abstract: This study provides an understanding of how administrative leaders make decisions regarding enrollment management within academic units at a major research university in the southwestern United States. Key enrollment management functions of recruiting, admissions, marketing, orientation, financial aid/scholarships, academic advising, student engagement, retention and career services were identified from the literature. Typically applied at the institutional level, this study provides an understanding of how leaders in academic units decide to implement enrollment management. A case study was conducted using qualitative data collection methods which emphasized interviews. Senior administrators, such as associate deans within academic units who have responsibility for enrollment management, served as the sample. Three main theoretical constructs were derived after analysis of the data: Theoretical Construct 1: To meet enrollment and retention goals, leaders strategically plan structures and manage resources for enrollment management functions in their academic units. Theoretical Construct 2: To increase retention, leaders intentionally strive to develop a sense of community through customized programs and services for students in their academic units. Theoretical Construct 3: To achieve enrollment objectives within a school-centric model, leaders build relationships with centralized enrollment management functions and other academic units. The discussion and analysis of the study suggests that academic units follow a similar evolutionary model to institutions as they develop enrollment management functions. Five recommendations on how leaders in academic units can more strategically utilize enrollment management principles in decision making are offered. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ed.D. Higher and Postsecondary Education 2012

<p> The University of Nevada, Reno is expected to exceed student population projections, stressing the capacity of campus facilities in 2018. With student growth outpacing capacity, questions arise related to campus planning, use of space, and sustainability. The University is planning to increase the size of campus by approximately 9 acres by expanding into the Gateway Precinct, providing land for the University to build additional residential, classroom, research, and office space. A planning approach based on two analyses&mdash;on campus residential and on campus academic and research space&mdash;modeled building densities to determine if the Gateway Precinct and identified main campus development sites will provide enough space to accommodate a student head count of 30,000. </p><p> ArcMap, a Geographic Information System (GIS), assisted in modeling land cover of two building categories, campus residential, and non-residential academic and research. Existing and planned campus buildings exhibiting high, medium, or low densities were selected to be represented as building prototypes. The selected buildings include four campus residence halls and five academic and research buildings, producing a total of nine building prototypes. The parcels in the Gateway Precinct, University District, and identified on campus development sites were individually analyzed in ArcMap. All areas where development could occur were termed development sites, each sites size was calculated in square feet. Understanding the base capacity of each site and the projected gross square feet required to support a growing campus permitted the modeling of high, medium, and low density build-out scenarios. </p><p> The on campus residential analysis showed that even the densest building prototype was unable to meet projected campus residential demands without requiring additional land outside of the University&rsquo;s main campus and the Gateway Precinct. Results show if strictly building high density structures, the Gateway Precinct and identified main campus sites provide ample land for projected academic and research space demands. However, when adhering to medium and low density building standards, additional land outside of the Gateway Precinct and the University&rsquo;s main campus will be required to sustain future demands. High density growth is recommended for the Gateway Precinct, limiting outward expansion and retaining a compact campus core, allowing University sustainability goals to be achieved.</p><p>

<p> African American women in student affairs face negative experiences as they seek to move along their career paths, including discrimination based on race and gender, tokenism, and microaggressive behavior. This qualitative interview study explored the professional experiences of 25 African American women middle level managers (MLMs) employed at four-year, predominantly White institutions across the United States. All of the participants had a desire to advance beyond their current MLM position to a senior role in student affairs. This study employed a conceptual framework combining Black Feminist Thought (BFT) with the Human Resource (HR) Frame of Bolman and Deal which piece together a lens for both the individual experiences of African American MLMs, and as people in their organizations of higher education. </p><p> Three themes emerged from this study. First, participants faced professional and personal challenges throughout their professional journey including race-based and gender-based discrimination and disrespect, being &ldquo;the only,&rdquo; the need to think carefully about presentation of self, and demands based on higher standards of performance and motherhood. Second, participants accessed a range of strategies and supports such as mentors, sponsors, faith, family, community, and a network to respond to and navigate these challenges. Participants were strategic agents who recognized the importance of putting themselves first. Finally, opportunities for professional growth throughout their career were a central component of their plans for advancement. </p><p> This study offered recommendations for policy, practice, and future research. Individuals should build networks to find a mentor and establish community while continually seeking professional growth opportunities. Institutions should support affinity groups for faculty and staff of color, provide culturally relevant training for senior student affairs officers on preparing evaluations for African American women MLMs, and on-campus professional development opportunities including collateral assignments that align with the ACPA and NASPA competency areas.</p><p>

