<p> This study uses mixed methods research to explore the phenomenon of partnerships between higher education institutions (HEIs) and nonprofit organizations (NPOs) focused on improving college access for diverse populations. Using available quantitative data, interviews and documentary evidence collected from nonprofit, four-year, private and public HEIs in Pennsylvania, this research seeks to understand whether relationships between HEIs and NPOs are a common feature of the college access landscape; how institutions understand relationships with college access nonprofits; how they use relationships to achieve particular goals including and in addition to improving college access for diverse populations; and what motivates institutions to engage in and sustain relationships. This research also considers whether there are relationships between institutional characteristics and undergraduate student diversity. Drawing from theoretical literature on the antecedents to partnership formation developed within the field of business and from organizational learning theory, this study finds that there is little agreement on what constitutes a relationship between HEIs and NPOs and a &ldquo;college access nonprofit&rdquo;; that HEIs rarely articulate specific, measurable goals for the enrollment of diverse populations; that relationships are used to improve direct and indirect access to students, to build trust in HEIs, to fill perceived deficits for students and families, and to address demographic pressures. Furthermore, the study finds that relationships&rsquo; effectiveness is rarely measured and that ties between entities are rarely severed, except in the case of extreme failure to meet expectations. The findings of this study suggest that what HEIs refer to relationships are instead &ldquo;less formal dyadic linkages.&rdquo; HEIs forms ties to NPOs primarily in the pursuit of enhanced institutional legitimacy with respect to the recruitment of diverse students, which is perceived to enhance institutions&rsquo; ability to recruit these students with greater efficiency. Relationships are also perceived to have potential to contribute to HEI&rsquo;s ability to develop a pipeline of students. In addition, this study finds that the exploitation aspect of organizational learning helps explain relationship formation between HEIs and NPOs.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between cultural intelligence, transformational leadership, and team performance in one private Christian higher education institution in Southern California. The study further conducted initial exploration of how student leaders&rsquo; Christian worldview (humility) influences their cultural intelligence, transformational leadership, and team performance. A quantitative research design was used to carry out this study. Data were collected from 174 student leaders from four departments including Resident Life, Spiritual Development, Global Students Development and Student Enrichment and Intercultural Development. The quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistic and correlational analysis on SPSS software. </p><p> The finding of this study revealed that there was no significant relationship between overall cultural intelligence and overall team cohesion of student leaders. Analysis on the subscale level revealed that there was a very weak negative relationship between cognitive CQ and task cohesion. In addition, a significant weak relationship was found between transformational leadership and team cohesion. The social cohesion subscale was significantly correlated to all of the five subscales of transformational leadership scale. The individual attraction subscale was significantly correlated with four of the subscales of transformational leadership except for intellectual stimulation. The task cohesion subscale was not related to any of the subscales of transformational leadership. </p><p> An initial exploration of student leaders&rsquo; understanding of humility was conducted using six survey questions developed by the researcher based on five key elements of humility stated by Tangany (2000). Based on the results of the survey data analysis, participants appeared to exhibit certain aspects of cultural intelligence, transformational leadership behaviors and team cohesion. This survey was intended to serve as an initial step for future research to fully explore how student leader&rsquo;s Christian worldview (humility) contributes to their leadership effectiveness and team performance. </p><p> In summary, overall cultural intelligence was not related to overall team cohesion. There was a significant very weak relationship between overall transformational leadership and overall team cohesion. These findings suggest that there are still more underlying factors that influence overall team cohesion of student leaders in a Christian higher education context.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to describe and explain Veteran students&rsquo; perspectives on academic success as they enter or reenter the university setting. Recent research applied to Veteran students has primarily focused on social integration factors and to a lesser extent on Veteran students&rsquo; academic integration and student success. For this qualitative study, which was grounded in social constructivism, the primary method of data collection was the recording, transcription, and analysis of oral interviews with 11 Veteran students. The findings were aligned to the theoretical framework for this study which was adapted from Tinto&rsquo;s Conditions for Student Success (2012). The results contribute to the current body of scholarly literature that highlights attributes that Veteran students possess that may contribute to persistence including leadership skills, maturity, and acquired skills related to global and cultural awareness, and motivation. Other findings include the effectiveness of having specific programming efforts for Veteran students including Vet-to-Vet tutoring and mentoring. As for research implications for practice, colleges and universities should not presume Veteran students do extensive research prior to choosing where to apply nor are they necessarily familiar with services offered to Veteran students. They prefer face-to-face program delivery and may need assistance with meeting University requirements such as providing immunization records, establishing in-state residency, and providing sufficient documentation for receiving adequate services to be academically successful. Further research is needed with regard to a primary concern of Veteran students that they will run out of benefits eligibility prior to graduation. Results also reaffirm that colleges and universities need to continue to develop and improve conditions that are known to promote student success for Veteran students. </p><p>

