<p> Social media tools permeate the college student experience (Junco, 2014), including for those students who hold leadership positions on campus. The purpose of this study was to document the experiences and online behaviors of 40 junior and senior student leaders on digital communication tools. The study was conducted at two institutions in the western United States. Three research questions guided the sequential exploratory mixed methods study connecting student leadership, the presentation of identity, and decision-making with social media use. The study involved a three phase mixed methods analysis of focus group interviews and 2,220 social media posts. </p><p> Five major findings surfaced, including (a) social media impact starting in K-12 (b) college student leaders&rsquo; navigation of social media (c) presentation of digital identity (d) the beginning of leadership presence and possibilities and (e) significance of social media guidance in college. These findings suggest college student educators should implement holistic digital leadership education. Initiatives should begin early, prior to student enrollment in higher education, focusing on identity expression, positive possibilities-based perspectives, with a focus on social media&rsquo;s potential impact on student groups, social communities, and social change. Findings from this study can mobilize higher education professionals, student peers, and parents to become digital educators, providing tools for students to implement in their digital practices.</p>

<p> Athletic programs have been an exciting staple of the higher education experience for over a century. Although student athletes have been studied near exhaustively in higher education research, less attention has been paid to the relationship of athletic academic staff members and corresponding institutional operations in supporting student athlete goals. This study was designed to create a full, rich description, ultimately contributing to the literature of the cultural, social, economic, and academic environment of the staff of the athletic academic support unit from 1991-2014. The overall research question is thus: How has NCAA legislation shaped the administrative institutional action at the "Big Football University" athletic academic support unit from 1991-2014? </p><p> A case study methodology was chosen for the research design. The study utilized a constructivist epistemological orientation and two theoretical lenses: Organizational Identity Theory and Social Identity Theory. Data collection was conducted through interviews with key informants and primary and secondary document analysis. Data displays, domain analysis, and open coding was be used to answer the research question. To increase both internal and external validity, trustworthiness tactics were used ensuring that the results matched reality, that there was a saturation of data, and that a truthful portrayal was created by providing a clear synthesis of patterns found. During data analysis, four constructs were used as macro categories for themes including University Responses, Identity Changes, Legislative Influences, and Leadership and Role Conflict.</p><p> The results from this study led to three major findings. First, the data collected has the ability to contribute data furthering research in the fields of Social Identity Theory, Organizational Identity Theory, and constructivist epistemology influences in higher education environments. Next, the hyper focus of the study on one institution's administrative choices was a pragmatic choice by the researcher to be able to recommend how other schools can adjust their own support services if they are faced with similar scenarios. And lastly the study highlights the need for more athletics research to improve practice within the field.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to build upon the growing foundational base of knowledge on the academic and social transitions of student combat veterans and contribute to a greater theoretical understanding of this population and how their perception of identity may influence their experience as college students. </p><p> The researcher conducted a qualitative study to explore the experiences of student combat veterans as they transitioned from the military to higher education and discovered how their perceptions of their own identity influenced their experiences in college. The researcher's investigation aimed to answer a primary research question: How do combat veterans perceive their own identity and what influence does this have on their experience as college students? </p><p> Hecht's (1993) Communication Theory of Identity (CTI) and Gee's (2000) conceptual identity model served as guiding frameworks for the development of interview protocols in a two-part semi-structured interview series. Nineteen student veterans (<i>n</i>=19) at two community colleges in Northwestern Massachusetts were interviewed. In addition to participant interviews, the researcher employed fieldwork throughout the study in an effort to provide the appropriate data triangulation, including observations during student veteran organization meetings and college-sponsored events, and informal conversations with student veterans, faculty, and staff at each site. </p><p> Analysis of the data consisted of the three levels of coding recommended by Strauss and Corbin (1998): (a) open (emic) coding, (b) axial coding, and (c) selective (etic) coding. Seven initial categories of data and common codes were identified amongst all 19 participants at both research sites. These categories and associated codes were then evaluated by the researcher in the context of the research question and protocols for distinctive overlapping commonalities and parallel meaning, then grouped into core themes. </p><p> Four themes representing the collective experiences and perceptions of the participants emerged in the research: Perception of self, perception of others, inferred perception of self, and connections to other veterans. The researcher found each of these themes influenced the experience for participants as college students on multiple levels.</p>

