<p> In recent years, nursing faculty incivility has been a searing topic of research. Nursing research included studies on incivility among nursing students, incivility between nursing students and nursing faculty, and incivility in the clinical setting. However, literature specifically on nursing faculty incivility was limited. This descriptive, quantitative study examined perceived levels of workplace incivility among nursing faculty members. The sample (<i> n</i> = 257) consisted of nursing faculty members employed at community colleges in North Carolina. The methodology included a non-experimental, online survey design using Martin and Hine's (2005) <i>Uncivil Workplace Behavior Questionaire</i>and a demographics survey. Data analysis included use of descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings revealed three themes (a) the description of workplace incivility among nursing faculty aligned with Bandura's (1977) social learning theory and Andersson and Pearson's (1999) incivility spiral; (b) workplace incivility among nursing faculty existed in the community college setting; and (c) most demographic factors did not influence the extent to which faculty members perceived uncivil behaviors among their peers. However, there were four exceptions: hostility and full-time employment, hostility and salary range, privacy invasion and ethnicity, and uncivil behaviors and the number of years of full-time teaching. Implications for nursing education included turning conflict into problem-solving and collaboration, and cultivating climates of civility and cultures of openness, inclusion, and social connectedness.</p>

<p> Cross-border state distance higher education policy is a complex web of complicated and often contradictory regulations stretching across 50 states and 14 US territories. This study examined the applicability of strategic choice theory to state higher education policy innovation in the context of the adoption of polices that regulate the distance education operations of out-of-state, regionally accredited higher education institutions. Using Event History Analysis, the role of power structures and the political and social environment in which policy adoption decisions were made were examined alongside established policy adoption predictors. Significant applicability of strategic choice theory to state distance higher education policy adoption was identified. Findings indicate that cross-border distance higher education policy adoption diverges from established trends in state higher education policy adoption, and that public and non-public institutions have the potential to play key roles in shaping future policy adoption.</p>

<p> The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how lived experiences prompt first-generation college students to engage as peer mentors, and how they experienced leadership development. Participants included thirteen first-generation college students, who engaged in peer mentoring. An explanatory model that surfaced from data collection is presented, demonstrating the process of leadership development that some first-generation college students underwent through their participation as peer mentors. Family, service, and validation, emerged as the central phenomenon of the model, which also included emerging themes: (a) (dis)engagement, (b) peer mentor engagement, (c) intrapersonal development, (d) professional development, and (e) transformational learning. </p>

<p> Debt for public colleges and universities has been increasing while financial resources, which provide the support to repay debt, have been declining. As debt increases in proportion to assets, the risk profile of a college or university increases. This study examined the relationships between financial variables and institutional characteristics that relate to long-term debt and leverage of U.S. four-year public colleges and universities during a period of economic downturn. Understanding these relationships is needed to determine factors that enable or constrain public higher education's ability to borrow funds to meet organizational goals. In addition, this study also explored long-term debt and leverage trends categorized by Carnegie classification and geographic region from 2005 to 2009. </p><p> The data for the study were obtained from IPEDS. Descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and OLS regression were used to analyze the data. The findings showed that both long-term debt and leverage of public institutions had increased from 2005 to 2009. However, leverage increased at a slower pace, which indicated that public universities were able to use existing assets to offset the increase in liabilities associated with the additional long-term debt. This study also found that differences existed in long-term debt by Carnegie classification. Doctoral/Research institutions had more long-term debt than Master's institutions, and Master's institutions had more long-term debt than Baccalaureate institutions. Although Master's institutions did not have the greatest amount of long-term debt, they had greater amounts of leverage than Doctoral/Research and Baccalaureate institutions in all fiscal years. Additionally, Master's and Doctoral/Research institutions located in the Northeast had mean leverage in all five years that exceeded recommended thresholds. </p><p> The variable with the strongest relationship with long-term debt was property, plant, and equipment. Approximately 65.9% of the variance in long-term debt was explained by property, plant, and equipment. In comparison, the leverage model showed that geographic regions had the strongest relationship with leverage. Collectively, the West, Midwest, and Southeast regions accounted for 27.1% of the variance in leverage. The detailed results of the findings, conclusions, and recommendations are provided at the end of the study.</p>

