Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2006. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-07, Section: A, page: 2485. Adviser: William T. Trent. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 199-210) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

<p> Many organizational leaders know the right course of action to take when facing moral dilemmas and yet fail to take the appropriate moral action. Moral potency, consisting of moral courage, moral efficacy, and moral ownership, is a new construct developed to help explain some of the motivational factors associated with organizational leaders who actually engage in morally commendable conduct. Given the prominence of lapses of ethical conduct among organizational leaders, there is growing interest in explaining the drivers of ethical actions in all industries including higher education. This research compared the relationship of moral potency among two groups of organizational leaders within higher education, registrars and admissions directors working at regionally accredited four-year colleges and universities in the United States, to see if significant differences existed that may help explain some of the positive and negative outcomes associated with the two professions. The hypotheses associated with this study were not supported because the data indicate that no significant difference exists among egistrars and admissions leaders related to the factors associated with moral potency. Both registrars and admissions directors possess relatively equally high levels of moral potency. However, a significant correlation was found for moral efficacy and size of institution suggesting that registrars and admissions directors working at larger institutions were more confident in their ability to address moral issues than those working at smaller institutions. Another positive correlation was found between moral courage and approximate number of years registrars and admissions directors served in in their respective positions providing evidenced that those holding their positions longer were more likely to persist in the pursuit of ethical behaviors despite hardships or negative pressures they may face.</p>

<p>Moments of crisis, whether on the busy streets of major metropolitan cities or at small, intimate liberal arts campuses across the country, require adept management strategies, effective leadership, and prompt decision-making attributes. As it relates to small liberal arts colleges, their presidents&rsquo; ability to manage effectively, lead, inspire, and project confidence during moments of crisis is critical to the success of the communities they serve. </p><p> The critical question that this research project addresses is how crisis situations on liberal arts colleges are managed by presidents. This study explores the complexities of crisis management, presidential leadership, and decision-making attributes at three small liberal arts colleges and the responses during different crisis scenarios. The institutions in the study share characteristics in terms of their relative size, private nature, and liberal arts focus. Although the crises differ, the study investigates the preparation, actions during the crisis, and post-crisis review in order to understand crisis management by the leadership of small liberal arts colleges. </p><p> I consulted and examined the relevant literature regarding crisis management and presidential leadership; however, I identified a gap in the literature, specifically as it relates to crisis moments at small liberal arts institutions. I used a comparative case-study approach to analyze the three cases. The results highlight the complications I observed in discussing crisis scenarios at each location, the importance of communication strategies, the influence and value of a highly performing leadership team, and the importance of presidential leadership style. </p>

abstract: ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to determine if a significant difference was found comparing posttest scores between students who took a career strategy course in a face-to-face (f2f) format (n=156) and students who took the same course in a new online format (n=64). A review of literature pertaining to online learning, career services on college campuses, and career classes was provided. Data was collected via an action research design utilizing an intervention of an online delivery format. A quasi-experimental design allowed descriptive data to be collected which was analyzed by use of independent-samples t-tests, comparison of means, and frequency analysis to gain data pertinent to the research question. Quantitative results in four areas: posttest scores, pretest scores, learning gain, and course evaluation data were provided. Pretest and subgroup analysis were also utilized to add richness to the data. Results found that the career strategy course delivered in an online delivery format resulted in no significant differences in posttest scores when compared to the f2f delivery method posttest scores. This result is in agreement with the literature in online learning delivery formats compared to f2f delivery formats. The results of this study showed evidence to support the continuation of new iterations of the online delivery method for the career strategy course used in the study. Implications of these findings were discussed for the researcher's local community of practice, the larger community of practice, collegiate career services, as well as possibilities for future experimentation in career services and strategic career courses with other online formats in the future. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ed.D. Higher and Postsecondary Education 2011

<p> The 6-year graduation rate for Black undergraduate men is the lowest of all students attending all postsecondary institutions in the United States. Only 35% of Black undergraduate men graduate in 6 years, compared to 60% of all students. The literature suggests that developing a sense of belonging may be particularly difficult for minoritized students who attend predominantly White institutions (PWIs). Sense of belonging is a student&rsquo;s perceived social support on campus or feeling of connectedness and mattering. Additional research is needed to inform practices that foster higher levels of belonging for Black undergraduate men who attend PWIs to reduce the gap in college completion rates between Black undergraduate men and their peers. This study used a one-phase concurrent triangulation mixed-methods design. The mixed-methods approach involved analyses of quantitative data from the Student Experience in the Research University Undergraduate (ugSERU) Survey and analyses of qualitative data from in-depth student interviews to understand how sense of belonging varies among students of different race/ethnicities and gender and how Black undergraduate men experience sense of belonging at PWIs. The findings reveal that sense of belonging is higher for women compared to men. African Americans and Asians have comparable sense of belonging scores, but they are lower than White and Hispanic students. African American, Asian, Nonresident, and Multiracial men and women have significantly lower sense of belonging scores than Hispanic and White men and women. Two overarching themes emerged from the in-depth interviews, including forces that worked against students&rsquo; sense of belonging and forces that supported students&rsquo; sense of belonging. The in-depth interviews also revealed the divergent role that one force could play for different students by promoting sense of belonging for some students and working against sense of belonging for others. The findings from this study have several implications for higher education administrators serving at PWIs who wish to improve the retention and graduation of Black undergraduate men.</p><p>