<p> Title IX Coordinators are educational administrators who play a critical role in providing campus environments free of sex discrimination, harassment, and violence. Their work is demanding, highly regulated, and set in an increasingly volatile political context. There is little research on the experiences of these administrators. Utilizing the Professional Quality of Life framework, this qualitative study explored the experiences of 20 Title IX Coordinators to understand their professional quality of life and organizational factors that influence their experiences. Findings revealed participants&rsquo; satisfaction was drawn from passion for &ldquo;the work&rdquo; and making a positive impact in their communities, and fatigue and burnout were tied to an intense and overwhelming workload. While fatigue can lead to a breaking point, moderating influences, e.g., coping strategies and balancing compassion with neutrality, mitigated negative factors. Institutional resistance and lack of understanding across stakeholders contributed to compassion fatigue, while institutional commitment and supportive interpersonal relationships affirmed the Title IX Coordinator&rsquo;s experience. Implications include expanding the Title IX Coordinator&rsquo;s passion for gender equity across the institution, and building institutional capacity to adequately respond to complaints, to benefit both the experience of the Title IX Coordinator and campus communities at large. Recommendations for policy and practice include creating Title IX teams, institutionalizing campus climate surveys, and supervision committed to building supportive working environments. Future research is recommended on how intersecting identities influence the Title IX Coordinator experience, and understanding campus attitudes toward Title IX and other civil-rights based responsibilities among constituent groups.</p><p>

<p> American community colleges are facing the dual dilemma of replacing the increasing number of presidents who are retiring, and promoting more diversity among their successors. Mentoring is viewed as a way of helping minority faculty and administrators acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to advance successfully into senior leadership roles. This study utilized a mixed-methods phenomenological approach to explore the differences in the perceptions of preparedness for their first presidency among Black/African-American community college presidents, who were mentored through an afro-centric leadership development program; other formal, national leadership programs, or mentored informally. The study was framed by five research questions exploring possible differences in participants&rsquo; backgrounds, career paths, and perceived impact of mentoring. Survey findings revealed few demographic differences among the respondents. Themes emerging from qualitative interviews of 12 randomly selected presidents indicated differences in perception regarding the impact of the psychosocial and career development aspects of mentoring in preparing for the presidency. The study identified the importance of context in determining the types of mentored relationships, and may offer insights regarding the role of mentoring in developing future minority presidents.</p><p>

abstract: Department chairs or school directors, as the bridge between administration and faculty, and closely associated with the teaching and learning at the heart of the institution, hold very important roles in the departments or schools they oversee. Many chairs and department administrators in music schools and departments are selected from the faculty of the department and asked to serve as the chief administrator. They assume a set of duties that, to that point, have been beyond the purview of their academic training and professional experience--particularly for those with training in the performance disciplines. While usually successful as teachers, these new chairs and department heads face a difficult transition into administrative work because the skills required for an effective administrator are very different from those necessary to be an effective teacher. The purpose of this research was to ascertain the knowledge and skills that would be most practical for individuals aspiring to administrative or leadership roles in schools or departments of music, and to design a doctoral cognate that would supply that knowledge. The author reviewed the available research into administrative training for individuals pursuing administrative work in schools and departments of music. Interviews were then conducted with current or former music administrators from across the United States, inquiring about their experiences as administrators, any administrative training they received, and the types of things they wished they had known when first working in an administrative capacity. The author used this information to make recommendations concerning the creation of a doctoral cognate in administration for graduate students preparing to become music faculty so that they are equipped to undertake administrative responsibilities. The resulting cognate area consists of four courses: a course in finance, budgeting, and development; a course on organizational structure and behavior; a course on management and leadership theory; and a practicum or independent study in administration, in which students spend time observing and shadowing their department administrator(s) to apply the principles learned in the previous three courses. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Music 2015