<p>The purpose of this mixed methods study was to explore spiritual development differences between online and on-campus students. For this study, spiritual maturation was measured by the locus of authority and view of self and others, primarily as measured by the God Image Scales. The assumption was that development is marked by a shift in locus of authority from an external to internal orientation and, along with this process, an individual's focus also moves from self to others. The first phase of the study was quantitative and consisted of the administration of the God Image Scales and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale. The latter scales was administered to control for potential influence of participants providing responses they deemed to be expected or socially appropriate. Results revealed differences in the perspectives and experiences shared by the younger on-campus students and those shared by older online and graduate students. A second, qualitative phase of the study consisted of small group interviews conducted in chat rooms and email interviews conducted with individual students. Findings from this phase consisted of students' perceptions about God, spirituality, spiritual development, and spiritual maturity. Lastly, mixed methods analyses compared and contrasted the quantitative and qualitative results. Significant findings are summarized and discussed, and recommendations are offered to assist administration to support and challenge college students' spiritual development. </p>

<p> Universities are expanding and growing at rapid rates to meet the demand for higher education in America. The profession of student affairs serves as the beacon to help guide students outside of their classroom experience. In response to the changing campus climate, Student Affairs' divisions will be tapped to help shape university policy while meeting the academic and developmental needs of all students (Love, 2003). Student Affairs' departments require strong leadership in order to meet the needs of students financially, socially, and academically. Leading a Student Affairs' department is a senior-level administrator who is there to set vision, budgets, and help guide the Student Affairs' practitioners to engage students, develop an organizational culture, and meet the university's mission. This study examined how senior-level Student Affairs' administrators lead their Student Affairs' departments to build effective leaders and support new practitioners in developing their own leadership practices. Three research questions were used in this mixed-method study. The quantitative portion of this study was conducted through the Leadership Practices Inventory? (LPI) instrument which was sent to 40 senior-level Student Affairs administrators at two universities in California. The Leadership Practices Inventory^&copy; (LPI) survey has five fundamental leadership practices which are: Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others to Act, and Encourage the Heart. These five fundamental leadership practices help leaders to create and accomplish extraordinary things (Kouzes and Posner, 1987). In the end, 23 senior-level Student Affairs' administrators completed the LPI survey. The qualitative portion of this research study used the technique of purposeful sampling in which four senior-level Student Affairs' administrators were selected to participate in a 30-minute standardized open-ended interview and answer questions about their beliefs and practices. The research study resulted in several key findings from data analysis. First, senior-level Student Affairs' leaders utilized Kouzes and Posner's (2003) leadership practice of Enabling Others to Act at high levels in their leadership styles. Second, the leadership practice of Inspiring a Shared Vision was the lowest utilized leadership practice by senior-level Student Affairs' leaders in this study. Third, senior-level Student Affairs' leaders utilized the themes of Relationship Building, Group Collaboration, Working towards a Common Goal, and Confronting Negative Behaviors in conjunction with LPI leadership practices to a high standard and perceived themselves to create a positive work environment. Fourth, senior-level Student Affairs' leaders perceive themselves as strong mentors, leaders, and trainers that pass on their leadership knowledge to the next generation of Student Affairs' practitioners through the themes of Role Modeling, Mentorships, and Support of Professional Developments in conjunction with LPI leadership practices.</p>

<p> Universities must retain satisfied employees to enhance productivity and reduce turnover. Leadership represents one of the fundamental factors in job satisfaction. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between perceived academic administrator leadership styles and the satisfaction of faculty members. The independent variables were the transformational, transactional, and passive/avoidant leadership styles of academic administrators as evaluated by faculty members. The dependent variable was job satisfaction of full-time faculty members. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire was used to identify the leadership style of an administrator as perceived by faculty members. Spector's Job Satisfaction Survey was used to assess a faculty member's level of job satisfaction. One hundred four participants from a state university in Florida completed the online survey. A logistic regression model was developed, and the statistically significant correlations indicated that (a) faculty members who identified transformational leadership as dominant had increased job satisfaction, (b) faculty members who identified transactional leadership as dominant had increased job satisfaction, and (c) faculty members who identified passive/avoidant leadership as dominant had decreased job satisfaction. Based on a 95% significance level, there was a significant relationship between the 3 leadership styles and job satisfaction. Using this model, academic leaders can take further action by refining their leadership styles on the basis of their faculty members' indicated preferences. The study results may contribute to social change by making academic administrators aware of effective leadership models that promote higher job satisfaction among faculty in universities.</p>