<p> As graduate school enrollment continues to grow and more graduate institutions become responsible for their own fundraising efforts, attention to the specific context of graduate and professional school fundraising will be increasingly important. This study sought to identify the primary motivations of graduate alumni to make financial gifts to their graduate alma maters. Secondarily, it explored how prior experiences with undergraduate institutions, particularly through the lens of research related to organizational identification, affected their giving behavior. </p><p> Data gathered from alumni and development staff interviews at four graduate theological institutions indicated 11 distinct themes that could describe the variety of giving motivations mentioned by alumni. At the individual level, alumni were found to have a cluster of motivational themes, typically three to six themes, that they described as influencing their giving behavior. </p><p> The themes of mission, involvement, and vocational alignment appeared in alumni motivation clusters more frequently than others. Additionally, each institution had a particular motivation that was mentioned more prominently than others, leading to the conclusion that institutions are a major influencer on the motivations of their alumni. </p><p> Nearly all of the alumni not only gave equally or more frequently to their graduate alma mater than their undergraduate alma mater, they also reported equal or greater identification with their graduate alma mater. This affirms the prior research of Mael and Ashforth (1992) that organizational identity is a significant contributor to alumni giving and that having attended other institutions is not detrimental to the formation of a graduate school identity. </p><p> Overall, this study demonstrated that identifying the giving motivations of graduate alumni can be an important step in crafting strategies for effective alumni fundraising. Given the discrete set and limited range of possible motivations, graduate institutions similar to those in this study would be able to identify both the primary motivations of their alumni donors as well as the motivations unique to their own institutional identity. With that knowledge, they would then be able to cultivate alumni as donors in ways that are more engaging, relational, and authentic.</p><p>

<p> Summer bridge programs can be an ideal time for incoming freshmen college students to make valuable academic and social connections. Summer Bridge Programs have demonstrated success for in helping students make these connections. However, few programs have been studied extensively and been shown to have established success (Kallison &amp; Stader, 2012, Strayhorn, 2012). This study, using a qualitative method, examined student perspectives of a summer bridge program and questioned how the participants integrated academically and socially to the university. The study took place at a large, public university in the Southeastern United States. </p><p> Students reported favorable opinions of the bridge program. Students reported strong friendships developed over the 4-week program, positive impressions of the faculty, and a positive impression of the university.</p><p>

<p> Universities are under pressure from multiple directions with accrediting bodies requiring increased focus on institutional planning efforts. University staff who manage programs, provide student services, and serve in other specialized roles are at the forefront of this changing environment. These employees may have difficulty understanding how their daily work relates to institutional planning efforts and resist change imposed from the top.</p><p> While researchers have examined employee engagement during change efforts, staff participation in strategic planning in higher education constitutes an overlooked topic. The aim of the study was to address three questions: 1) How and to what extent have university leaders communicated the strategic plan and the steps in the planning process to staff? 2) How and to what extent have staff responded to the strategic planning process? 3) What are the perceptions of middle managers involved in implementing strategic initiatives?</p><p> The study occurred at Mid-Atlantic University (MAU), a public research university located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. MAU began a strategic planning process and instructed schools and administrative units to align their strategic plans with the MAU plan before entering the implementation phase.</p><p> Study participants included eight middle managers, individuals who direct programs, supervise other staff, and are in the middle of the institution&rsquo;s hierarchy. A 45-minute semi-structured interview elicited information on staff reactions to the strategic plan, communication of strategic initiatives at the university and school level, and interactions between supervisors and employees. The researcher collected and analyzed documents from the university&rsquo;s strategic planning website, the staff governance association, and university publications.</p><p> Several themes emerged in the areas of communication, staff responses, and perceptions of implementation. These themes included: 1) communication of the strategic planning process did not permeate the organization; 2) staff members responded in three main ways: searching for understanding, getting excited, or becoming disillusioned or resigned to the ongoing changes; and 3) a disconnection between the planning process and implementation. This paper adds to the current body of literature and includes implications for practice and recommendations for future research in the area of staff involvement in planned change initiatives in higher education.</p><p>

<p> Investigating the validity and applicability of student success theories for minority students uncovers the nuance and context of student experiences. This study examines the validity and applicability of student engagement and involvement for Latino students. Specifically, this study employs a critical quantitative lens to question current constructs of engagement. The dataset for this study comes from the 2013 UNC Sophomore Survey and research questions are grounded in the context of public universities in North Carolina. Exploratory Factor Analysis and Logistic Regression methodologies are employed to investigate the research question, is there a relationship (and to what extent) between hypothesized constructs of engagement, socio-economic status, and academic preparation on Latino baccalaureate completion.</p><p>

<p> This qualitative study examined the lived experiences of key campus stakeholders and policy implementation. Using semi-structured interviews, key stakeholders were asked about their experiences with 15 to Finish: a 2014 completion message that led to a financial aid policy. Through snowball sampling, participants included administrators from the state higher education system, senior administrators from academic and administrative units, professional and academic advisors, and students. Data was also collected through meeting agendas and agency reports. Interviews were transcribed and all text was analyzed using hermeneutic phenomenology. Three key themes were constructed: (a) administrators and faculty help students because it is the right thing to do; (b) messaging and communication of a policy and campaign can be divisive and should employ a communications plan; and (c) Nevada is experiencing a change in college culture from access to completion.</p><p>