massachusetts, Dayna Ankermann, Manjushree Burdekar, Priyanka Joshi, Ying Song, Yumeng Chen, Xing Xie

School of Professional Studies

After meeting with the Director of Wellness and Health Equity at the YWCA Central Massachusetts (which will be referred to as the YWCA from here on out), we learned that as a non-profit gym and health center, it is heavily underfunded. The main focus of the project was to determine how to upkeep the facility while bringing in new customers with limited resources and budget. Due to the needs of the YWCA, our group focused on six aspects: revenue stream, donor retention, increasing membership, customer experience, social media marketing, and membership fee structure. After completing extensive research, we were able …

Researchers', Stakeholders', And Investors' Perceptions Of U.S. Stem Cell Research Policy, Dorothy King-Moore

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Federal support and funding for human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research in the United States lags behind stem cell programs in many countries because of the divisive debate over hESC research and the continually evolving federal policies that have hindered research efforts. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions of stem cell researchers, stakeholders, and investors in the United States about the effects of the current federal stem cell policy on stem cell research in the United States, the moral disagreement with stem cell research, and their recommendations to improve stem cell research policy in the …