<p> Effective in 2011, The Department of Justice implemented a change to the direct threat standard, which is part of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This change removed the threat of harm to self from the direct threat standard and potentially limits the actions that colleges can take when working with and responding to students who threaten self-harm. This study sought to determine how this change influenced the work of behavior intervention teams when responding to community college students who threaten self-harm. Higher numbers of students are arriving on college campuses with significant mental health challenges, especially community colleges that typically have open enrollment policies and attract at-risk students. Many behavior intervention teams were formed in the aftermath of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University shootings in April 2007, some through state mandates, and others as best practices. This multiple-case study gathered information from community college behavior intervention teams regarding these changes, as well as their current procedures when responding to this student population. The intent of this research study was to provide guidance and contribute to best practices among community colleges, when responding to and intervening with students threatening self-harm.</p><p>

<p> Colleges facing pressures to increase student outcomes while reducing costs have shown an increasing interest in competency-based education (CBE) models. Regional accreditors created a joint policy on CBE evaluation. Two years later, through this grounded theory study, I sought to understand from experts the nature of this policy, its impact, and the possible need for it to be revised. Findings indicate that the Council of Regional Accrediting Commission&rsquo;s (C-RAC) Framework was helpful as an educational tool but was also a product of its time and may need to be updated. Analysis of survey responses, a focus group discussion, and semi-structured interviews revealed themes centering around a) the value of the Framework, b) its alignment with accreditors and changing times, and c) the need for its revision. A grounded theory of a narrative lifecycle for the Framework details a progression through six stages that is driven by predictable narrative features. Implications of a narrative policy lifecycle view of the Framework underscore the need for revision of the Framework, and the potential usefulness of applying a narrative paradigm to other higher education accreditation work.</p><p>

<p> This purpose of this mixed methods study was to fill a gap in existing literature related to examining the perceptions of safety for faculty, staff, and students by utilizing data from a single community college in the southeastern United States within a three-county service area. Central Carolina Community College has three campus locations each with a slightly different culture and security model. This study used descriptive statistics and chi-square analysis of quantitative data collected through surveys to explore overall perceptions of safety for faculty, staff, and students. Moreover, this study examined the associations between gender, campus location, and perceptions of safety among faculty, staff, and students. The analysis of the quantitative data revealed a statistically significant association between gender and perception of safety for faculty and staff responses. In addition, analysis of the data revealed a statistically significant association between campus location and perception of safety for student responses. A phenomenological framework and trend analysis of the qualitative data gathered from focus groups and survey comments revealed some of the specific factors identified as influencing the perceptions of safety while on campus as reported by faculty, staff, and students. </p><p>

<p> Latinas/os are the fastest-growing racial minority group in the United States, yet there is a lack of parity between their increased population and their participation rates in higher education. The economic strength and vitality of the nation require a college-educated workforce; therefore, the need to improve educational environments that support increased degree attainment among Latinas/os is imperative. Despite the disproportionately low enrollment of Latina/o college students at selective U.S. higher education institutions, research has suggested that attending these types of institutions uniquely and positively influences students&rsquo; educational and socioeconomic outcomes (Hearn &amp; Rosinger, 2014). Using Astin&rsquo;s (1991) Inputs-Environments-Outcomes (I-E-O) model, this study examined Latina/o college students&rsquo; cognitive development over time, their experiences related to perceived climate for diversity, and the effects of negatively-perceived climates for diversity on their cognitive development based on students&rsquo; gender, first-generation college status, and immigrant status. A quantitative design using the 2014 University of California Undergraduate Experience Survey (UCUES) was employed, of which system-wide data from 4,299 junior and senior level Latino/a college students were used. Inferential and regression analyses were used to examine the effects of perceived negative climate for diversity on students&rsquo; cognitive outcomes. Results indicated that Latina/o students attending selective institutions benefitted greatly in their cognitive skills development, although unique differences were found when students&rsquo; outcomes were examined by their gender, first-generation college status, and immigrant status. Perceived negative climates for diversity varied depending on students&rsquo; gender, first-generation college status, and immigrant status. Examination of the effects of students&rsquo; background characteristics and college experiences on their cognitive outcomes also varied based on their gender, first-generation college status, and immigrant status. In particular, perceived negative climates for diversity were found to have mixed effects on Latina/o college students&rsquo; GPA, yet demonstrated little to no effect on students&rsquo; cognitive skills development.</p><p>

