<p> Mythological studies deepens and layers the significance of fashion and dress through an archetypal exploration of Greek goddess fashion archetypes--Aphrodite, Athena, Artemis, and Hestia. The research reveals how these archetypes and their shadows influence the fashion industry from the creation of a garment to when it is worn on the body. The production component of the dissertation entails archetypal fashion design curriculum that contains an instructor's guide for an archetypal women's fashion design course at the collegiate level. The study is tailored to expand fashion design students' understanding of fashion silhouettes and design elements that fit certain fashion archetypes and how the fashion archetypes manifest within target markets, consumers' styles, and consumption choices. The theoretical portion of the research examines fashion theory as a multidisciplinary approach through which to investigate why the body is covered. Within fashion theory, mythological studies offers a new perspective through which to study fashion archetypally by canvassing Greek and Roman myths tied to the four goddesses and by exploring depth psychological and Jungian concepts, such as archetypes, shadow, psyche, and the collective unconscious as they relate to fashion. </p><p> The research concludes: a woman's fashion identity and personal style convey one or more goddess fashion archetypes; to express identity and style, garments on the body communicate a visual story about oneself to others that relates to one or more of the goddesses' stories (or myths) archetypally; goddess fashion archetypes categorize fashion silhouettes, such as dresses, pants, and gowns, as well as archetypal goddess fashion silhouette themes, such as masculine/structured, feminine/sensual, functional/comfortable, or conservative/playful; and clothing the body is due to an instinctual drive that is informed by Greek goddess archetypes in Western fashion. Further implications for this research include creating a guide for consumers to understand their preferred archetypal style, employing fashion archetypes to retail when merchandising clothing stores and purchasing inventory for consumers, and developing god fashion archetypes, such as Zeus, Hermes, Ares, Dionysus, and Hephaistos for men's fashion. </p>

<p> This multi-site case study is really the story of three same-state community colleges (Bridge and Buffer Community College, Grants and Reserves Community College, and Crystal Ball Community College) two years after they suffered a potentially catastrophic 50% reduction in state allocations. This study examined their responses to those reductions and attempted to frame those responses according to existing research on strategic activity and strategic positioning. </p><p> The theoretical framework used, referenced as a theoretical mesh, consisted of academic capitalism (Slaughter &amp; Leslie, 1997; Slaughter &amp; Rhoades, 2004), resource dependence theory (Pfeffer &amp; Salancik, 1978), state relative autonomy perspective (Dougherty, 1994), and neo-institutional theory (DiMaggio &amp; Powell, 1983). The synthesis of these theories facilitated the analysis of the findings of this study. </p><p> This study identified three key phenomena: The <i>Quartering of Community Colleges</i> to conceptualize and organize the abundance of external pressures facing community colleges, <i>Mandates to Neutralize </i> to explain the importance of an aggressive and formal approach to neutralizing external pressures, and <i>Embedded Community Colleges</i> whose strategic positions are strengthened through a deliberate, committed approach to fostering close relationships with their local communities.</p>

<p> This study explored the potential of classroom-based meditation practice as a tool to facilitate learning. Moreover, the impact of meditation on cognitive engagement, mindfulness and academic performance of undergraduate college students was investigated. Additionally, the relationships between mindfulness and cognitive engagement, and between these variables and students' academic performance were explored. Mindfulness was also examined for its potential as an indicator of engagement and meditation as a potential facilitator of engagement. </p><p> A quasi-experimental nonequivalent control group design was employed with a sample of 189 undergraduate students at a public Research I institution in the Northeast, enrolled in classes in the Department of Learning and Instruction. All participants completed a survey instrument comprised of two self-report measures: the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire and a Cognitive Engagement Scale administered at the beginning and end of the Fall 2012 semester. GPA was utilized as a measure of academic performance. Experimental group participants participated in a 6-minute meditation at the beginning of class throughout the 15-week semester. </p><p> Many significant relationships were found between mindfulness, cognitive engagement and academic performance. Specifically, mindfulness and cognitive engagement were related at both the scale and subscale levels, and GPA was related to two facets of mindfulness, acting with awareness and nonreactivity, and one facet of cognitive engagement, self-regulation. Furthermore, nonreactivity was the best predictor of academic performance in this student sample. Moreover, mindfulness was a better predictor of academic performance than was cognitive engagement. The results suggest that mindfulness may be important in the process of learning. Implications focus on student engagement theory, pedagogy, institutional policy and practices. Evidence provided from this research supports the use of methods that cultivate mindfulness as valid pedagogical tools, further substantiating the educational efficacy of classroom-based meditation practice. </p>

