<p> This study examines presidential response to human-induced crises on public university campuses. The goal of the research was to understand specifically what actions and behaviors leaders in crisis take; what kinds of teams they assemble and the ways those teams function; how the leaders communicate--both to their teams and their institutional communities; and the ways their actions, behaviors and communications are understood by stakeholders of the campus. </p><p> A review of current literature on crises in higher education supports the research, and aided in the formulation of the four sets of research questions. Specifically, the compilation of research in crisis and crisis management; the role of the president in higher education; leadership and communication in crisis; and sensemaking and social cognition theory highlighted several gaps in understanding about leader behavior in crisis. The research questions, therefore, were structured to explore presidential actions and behaviors, teams and team function, intentional messaging and communication, and stakeholder perceptions in crisis. </p><p> Presidents at three large, public, research universities were the focus of the case studies. The findings emerged out of site visits to the campuses, personal interviews and review of historical documents and media coverage. While the leaders and the crises differed at each site, several common themes surfaced and the study revealed some important revelations and implications for both the literature and leaders in practice today. For instance, the findings demonstrated the significance of active, engaged leadership in crisis, highlighted the roles teams play in helping leaders to manage and resolve crises, and exposed the ways trust&mdash;both of the sort leaders bring to crisis and the kind they afford others with whom they work&mdash;influences leader actions and stakeholder perceptions. Ultimately, the research elicited a list of guidelines that presidents--as well as those who hire, support, or work with presidents&mdash;might consider as they prepare for and encounter crisis. </p>

<p> The following explores the phenomenon of perceived organizational culture change resulting from involvement in the establishment of program-level student learning outcomes assessment at colleges and universities. The goal of the research was to understand what elements of organizational culture may have changed on the part of the faculty and administration during the assessment development and implementation process, and how the combined effects may have shifted elements of organizational culture. </p><p> Two primary research questions guided the exploration of perceived organizational culture change. The first question focused on how the process of developing and implementing plans to assess student learning at the program level influences the attitudes, behaviors, values, and practices of faculty. The second question considered ways in which the assessment initiative changed or affected the program's organizational culture. </p><p> Critical to answering these research questions for each program studied was an understanding of the assessment development and implementation process. Further, it was important to identify and comprehend those decisions perceived most influential on the organizational culture of the program's faculty and administration. </p><p> The review of current knowledge supported and focused on research from the following four areas: 1. a basic history of assessment and the role of accreditation; 2. perceived cultural conflicts associated with assessment; 3. institutional interpretations of assessment; and, 4. research on organizational culture and the change process most relevant to higher education. </p><p> The researcher used the qualitative method of case study analysis and focused on efforts at three private liberal arts institutions. Selected from each institution were two programs of study that have successfully established learning goals and methods to measure student learning. </p><p> Across the three institutions and six programs studied, common themes and unique features emerged relative to the process of assessment development and the elements indicative of organizational culture change. Further, general assertions emerge concerning how the program's efforts affect attributes of organizational culture. </p><p> Both faculty and administrators may benefit from the conclusions of the research. Individuals charged with demonstrating academic integrity as well as those involved in the decision-making process regarding measuring student learning may also find the research valuable.</p>

<p> Single mothers increasingly seek college degrees at community colleges in order to provide economic security for their families (Wei et al., 2009); however, they often face a number of barriers that prevent or disrupt their education (Cox &amp; Ebbers, 2010; Smith, 2010). Campus services help students persist to degree completion, yet serving the population of single mothers can be particularly challenging for practitioners when confronted with students' numerous internal and external influences (Austin &amp; McDermott, 2003). Single parents who do persist have an important story to share with practitioners and policy makers in higher education.</p><p> This quantitative study explored the perceptions of the experience of Mattering as a motivator for persistence among single mothers in higher education. Mattering is defined as "a personal belief, whether right or wrong, that we matter to someone else and this belief acts as a motivator" (Schlossberg, 1989, p. 3). This study explored Mattering by investigating the following research questions: 1. To what extent and in what manner can academic persistence be explained by the student's perception of Mattering? 2. What is the relationship between self-perceptions of Mattering and selected demographics?</p><p> This research utilized a quantitative correlational design (Creswell, 2009). Participants (<i>N </i>= 53) included single mothers enrolled in a program at two community college sites (<i>N </i>= 2). An adaptation of The Mattering Scales for Adult Learners in Higher Education was used to measure the participant's self-perception of Mattering to their institution (Schlossberg, Lasalle, &amp; Golec, 1990).</p><p> Results indicated high alpha reliability for the data, but no significant relationships between a single mother's academic persistence and their perception of Mattering to the college emerged. Furthermore, while students' demographics indicated a range in diversity, their perception of Mattering to the college remained consistent. This research may inform community college practitioners regarding ways to help single mothers stay motivated in their quest for degree completion, which will ultimately influence a new generation of college students. The results may be significant in shaping policy, support services for similar programs, and contribute to the economic futures of single mother households.</p>

