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International University of Grand-Bassam (IUGB) first opened its doors in Cote d'Ivoire, in a sociocultural context where a significant number of freshmen students were French speakers. Because the instructional language was English, students were faced with a language barrier that triggered more issues including difficulties in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The purpose of this study was to uncover French speaking students' challenges in academic literacy at IUGB and to suggest some solutions that would benefit students and instructors. The research questions focused on faculty members' perceptions of French speaking students' challenges in academic literacy, and their suggestions for improving student proficiency in English at IUGB. Vygotsky's sociocultural theory of learning, as well as Cummins's theory of language acquisition framed the conceptual foundation of this study. A qualitative case study research design was used with data gathered from 8 classroom observations, 8 individual interviews, and 1 focus group discussion. Participants were instructors selected from all 3 schools of the university. Data analysis included open coding and data triangulation. Major findings included students' lack of proficiency in English that negatively affected the beginning of their tertiary education. As a response, faculty members used a variety of instructional strategies to support their students. They also called for administrative authorities to help create an environment more conducive to student proficiency. A project was developed suggesting ways to overcome French speaking students' challenges in academic literacy at IUGB. Implementation of these suggested changes could result in significant improvements in student learning at IUGB and benefit both students and faculty.

Effective integration of active learning technology tools in classrooms is a key component of 21st century higher education classrooms. Challenged with outdated technology access and traditional classrooms, a local university in North Carolina initiated a strategic plan to update classrooms and laboratories with the 21st century technology. The problem of the study was that limited information existed regarding faculty perceptions regarding benefits of and barriers to integrating active learning technology tools. The goal of this study was to uncover the faculty members' views and perceptions about redesigning classrooms with the active learning technology tools. The technology acceptance model (TAM) framework was used in this qualitative exploratory case study to explore perceptions of 8 faculty members through semistructured interviews. The research questions were focused on exploring faculty members' perceptions about the main benefits and barriers of upgrading the local university's classrooms with active learning technology tools. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, coded, and analyzed for recurring themes. Insights from this study revealed that it is a teaching technique and style of the faculty members in the use of the active learning technology tools that determined the nature of their perception of success, rather than the active learning tools themselves. The resulting project study is a position paper intended to deliver the results of the case study. The position paper includes recommendations to the senior leadership to increase an understanding from the faculty members' perspectives to better align the implementation of these tools. Positive social change may result from this study, improving 21st century higher education classrooms through more effective implementation of active learning technology tools.

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The student affairs profession places considerable emphasis on the values of diversity, inclusiveness, and social justice as part of its mission to foster the holistic development of college students. Many vocal conservative critics point to these values as evidence of the liberal worldview that they claim dominates the higher education landscape. This critical, phenomenological study was designed around the premise that higher education, and, specifically, student affairs, is characterized by a liberal ideology that privileges those in the profession who identify as liberal. The study explored the perceptions and experiences of 12 self-identified conservative student affairs professionals in order to better understand the nature and impact of the hegemony that operates within the field. The findings then served as the basis for a deconstruction of the lived ideology of the profession. The premise of the study was affirmed by the experiences of many of the participants. Intent aside, majority status alone appears to confer certain privileges on liberals, allowing them to speak or act in ways that leave some conservatives feeling devalued and marginalized. The study identifies specific manifestations of liberal privilege, as well as a variety of strategies used by participants to respond and/or cope. The study findings reveal that participants differed considerably in how, and to what degree, they experienced student affairs as a hegemonic culture. Possible reasons for this are discussed, along with recommendations and avenues for further inquiry.

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This qualitative phenomenological case study examined the intersection of organizational structures and gender, as well as perceptions of climate, and their collective impact on professional advancement opportunities of women working in lower-level positions in higher education, namely classified and professional staff (Acker, 1990; Allan, 2011; Kanter, 1977). Kanter's (1977) theory of the role of structure in organizations posits that position in the organizational hierarchy and work role influence the amount of access an employee has to information, resources, promotional opportunities, and support. In gendered organizations (Acker, 1990, 2006), women face barriers in advancement. While Kanter (1977) argued that structure not gender creates an imbalance of power within organizations, this study found that both structure and gender bias (Acker, 1990) act as intersecting promotional barriers for women, in particular for women located at the bottom of the hierarchy. Confidential interviews were conducted at two case sites with 10 female professional staff and 10 female classified staff. Findings showed that women in lower-level positions perceive a hostile work climate which perpetuates an us vs. them atmosphere; supervisors hold much power over the perceptions of climate and seem to be the key to access; the sticky-floor is alive and well for women in higher education; and the intersection of gender and position significantly impact women's ability to advance professionally. Methods of improving policy and practice are discussed to include investing in people, shifting values, breaking down the caste system, supervisory training, communication, and career progression plans.

An exploratory case study of three institutions of higher education in the State of Florida and performance-based funding was conducted. The study examined the metrics that determined funding over the years 2014-2020. The study was grounded in Neoliberal Theory and Resource Dependency Theory. Significant findings in this study included: (a) the decline in the percentage of bachelor graduates employed (employment was measured by $25,000 wages after graduation), or continuing their education across all three universities, (b) Student-to-Faculty Ratios (CDS) were a statistically significant predictor of Bachelor's Degrees Awarded (Key Performance Metric), F (1, 13) = 37.76, p < .001., (c) the increase of non-tenure earning over tenure-earning and tenured faculty at all three institutions during the fiscal years 2016-17 to 2020-21, and (d) fewer graduate degrees were awarded in the STEM disciplines over the time investigated. The study affirms the tenets of both Neoliberal Theory and Resource Dependency Theory. The study provided useful information for national performance-based funding programs, the Florida Board of Governors, the Boards of Trustees, and institutional stakeholders. Implications for practice include the need for more transparency and parity in reporting data across databases. Future research should conduct this same study including all of the institutions in the State of Florida.