<p>This ex post facto comparison study of a postsecondary apprenticeship program at a naval ship construction company examined 8 years of academic performance and program completion data for two curricular formats: a 15-week traditional group (1,259 apprentices) and a 10-week accelerated group (736 apprentices). The two groups were investigated to determine if there were significant differences in retention, course grades, and overall GPA between the two curriculum lengths. A chi-square test for association between groups and retention found a statistically significant relationship between retention and curriculum length, &chi;2 (1, <i>N</i> = 1,995) = 65.84, <i> p</i> &lt; .001, with retention greater for the 10-week curriculum. Six of 12 accelerated courses had higher grades (descriptively) than the corresponding traditional 15-week courses, and 4 of 12 accelerated 10-week courses had significantly higher grades (statistically) than the corresponding traditional 15-week courses. The overall GPA for completers was significantly higher for the 10-week curriculum (<i>n</i> = 474, <i>M</i> = 3.02, <i> SD</i> = .79) than for the 15-week curriculum (<i>n</i> = 862, <i> M</i>= 2.83, <i>SD</i> = .81), <i>t</i> (994) = -4.16, <i> p</i> &lt; .001, <i>d</i> = - 0.26. This study has added to the limited body of literature on apprenticeship studies and workforce development by exploring how apprenticeship programs can be accelerated to transform inexperienced skilled labor into a high-performance workforce with a general increase in academic performance. </p>

<p> Studies suggest that the academic identity of liberal arts faculty is changing due to the introduction and use of new managerialism practices in higher education. Increasingly, faculty members are being asked to take on tasks considered to be outside of traditional teaching, research, and service functions. These tasks are largely administrative in nature, and while previous research has documented some shifts in faculty duties, none has detailed the explicit impacts these shifts have on faculty identity. </p><p> This phenomenological study documents how 15 tenured and tenure-track liberal arts faculty members at a well-respected and highly ranked research 1 (R1) university in the Mid-Atlantic region have experienced new managerialism. It tells a story of a faculty devoted not only to research but also to teaching&mdash;one that values both the high caliber of undergraduate students and his colleagues and the strong academic tradition and reputation of the institution. The data in some ways paint a portrait of what one would expect to find: faculty members who fervently believe in the intellectual freedom that comes with tenure. At the same time, the data challenge previously held generalisms, such as a faculty member's primary identification with his or her discipline. The study also details concerns about what has been described as the rapidly expanding administrative core of the university&mdash;those individuals not primarily focused on conducting research or teaching students. </p><p> My conclusions question higher education's societal role and the academy's present challenges and opportunities, and depict faculty members who are clinging to an idealized image of the professoriate of the past and, at the same time, attempting to define their future identity.</p>

<p> Classroom scheduling in higher education is a complicated process involving many different stakeholders across the campus. These stakeholders may include, but are not limited to faculty, students, administrators, and boards of trustees. Due to the culture and practices, as well as the conflicting interests of each of these groups, the scheduling process of academic classrooms and instructional laboratories may not always be efficient. This inefficiency often results in the underutilization of an institution&rsquo;s space. This study supplements the limited research available by examining and benchmarking best practices in efficient classroom scheduling in higher education at private, non-profit institutions of higher education in the United States. An electronic survey instrument was developed to serve a variety of purposes: to assess factors affecting the classroom scheduling process; to explore internal and external forces that influence classroom scheduling from the viewpoint of the institution&rsquo;s registrars tasked with classroom scheduling; and to develop a list of best practices in efficient classroom scheduling from feedback and input that can be adapted by any institution. The survey was pilot tested on a panel consisting of five registrars recruited through an announcement placed on the LinkedIn group entitled College and University Registrars. The data resulting from survey and registrar feedback were then used to develop a list of best practices in classroom scheduling. These practices formed the framework for developing a benchmarking self-score sheet to evaluate institutional practices and identify opportunities for improvement.</p>

<p> The ubiquity of technology in our daily lives sometimes obscures the fact that there are segments of American society who continue to experience a digital divide. The focus of this quantitative study was to explore a measurement instrument that can assess technology capacities among higher education institutions; thus, helping detect whether digital divides are present in this unit of analysis. A conceptual model of technology capacity based upon Barzilai-Nahon's (2006) digital divide index served as the theoretical foundation for this research. </p><p> Employing confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses, this study found that the ability to access technology along with the student experience with technology were the two factors that best defined technology capacity for an institution. Additionally, this study recognized that institutional characteristics such as institution location, size, Carnegie classification, and sector influence differences in institutional technology capacities. The research found the technology capacities of rural institutions trailed the technology capacities of institutions located in cities, suburbs, or towns. It was also found that institutions with more than 20,000 students and doctoral institutions far exceeded the capacities of smaller institutions and those of other Carnegie classifications. </p><p> One challenge of this study was the available data sets originally gathered in 2008 and 2009 by EDUCAUSE. The results garnered from these data sets revealed there was a digital divide within higher education. However, with the speed of change in the technology landscape, further research is needed to determine whether these divides persist today. The validated instrument developed by this study will make future and repeated measures of technology capacity attainable for researchers.</p>