<p> Research suggests what leaders should do or the qualities or characteristics they <i>should</i> have to be ethical leaders (Brown &amp; Trevi&ntilde;o, 2006). The ethical decision-making process that leaders should follow to avoid scandals and unethical behavior are overlooked. Few studies focused on ethical decision-making within higher education. Yet, educational leaders have an ethical responsibility that may be even more complex than those of other leaders due in part to increasingly diverse student populations enrolled in higher education that is having an impact on the growth of educational institutions on a global basis (Shapiro &amp; Stekfovich, 2011). Further, ethical scandals are no longer contained by national borders. The rapid growth of technology coupled with changes in political and societal landscapes has advanced ethical scandals to global prominence. A more collective need to understand ethical values and ethical decision-making practices on a global level has emerged. To be globally effective, leaders must be aware of the similarities and differences across and within cultures that could influence business practices (Resick, Hanges, Dickson, &amp; Mitchelson, 2006). However, cross-cultural research has not yet addressed the topic of ethical decision-making. In this study, the ethical decision-making process of higher education was not only examined in the United Stated but also in Poland. This exploratory study used the Delphi research technique to identify an ethical decision-making definition that higher administration leaders in both the United States and Poland use to make ethical decisions and identify the environmental factors that influence their decisions. Findings showed that the United States and Polish expert panels were different and showed very little in common in the identification of a definition and environmental factors. Lastly, both sets of experts identified a new process for ethical decision-making, each constructing a different ethical decision-making process model. This research on ethical decision-making provided evidence that the Polish and United States cultures are not as similar as identified in previous studies in terms of how they identify ethical decision-making and the factors they identify with influencing ethical decision-making. Using this information will create a better understanding of the practices and approaches to ethics that leaders use because of the huge influence they have and exert on people within their own organization and society around them.</p>

<p> This study examined the presidential leadership practices of high-performing community colleges. The purpose of this study was to better understand the intersection between leadership and high-performing community colleges in the context of a complex and challenging environment. To this end, the study examined the leadership styles of four community college presidents to determine how their leadership influences the performance of their institutions. The study included interviews of four community college presidents serving at colleges selected as winners or finalists of distinction of the Aspen Institute Community College Excellence Program. Four faculty presidents from the same colleges were also interviewed to determine their understanding of how the college president's leadership influences the performance of the institution. The researcher asked three questions related to presidential leadership and the high performance of the community college. 1) What is the relationship between leadership and high performance at community colleges? 2) What type of leadership styles and frameworks are utilized by presidents at high-performing community colleges? 3) What competencies, knowledge areas, and skills do presidents at high-performing community colleges display? The eight participants in this study were asked 12 open-ended questions pertaining to community college presidential leadership practices. Results from the studyprovide insight into the leadership of community college presidents and the high performance of their institution.</p>

<p> The purpose of my study was to explore the role of cultural values in the lived experiences of Latino college and university presidents at four-year higher education institutions and to determine how cultural values contributed to and reflected their professional strengths. Using the Community Cultural Wealth framework developed by Tara Yosso (2005) to capture the assets or forms of capital that people of color bring with them to all settings, this study utilized a strengths-based approach to examine the ways in which Latino higher education executives translated their cultural upbringing and values into skills and approaches that facilitated their ascension in the field of higher education. In semi-structured conversational interviews with 14 of the 21 identified four-year Latino college presidents, I explored a). the factors that facilitated Latino college presidents' success, b). the ways in which presidents used their cultural background and cultural values to ascend to leadership roles, and c). how their cultural backgrounds guided their approaches to and view of their role in higher education. </p><p> I conducted a qualitative study using testimonio, a form of narrative inquiry that began in Latin American studies as a way to expose the experiences and injustices endured by oppressed groups. Through testimonios marginalized individuals tell of their lived experiences to raise awareness of racism, classism or other forms of oppression and to also effect change. Testimonio and critical race theory are also based on individual narratives representing the collective experience of communities. Since this study looked at how Latino college presidents viewed the role of their cultural backgrounds in their careers, testimonios allowed me to capture the commonalities of those experiences. </p><p> This study adds to the literature by using the Community Cultural Wealth model and an assets-based approach to examine different cultural aspects or forms of capital of Latino college presidents and the role of these cultural elements in their ascent to a presidency. This study uncovered the extent to which culture has been a positive force and inspiration in the professional careers of Latino college presidents.</p>