<p> Student leadership development is a key initiative at many colleges and universities in the United States today. Many of the liberal arts institutions in America have leadership development of their student population as one of the fundamental elements of their educational objectives (Astin, 1997; Durden, 2001; Rothblatt, 2003). This study utilized a qualitative, multiple-case study design to explore how two liberal arts institutions developed socially responsible leaders within their student population. An expert-driven, purposeful sampling strategy was utilized for this study. Using an interview and focus group protocol that was framed by the Social Change Model of Leadership (SCM), the researcher also used a documentation review to collect data. The findings were reported as two individual case studies, followed by a cross-case analysis looking for areas of convergence and divergence between the institutions. The SCM was an effective theoretical framework to determine how these liberal arts institutions develop socially responsible leaders. Each of the eight constructs from the SCM was addressed by the study's research question and subquestions. The findings from the study were consistent with the student learning and development analogous with the descriptions of the constructs from the theoretical framework. However, there were several influences on student leadership development that were underrepresented in the findings. Thus, the recommendations offered, along with other findings of the study, propose tactics for more thorough development of socially responsible leaders at liberal arts institutions.</p>

<p> Faculty satisfaction has consistently been considered an important component of any successful educational program. With the emergence of online education, which has been spearheaded primarily by for-profit institutions, faculty satisfaction remains a critical element in the overall success of these business enterprises. Understanding which factors influence satisfaction for online faculty at a for-profit institution is a significant area of study for these organizations. This study used a survey to explore the student-related, instructor-related, and institution-related factors that influence satisfaction for online faculty at a for-profit institution. The methodology included using a survey instrument, an adapted version of the Online Faculty Satisfaction Survey (OFSS) on a sample population of online faculty at a for-profit institution. Analysis revealed that all three factors on the survey contributed to overall satisfaction, with student-related factors being the most significant. Overall, faculty were moderately satisfied with online teaching, with 71% either agreeing or strongly agreeing with the statement, 'I look forward to teaching my next online class'. The most important demographic factor was the degree to which faculty in the study worked exclusively at the for-profit institution. Both full and part time faculty that worked exclusively at the institution studied had higher incidences of satisfaction among all dimensions.</p>

<p> The enormous growth of online learning creates the need to develop a set of standards and guidelines for fully online programs. While many guidelines do exist, web-based programs still fall short in the recognition, adoption, or the implementation of these standards. One consequence is the high attrition rates associated with web-based distance learning programs. This poor outcome has a negative impact on the perceived quality of these programs which in turn limits the resources that are made available to academic institutions for implementation. Faculty plays a significant role in this dilemma. While academic administrators strive to enhance their online offerings for a number of reasons, faculty are faced with a number of barriers that deter them from adapting to this mode of delivery. </p><p> This report outlines how an in-depth analysis of these barriers was carried out. A mixed research synthesis design approach known as metasummary was used to synthesize the quantitative, qualitative, and mixed research studies that address the issue. The outcome of the synthesis was a set of solutions and recommendations that can be used to increase faculty buy-in and ownership of online learning. Regulatory bodies responsible for accrediting distance programs can benefit from these recommendations by including specific guidelines that explicitly consider the level of faculty satisfaction as a measurement of effectiveness when evaluating fully online programs.</p>

<p>New employees lack the professional development, decision-making, and developing skills when entering the Department of Student Affairs (Ondercin, 2009). Given this information, the literature indicates that administrators use different leadership styles and techniques when addressing workplace problems and challenges. This quantitative correlational research study investigated the relationships among student affairs administrators in NASPA&rsquo;s Mid-East region pertaining to their leadership frames and practices disaggregated by gender and the length of time in student affairs (new versus mature administrators). Two instruments used in this research were Bolman and Deal&rsquo;s four-leadership frames typology and Kouzes and Posner&rsquo;s leadership practices inventory. The dependent variables in the study were nine subscales from both the Leadership Orientation Survey (LOS) by Bolman and Deal (1991a) and the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) by Kouzes and Posner (2002). The independent variables in the study were, first, gender of the administrator (male/female) and second, tenure of administrators dichotomized as new administrators with 5 or less years of service versus mature administrators with 6 or more years of service (National Association for Student Personnel Administrators, 2009). Study findings revealed a correlation between both survey instruments and that certain subscales yielded significant results. Recommendations for future research include the need to expand future studies to encompass additional demographic information from participants (race, name of the position held, actual years of service, and identifying the number of administrators who use multiple leadership frames and practices). Researchers should examine additional methods to increase the number of survey participants. The incorporation of these suggestions would increase areas for generalizability. </p>

