Thesis (Ed.D.)--East Carolina University, 2008. / Presented to the faculty of the Department of Educational Leadership. Advisor: Cheryl C. McFadden. Title from PDF t.p. (viewed May 26, 2010). Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 148-166). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 1968. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 299-317). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--West Virginia University, 2003. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 124 p. Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 116-120).

Many colleges and universities with historic relationships to religious organizations either have abandoned those relationships altogether or maintain the relationships in name only. Other church-related institutions remain deeply defined by their religious affiliation and require students and faculty to affirm certain creeds, practices and studies. Between these extremes, some institutions maintain a meaningful church relationship while embracing full academic freedom and building a faculty and student body that is richly diverse in every way. The leadership of the president may be critical to preserving the creative tension that allows the academy to prosper while drawing meaning from a church relationship. This study of executive leadership in church-related higher education sought to understand this form of leadership. The study joined conversations in the literature about leadership and about church-related higher education. The study utilized interactive qualitative analysis (Northcutt & McCoy, 2004) to identify nine elements in the system of executive leadership in church-related higher education. The study produced a theoretical model that allowed the researcher to describe the relationships that exist among the elements in the system, to explain the cause of existing conditions in the system, to predict the future results of actions on the system, and to discuss the impact of extrasystemic influences on the system. The study compared the different understandings of presidents, faculty members, and church leaders who serve as trustees. The results of the study indicated that primal leadership (Goleman, Boyatzis, & McKee, 2002) was the most relevant existing leadership theory for understanding the system described in this study. This study had primary value for persons who provide executive leadership in church-related higher education and for persons who select, evaluate, support and work with executive leaders in church-related higher education. This study had secondary value for persons who study executive leadership in all of higher education and for persons who study the interface between the general literature on leadership and specific understandings of leadership in higher education. / text

The purpose of this study was to assess the leadership practices of President Jay Kesler during his 15-year tenure at Taylor University. Practices were determined using the theoretical perspective of Kouzes and Posner (2003) by administering the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) and interviewing respondents regarding Kelser's practices. This research gives evidence of how often Kesler used each of the five practices of Modeling the Way, Inspiring a Shared Vision, Challenging the Process, Enabling Others to Act and Encouraging the Heart, as determined by the LPI. It also examines the depth of Kesler's usage of these practices through respondent reports.A case study methodology was used for this research. It entailed both a quantitative element in the administration of the LPI and a qualitative element in the interviews. Kesler and nine people who were associated with him during his tenure at Taylor responded to the LPI and were then interviewed. The LPI was considered a structured interview, according to the Fraenkel and Wallen (1996) method of interviewing. Retrospective interviews were then conducted with each respondent, and archival data were consulted to add support and validity to the research.Conclusions drawn as a result of this study were:Kesler did use all five practices in the Kouzes and Posner model. The order of frequency in which he used the practices is: 1) Inspiring a Shared Vision; 2) Encouraging the Heart; 3) Enabling Others to Act; 4) Modeling the Way; and 5) Challenging the Process.Kesler's avoidance of conflict and his treatment of women in leadership were leadership challenges he faced. Respondents' evaluations of Kesler did not correlate with his self-evaluation, presumably due to the fact that Kesler was opposed to formal performance evaluations.Kesler did demonstrate characteristics of humility and excellent communication that contributed to the success of Taylor University under his tenure.Results of this study were not generalized beyond studying Kesler's leadership practices. This study, however, contributes new information to the field of leadership research and could be used with a series of other case studies to make generalizations about how university presidents effect change. It also is significant to the institution by providing historical documentation of Kesler's leadership during his tenure at Taylor University. / Department of Educational Studies

Thesis (Ed.D.)--University of Tulsa, 1976. / Bibliography: leaves 85-89.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Wyoming, 1970. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [100]-104).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2008. / Title from title screen (site viewed Oct. 21, 2008). PDF text: 196 p. ; 960 K. UMI publication number: AAT 3308322. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm and microfiche formats.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--University of Central Florida, 2008. / Advisers: Rosemarye Taylor, Debbie Hahs-Vaughn. Includes bibliographical references (p. 206-214).