<p> Studies indicate that transfer is a daunting and culturally difficult process for Latin@ students which may explain the overwhelmingly low transfer rate in such population (Bradley, 2013; Campaign for College Opportunity, 2013; Fry, 2011). This is compounded by the fact that administrators and educators have failed to recognize Latin@ students' unique needs and barriers by amalgamating them into the overall student population (Rend&oacute;n Linares &amp; Mu&ntilde;oz, 2011). This study sought to address the aforementioned problems by investigating successful Latin@ transfer students' identity negotiation and visualization of comfortable spaces at universities before and after transfer. The study focused on students who participated in a community college educational services program and asked whether the program facilitated students' transfer to four-year institutions. Using identity negotiation theory as a framework, the findings revealed that Latin@ transfer students faced unpredictable environments, described the university as a whole new world, and experienced cultural shock. Additionally, they felt insecurity due to the professors, academics, peers, formal language, and their identity as Latin@s. The students reported feeling disconnected, especially from White staff and faculty and other students. However, students started feeling comfortable as they connected with other Latin@s and saw the university as a place for professional and academic positive identification and escape. After time, students felt included because they connected with personalized counselors, felt validation from professors and counselors, and joined Latin@ or major-based clubs. Furthermore, the university provided comfortable spaces where students could connect with other Latin@s and people in their majors, and escape from their hectic worlds. The findings suggest that students who attended the educational services program and were actively involved in workshops and events that the programs provided were better prepared for transfer to four-year institutions. Recommendations are made to support the creation and enforcement of educational services programs. Other recommendations include the following: the promotion of culturally-specific educational services programs and professional relationship development and networking for Latin@ transfer students; advertisement of culturally-specific comfortable spaces where Latin@ students can meet other Latin@s, learn about their majors, and rest; and increasing cultural competency training for students, administrators, and educators.</p>

<p> Asian Americans are often regarded as the &ldquo;model minority,&rdquo; applauded for their ability to blend in to American society, achieve academically, and climb the socio-economic ladder. However, this model minority status is a myth that fails to recognize the variation that exists across different Asian American subpopulations. Recent studies have acknowledged the diverse ethnicities, cultural, economic, and social capital among different Asian American subgroups. This narrative inquiry explored the K-16 educational experiences of academically successful first-generation Vietnamese American college students. This Asian American subpopulation has experiences and outcomes that, in many ways, resemble those of traditionally underrepresented groups like African American and Latino students. Thus this study examined the experiences of those who have succeeded to better understand the supports upon which they have drawn and the obstacles they have navigated. </p><p> Through narrative inquiry, this study gives contour and voice to the educational experience and academic life of these students from their own perspectives. More specifically, this study employed narrative representation to retell lived experiences in the form of a chronology. Themes across participants were also examined and presented to honor the voices of other participants and provide deeper insights into the experiences of first-generation Vietnamese American students. The stories of these understudied, disadvantaged students are examined to understand the personal, social, and institutional influences that affect the experience of this population and the possible interactions among these contributing factors as students navigate the K-16 educational pipeline. By means of storytelling, findings elucidate the factors that support the scholastic achievement of first-generation Vietnamese American youth and the barriers that hinder their success using a student retention and anti-deficit approach. </p><p> Findings indicate that first-generation Vietnamese American youth navigated the K-16 educational pipeline as active agents with a wealth of capital and great resilience. Like other marginalized students of color, youth in this study arrived at school with aspirational, familial, social, navigational, and resistant capital. Further, collectively, cognitive, social, and institutional factors enhanced students&rsquo; ability to persevere and triumph in face of barriers. However, findings also suggest that some assets, such as family and language, were not absolute. In many cases, one form of capital interacted, facilitated, or constrained another form of capital. For instance, while family could be supportive and facilitative of student success, family members and traditions also presented significant barriers for at least some study participants. </p><p> Findings from this study inform policy, practice, and future research to facilitate greater participation, engagement, and educational achievement for first-generation Vietnamese American youth, as well as assist other first-generation youth navigate the educational process and create their own college-going tradition. Based on the findings of from this study, policy makers should increase funding for qualified support staff (such as, school counselors, school psychologists, school psychiatrists, school social workers, school-community liaisons, and bilingual aides) to help Vietnamese American youth overcome personal and institutional barriers to success. Schools and colleges should annually develop improvement plans, as well as publicize and evaluate the effectiveness of their efforts to promote minority student and parent engagement.</p>

<p> One of the primary the missions of colleges and universities is dedicated to student success. Traditionally, helping academically probationary students has been challenging for all educational institutions, because there are a multitude of factors involved for the schools and the students including, for example, demographics, socioeconomic issues, student motivation, and student time-management skills. The complexity introduced by these various factors creates obstacles in developing effective programs to aid and assist these students. At the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), there exists a course entitled Insights on Success that is designed as an intervention step to improve individual academic performance through self-discovery. The Insights on Success curriculum also works with students on several of the factors that are found in the current literature discussing academically probationary students and examining the factors that contribute to their poor performance, but this study focuses on the effectiveness of the Insights on Success course, itself. Effectiveness of the course for this study was determined by the improvement of the GPA scores of the probationary students who attended the class versus a control group of students who did not attend the class. </p><p> This research study evaluates the effectiveness of the Insights on Success course on the academic performance of probationary students attending baccalaureate degree programs within RIT's College of Applied Science &amp; Technology. This study presents the research design, discusses strategies for engaging the students, and explains the metrics that were assessed to determine the success or failure of the intervention.</p>