<p> Fluctuations within the global economy have the capacity to affect the revenue streams of institutions of higher education, often necessitating discussions of financially-motivated mission shift within the context of governing boards. This study investigated the manner in which institutional cultural attitudes of governing board members differ when discussing such issues at religious institutions of higher education. These differences were studied within the unique context of the challenges raised by the interplay between organizational change and a culture defined, in part, by doctrinal formulations. Governing board members at five religious institutions of higher education were interviewed in a qualitative comparative case study regarding the board decision-making process. Structured interviews utilized the critical incident technique and the framework of resource dependence theory. The study revealed critical differences in the manner in which board members engaged the decision-making process in each of the aspects of resource dependence theory, as well as in the areas of institutional mission and finance. The local societal context of each institution was revealed to be a critical component in the board decision-making process relative to institutional mission, institutional finance, and financially-motivated mission shift.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to assess the goal intent and achievement of university students, during the Fall 2011 semester, at Blue Wave University, a high research activity public institution in the southeast United States. This study merged theories of motivation to measure goal setting and goal attainment to examine if students who chose to participate in a learning community program set goals at different levels than the students who chose not to join a learning community program.</p><p> This study investigated if there was a difference in motivation, by studying goal intent and goal achievement of Freshman Learning Community participants, Living-Learning community participants, or non-learning community participants at Blue Wave University. Data were collected for 363 students who were eligible and responded to the assessment, College Assessment of Readiness for Entering Students (CARES). CARES was developed by Blue Wave University as a pretest, CARES-I (intended) and posttest, CARES-A (achieved). This study analyzed whether or not students, who are classified as First Time In College (FTIC), in the studied groups, had a difference in their level of intended goals, (responses to CARES-I), achieved goals (responses to CARES-A), and the level of change from goal intent to goal achievement (the change in student responses from CARES-I to CARES-A), during their first semester enrolled at Blue Wave University. </p><p> Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to investigate the change from goal intent to goal achievement; results revealed that the level of change was not significantly different for the three groups. All three groups of students achieved fewer goals than they intended. Although the Living-Learning Community participants did not achieve all the goals they set, the ANOVA indicated that the tests were significantly different as Living- Learning Community participants set higher goals and achieved higher goals than the Freshman Learning Community participants or non-learning community participants.</p><p> Moderation analyses concluded that none the seven contextual variables (choice of college, ethnicity, gender, high school grade point average, living on-campus, SAT score, and ACT score) moderated the difference in the level of change from goal intent to goal achievement in this study.</p>

<p> Nearly one-half of doctoral students will never finish their program of study. This statistic is alarming. There is a need for an additional method to assess applicants, aside from prior academic success, in order to best identify those that will not only perform well in courses, but also have the psychosocial skills to persist to degree attainment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate an intentionality rubric which was found to have evidence of initial construct validity. Intentionality is a multivariate construct comprised of five domains: motivation, beliefs, goal-setting, goal-seeking, and self-efficacy. Such domains have been found to be important for pursuit of long-term goals. Doctoral students require high intentionality as there is not only coursework to complete, but dissertation research as well. Students need both the academic potential to complete the coursework and intentionality to maintain the journey. Doctoral students and faculty from a university in the Southwest participated in this study. With the rubric evaluated, tests were done of prompts to confirm that intentionality could be elicited in writing samples. The study found evidence of initial construct validity and confirmed that intentionality could be elicited from prompts. A recommendation for incorporating intentionality writing and evaluation into curriculum was offered with suggestions that additional research be conducted on the relationship between intentionality and success. </p><p> <i> Key Words:</i> Intentionality; attrition, university admission, goal setting; goal seeking, statement of purpose, self-efficacy, purpose, projective writing, psychosocial evaluation</p>