The dissertation critically analyzes the response of a major research public university to the attacks of 9/11 in order to gain a deeper understanding of public universities' stance on the relevance of Middle East studies, particularly in the context of the serious and far-reaching impact of 9/11. The absence of an articulated position of the U. S. universities in recognizing this need suggests the perpetuation of the dominant discourses of power and centrality of Western knowledge in the academy—the discourses that historically led to the marginalization of Middle East studies in the U. S. universities during the Cold War period. The study, underpinned largely by a critical theoretical perspective, employs a qualitative case study strategy to explore and analyze the presence of dominant Western ideological discourses that may have contributed to producing particular stance of the university's leadership on the relevance of Middle East studies in the aftermath of 9/11. More specifically, a critique is developed from the perceptions and insights of the senior administration and faculty based on their views of the pertinence of Middle East studies, and whether they think the university's response has been rather deficient. The evidence drawn from this enquiry highlights that the thinking and practice that had arisen and prevailed during the Cold War still persists, ostensibly in the dominant academic discourses.

As state appropriations, once the primary public source of funding for higher education, have decreased, higher education institutions have attempted to increase the private funding they can generate in addition to increasing tuition. This shift from public to private sources of funding for public higher education institutions requires a better understanding of the relationship between these two sources of funding. The purpose of this study was to explore the change in philanthropic funding for public four-year higher education institutions from 2004–2018. It examined the relationship between state appropriations and philanthropic funding received by public four-year higher education institutions to determine if state appropriations were associated with philanthropic giving. It also investigated whether the relationship differed by institutional type and competitiveness to determine if it increased stratification among public higher education institutions. This study found that between 2004 and 2018, total philanthropic funding per FTE increased while state appropriations per FTE decreased. The main reason for these trends were decreases during the recession, where state appropriations per FTE decreased 21% while total philanthropic funding per FTE only decreased 3%. All types of philanthropic funding had a U-shaped growth curve showing a decline then increase except for foundation philanthropic funding per FTE, which grew linearly. State appropriations were found to be associated with the amount of philanthropic funding received. An increase in state appropriations was associated with an increase in philanthropic funding from 2004–2010, but a decrease in philanthropic funding from 2011–2018. There were significant differences by Carnegie classification and flagship status but none for Barron’s selectivity. There were also differences based on donor types. The findings add to the research on donor motivations in higher education by showing the differences in growth curves for different donor types. They also add to the literature on philanthropic funding during recessions by analyzing giving trends before, during, and after the Great Recession of 2008. Finally, results show that there was most likely an increase in the stratification of public higher education institutions as they shifted to more private sources of funding, as philanthropic funding is more unequally distributed than state appropriations.

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the preparation methods experienced by academic library deans and which methods they perceived to be most valuable. Rosser, Johnsrud, and Heck (2000, 2003) defined the theoretical constructs of effective academic leadership upon which this study is based. The instrument—a modified version of Greicar's (2009) Professional Preparation of Academic Deans Questionnaire—was administered online. The population was the chief administrators of academic libraries in the United States; there were 749 usable responses for a 30.4% response rate. Respondents were primarily female (61.7%), White non-Hispanic (90.0%), and born in the United States (95.7%), with a mean age of 56.4 (5.9% < 40, 11.0% > 65). The largest minority group was Black, non-Hispanic (3.9%). Many respondents held multiple advanced degrees; 90.0% held an MLS, 45.8% held a subject master's, and 18.8% held a doctorate. The instrument measured academic library deans' perceived value of various preparatory methods (formal and informal mentoring, on the job training, conferences or seminars, advanced degrees beyond the MLS, and training programs). The methods were tested for perceived effectiveness with Rosser, Johnsrud, and Heck's (2000, 2003) theoretical constructs of academic leadership. Each preparation method was measured using eight item-level variables and summed to create a scale. Parametric analyses were used to examine scale-level variables and nonparametric analyses to evaluate item-level variables. On the job training was both the most commonly-experienced method (86.6%) and the most highly-valued (M = 24.97). Mentoring was a particularly important preparation method for female and minority deans. Female deans perceived informal mentoring to be significantly more valuable than did males, t(447) = -2.12, p < .05. Minorities rated formal and informal mentoring significantly higher than did non-minorities, t(114) = 2.73, p < .05; t(441) = 3.05, p < .05. Practical implications and future research are discussed.