<p> This qualitative research explores how college and university presidents engage in the process of developing formal institutional vision. The inquiry identifies roles presidents play in vision development, which is often undertaken as part of strategic-planning initiatives. Two constructs of leadership and institutional vision are used to examine key variables such as vision development and the college presidency. </p><p> In-depth, semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 10 presidents representing private and public institutions that have been or are being transformed. These interviews revealed 21 findings arrayed as: 1) seven organizing modalities, 2) five presidential roles, 3) seven role-based success factors and 4) two issues concerning balancing ownership of vision between presidents and stakeholders in shared-governance environments. </p><p> Many of the presidents developed formal institutional visions narrowly and on their own, but then undertook more inclusive processes to finalize their visions, socialize them through their organizations and integrate them into strategic planning. A related finding is that, despite pressures to engage in vision development with a broad spectrum of their communities, presidents are routinely asked to provide their visions to trustees and others during job recruitment. </p><p> Other findings include confirmation that visioning is generally part of strategic-planning exercises. Presidents often think in terms of what this study labels visionary intent, identified here as the combination of formal vision, objectives and strategies. Presidents also report relying on outside experts to play roles in visioning and strategic planning. Some presidents also spoke of balancing the need to encourage creativity and ambition among those engaged in the process with a responsibility to protect their institutions against misguided or even dangerous visions. </p><p> Numerous implications for both practice and theory emerged from this research. These include how essential it is for presidents to understand the cultural, political, historical, financial and operating contexts of their institutions prior to embarking on visioning. This includes awareness of the dynamics and visioning efforts of their immediate predecessors. </p><p> The presidents ultimately chose different courses of action to develop vision, though they all shared many best practices. In theoretical terms, this reflects an interesting Contingency Leadership approach to visioning in Complexity Leadership environments marked by the considerable Shared and Servant Leadership characteristics of shared governance.</p>

<p> Limited qualitative research has been conducted on academically reinstated students. The purpose of this naturalistic case study was to identify factors influencing the decision to apply for reinstatement and to examine how participation in an academic intervention program assisted academically reinstated students to succeed. Six reinstated students participating in an academic intervention program participated in this study. A social constructivist perspective was assumed, relying on the participants' perspectives to cultivate meanings of their experiences. This research offered a better understanding of the needs and experiences of reinstated students, provided evidence of resources, interventions, and programs that might be helpful for future reinstated students. The findings of this study could enhance attrition and retention of this student population. </p>

At the University of Adelaide, the total number of students enrolled in any course is controlled by quotas on the number of new entrants to the course each year. A linear relationship is used to forecast total enrolment given the number of new students in each previous year ; for future years, the number of new students is taken to be the size of the quota. Chapter 1 relates the methods in use at the University of Adelaide to the work of other authors and demonstrates how a Markov model may be used to obtain the lifetimes of students in a particular course, namely the Ph.D. degree course. Chapter 2 then develops a linear programming model which mimicks the forecasting method already in use and which determines the intake quotas over a period of years that use as much as possible of the course capacity while satisfying certain constraints. These constraints en - sure that the total enrolment each year is no greater than the capacity in that year and that the intakes are non - decreasing and no greater than some maximum value. In particular, the programme is designed to be used to determine strategies which move the course into a constant enrolment, or non - growth, period while accounting for restrictions on the permissible rate of growth. It is shown that the special structure of the problem may be exploited to find a particular solution which is optimal for several, commonly encountered objective functions. The requirement that the intakes should be integral is discussed and is shown to pose very little additional difficulty. An example from the University of Adelaide is used to illustrate the methods. Chapter 3 considers extensions of the basic model ( the single - grade, single - course case ) to situations where there are several grades within a course with capacities on some of these grades or where several inter - related courses are to be planned at the same time. Finally, chapter 4 contains a discussion of the applicability of the work of the thesis and suggests possibilities for further extensions. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Department of Applied Mathematics, 1975.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Nevada, Reno, 2007. / "December, 2007." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 47-49). Online version available on the World Wide Web.