<p> The Chief Research Administrator (CRA), also known as the Vice President, Vice Provost, or Vice Chancellor for Research, plays a key role in the research university. It is a position of power and not only affects the mission of the institution, but also controls a very large and vital percentage of external funding. The lack of information on how to prepare for the position makes it difficult to plan a career path for those who aspire to the position. This study was designed to obtain information to define the persona and career path(s) of the CRA at research universities in the United States. Survey data related to career pathways resulted in the emergence of four main pathways; Faculty/Academic, Administrative, Private Industry, and a Combination of the first three pathways. The results indicated that the most highly cited pathway to the position of the CRA was the Faculty/Academic (83%). The least traveled pathway to the position of CRA was found to be Administrative, that is, beginning at the lowest levels of a research office or administrative position and progressing through the ranks of the research office.</p>

<p> Recent national attention to issues of access, cost, and institutional performance in our public institutions of higher education have included numerous critiques and calls for reform at the level of board appointments and board governance. There has been considerable attention in both scholarly and popular media regarding governance issues including shoddy political appointment practices, lack of orientation and preparation, run-away boards, arrogant chief executives, and the negative effects of under-prepared, under-qualified trustees. These concerns have persisted as national, even congressional, attention has turned to high college costs, student debt-load, and the use of university endowments to offset costs to students and their families. These concerns were amplified by the recent economic recession and its impact on higher education. The use of appointment commissions or councils (whose responsibility is to recommend board member appointments based on merit) has been identified as a way in which to improve higher education governance. This study will examine the context surrounding the establishment of the 2002 Virginia Commission on Higher Education Board Appointments (which will be referred to as the Commission), and will explore its impact on subsequent boards of visitors at the four largest public universities in the Commonwealth. The question, Has board governance in Virginia state-supported higher education institutions changed with the advent of the Commission? will be investigated. The methodology employed and the conclusions reached may inform and encourage other state systems to consider similar reforms in the trustee appointment process and will add to the literature on best practices in higher education governance.</p>

<p>The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of educationally-related peer relationships, students&rsquo; understanding of faculty expectations, and student characteristics on the persistence of doctoral students in non-traditional, residential, cohort programs in educational leadership. Drawing on the concepts of academic and social integration (Tinto, 1975, 1993) and role ambiguity (Rizzo, House, &amp; Lirtzman, 1970), this correlational, cross-sectional study used a quantitative survey instrument to examine students&rsquo; perceptions of their doctoral program experiences. </p><p> Scales were drawn from four existing instruments to measure students&rsquo; relationships with peers and students&rsquo; understanding of faculty expectations. In addition, demographic questions that are typical to persistence studies were included to measure student characteristics. Participants chose to respond to the survey either online or via postal mail. A total of 243 participants responded to the survey, yielding a 54.73% response rate. </p><p> Hierarchical logistic regression was used to answer each of the research questions. Gender, educationally-related peer relationships, and students&rsquo; understanding of faculty expectations increased the odds of persistence of doctoral students in educational leadership cohort programs. The influence of race, marital or domestic partner status, and the number of dependents varied based on the program of study that was examined. Age and employment did not influence the persistence of doctoral students. Peer relationships were recognized for being more assistive in achieving persistence than was previously understood. Therefore, the results of this study may help to refine theory on doctoral student persistence as it pertains to peer relationships. Students with a clear understanding of faculty expectations were more likely to persist than students who were uncertain about faculty expectations. This outcome was expected given the critical role that faculty play in clarifying students&rsquo; responsibilities and helping them navigate their graduate programs. Several recommendations were offered to administrators to assist them in developing environments that foster collaborative relationships among students and accessible relationships between students and faculty. </p>