<p> The Society of Jesus sponsors more colleges and universities than any other religious order in American Catholic Higher Education. At Jesuit institutions, the decline of members of the sponsoring order, challenging admissions markets, and financial pressures are some of the forces that are impacting already existing tensions. These tensions in which American Jesuit schools choose to live generate particular challenges, each shaped by the context of an individual school. This study is focused on the ways that leaders of six Jesuit institutions are thinking about these tensions and responding to the challenges that result from choosing to live in them.</p><p> Research revealed that the declining number of Jesuits, and the increasing number of students who claim to have no religious affiliation, have cracked foundational assumptions on these campuses. This uneasiness, coupled with increased pressure to enroll classes and stabilize financial positions, has created concerns about whether or not the religious mission of the institutions can be sustained long-term. It is clear that presidents play an important role in balancing these tensions, and that their focus or lack of focus on the religious mission sets the tone for a campus. As a result, presidents and mission officers are working more intentionally to interpret the mission, and ways it is promulgated on campus given the current circumstances. This includes practices like hiring for mission, mission programming for faculty and staff, and efforts to educate faculty and staff in the foundational principles of the Jesuits. Leaders are working to build a critical mass of faculty and staff members who are both educated in the foundational mission and who care deeply about preserving it for future generations of students. This critical mass will help address the long term issues presented by current tensions, and prevent future questions about the sustainability of the mission.</p>

Data collection included the following primary data streams: large group and small group class discussions, electronic submissions of personal reflections, answers to teacherresearcher- generated questions and questions and answers to student-generated questions posted to a Yahoo Discussion Group, a Character Analysis document using Powerpoint, and an audiotape of a whole class discussion. Also included in the data streams was an excerpt of an audiotaped session of a whole class discussion of a segment of the novel. All of the above activities were based on the novel, Life is So Good, by George Dawson and Richard Glaubman. Data collection also included audio-tapes of interviews of the focal students. Preliminary analysis of data streams for the focal students revealed the emergence of six themes based on participants' perceptions of the impact of technology integration in a Developmental Reading Course: participants perceived the advantages of using technology to enhance learning in, and beyond, their Developmental Reading Course; participants perceived the difficulties/disadvantages regarding the use of technology in the course; students expressed a gradual development or increase in competence and comfort with the use of technology through the course; students expressed a general preference for the use of computers rather than pen and paper in completion of course assignments; students valued their technology experience enough to express a need for extending policy throughout the University; and, students expressed increased motivation regarding completion of course assignments when using technology. Moreover, two meta-themes emerged based on a re-analysis of the data: technology motivated participants to perform in ways that they never had before; and technology engaged participants through computer-based assignments to the extent that they exhibited characteristics associated with active learning styles. Results showed that participants generally exhibited limited participation in regular classroom discussions and activities, but exhibited active and engaged participation in completing computer-based, content-driven course assignments and activities throughout the course of the study.

<p> Faculty shortages are a primary obstacle to increasing the supply of potential nurses. Research indicates that few academically qualified nurses are choosing to work in faculty jobs. Among nurse faculty, reported turnover intention rates are high. Faculty departures for non-academic positions contribute to the growing shortage. The purpose of this research was to understand the faculty work experience and identify career decision factors from the perspective of former nurse faculty. The research was designed using Maxwell&rsquo;s (2013) interactive model for qualitative research. The investigator purposefully selected a diverse sample of 12 participants who left academia for other employment. Data were collected with in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Analysis was inductive and used open coding, categorizing, and connecting strategies. Ten themes emerged to answer the research questions. Six themes described the nurse faculty work experience: (a) enjoyment of teaching role, (b) leadership quality, (c) collegial relationships, (d) work hours / workload, (e) career advancement and pay, and (f) student attitudes. The decision to change careers was shaped by two themes: (a) disenchantment, and (b) opportunity. Two themes summarized participant recommendations to make the faculty work experience more enticing: (a) improve compensation and (b) improve the work environment and organizational support. The results were interpreted using a conceptual model of determinants of nurse faculty career decisions.</p>

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This study examines the dialogic approach of the Indian-born educational philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895 – 1986), who had developed his own unique approach to dialogue with small groups. The research considered two questions. First, whether Krishnamurti’s dialogic approach is one that could be described by specific strategies and techniques; and second, whether this approach and its strategies and techniques could be adapted, adopted, or emulated for use in higher education. In Chapter One of the paper, Krishnamurti’s general philosophy and his specific philosophy of education are reviewed, with the aim of placing his dialogic approach within the context of his educational philosophy. The second chapter addresses the study’s research questions by presenting a two-part analysis of a transcript of the one-hour dialogue that took place in California in 1981 between Krishnamurti and six American college students. First, even though he used no notes and no lesson plan, the thematic content analysis of this particular dialogue shows that relevant content had in fact been covered and learned, and that this content had emerged as a consequence of Krishnamurti’s direction as a facilitator of learning. Second, specific strategies and techniques employed by Krishnamurti in this dialogue were identified and described, with specific examples as presented from the transcript. The third chapter explores the context of Krishnamurti’s approach within a recent developing trend in educational philosophy; a trend described as holistic and transformative, focused as it is on encouraging change in learners’ thinking about concepts, rather than on transmitting knowledge from educators to learners. This exploration is done by describing several existing examples of holistic and transformative educational approaches. Some of these described existing approaches are expressly informed by Krishnamurti’s educational philosophy, while others, though not expressly informed by Krishnamurti, are nonetheless consistent with his approach. In the final chapter, it is proposed that the analysis of the dialogue in Chapter Two and the comparative context analysis in Chapter Three show that Krishnamurti’s dialogic approach both fits well within the general direction and nature of this existing and developing holistic and transformative trend in the philosophy of education, on the one hand, and is also uniquely distinguishable from existing approaches in meaningful ways, on the other. Chapter Four concludes, then, as a result, that Krishnamurti’s approach can be adapted, emulated, or adopted for beneficial results in higher education. / Graduate