abstract: ABSTRACT This study identified the influences and processes of the dissertation completers, currently enrolled students, and non-completers of four cohorts (59 participants) in the Ed.D. administration program. The research questions sought answers as to why some students completed their dissertations and why some did not, the processes in completing a dissertation, and what should be included in a doctoral guide for completing the dissertation. The participants of this study were Ed.D. administration doctoral students in the field of educational leadership from a southwestern university. The job titles of the participants ranged from teacher to superintendent. The participants started the three-year doctoral program in the years 2004, 2005, 2006, or 2007. They were between the ages of 24 and 63. Survey Monkey provided the opportunity to request answers to different questions depending on the dissertation status—enrollee, completer, or non-completer. This study entailed interviewing seven doctoral completers, five enrollees, and four non completers. The significance of this mixed method study was to compare influences and processes to determine suggestions for a study guide that could be used by future doctoral students, chairs, programs, and universities to help students complete their dissertations and become successful graduates. Recommendations are made (a) to recruit more African Americans and men into doctoral programs and the education field; (b) non-completers be invited to finish their dissertations with interventions and an accountable chair; (c) chairs provide his or her best help to meet the student half-way; (d) the department and university provide accountability measures and incentives for both the student and the chair; and (e) provide specific lessons that include finding a topic, researching a topic, and interacting with the chair; and (f) it was determined that non-completers were not timid as suggested in the literature but were found to have either changed their desire or fulfilled their desire by obtaining a promotion. In summary, a nurturing chair and a strong support system were found to be two major factors in determining the difference between doctoral completion and non-completion. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Educational Administration and Supervision 2015

abstract: This study uses a sequential, mixed method, action research, quantitative to qualitative research design. The purpose of this study was to develop a useful standardized hiring process at a state medical college that brings clarity to the hiring process and policies. Two conceptual frameworks guided the innovations in this study – communities of practice and Kotter’s change theory. To implement a standardized hiring process, a web-based intranet site was created through collaboration between the Academic Affairs and the Human Resources Departments of the medical college. The web-based intranet was built to be a hiring resource directed at training hiring managers and hiring committees. The hiring resource assists the departments hiring by bringing clarity to the hiring process, assisting in creating a standardized process for posting, recruiting, hiring, and on-boarding new employees, and allowing managers quick access to hiring tools. Three sources provided data for this study: (1) Pre/Post Hiring Manager/Committee Questionnaire, (2) Interviews with key hiring managers, and (3) Google Analytics. The study found that all participants found the overall hiring resource “useful” and “effective.” All measured components of the hiring resource were also found to be “useful” and “effective.” The site continues to increase in new users and returning users weekly. The hiring resource is used regularly by the college’s Human Resources Department and is sent to all hiring managers when they begin their hiring process and is introduced in “Managing the UA Way” which is a professional development program for new managers at the college. This study shows that web-based resources are a useful and effective instrument for training staff in a medical school context. More research needs to be conducted to measure the full potential of training higher education staff via web-based and online programs. This research project hopes to inspire other higher education institutions to create, measure, and implement training programs for staff. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Educational Leadership and Policy Studies 2017

abstract: College completion has become a national priority in the United States. Before students can graduate from a college or university, however, they must survive their first year in higher education. The retention of out-of-state freshmen is a major piece of the larger college student retention puzzle due to recent national enrollment trends and the financial implications of out-of-state student enrollment. With public universities nationwide receiving less financial support from state governments, many of these institutions have used a strategy of aggressively recruiting and increasingly enrolling out-of-state students because the higher tuition these students pay can help offset the loss of state funding. Despite the importance of out-of-state students to the national higher education landscape, little research has been conducted on out-of-state student retention. This study examined the relation between a resource website and the engagement, sense of belonging, homesickness, and retention of out-of-state freshmen at Arizona State University (ASU). Mixed methods of inquiry were utilized; data sources included a pre- and post-intervention student survey, student interviews, student essay artifacts, website utilization records, and university retention reports. This study demonstrated that freshmen coming to ASU from another state experienced four main challenges related to being an out-of-state student. Those challenges were homesickness, adjusting to living in Arizona, managing finances, and making friends at ASU. Out-of-state students therefore needed extra support for their transition. The study found that an out-of-state student resource website had a positive association with co-curricular engagement and homesickness frequency reduction. Moreover, the site provided useful information on the challenges experienced by out-of-state freshmen. Discussion includes possible explanations for the findings and implications for practice and research. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Leadership and Innovation 2017

abstract: First-generation college students are an underrepresented group in terms of study abroad participation nationally and at Arizona State University (ASU). The ASU and International Studies Abroad (ISA) Planning Scholars Scholarship Program was developed to support first-generation college students in their pursuit of study abroad. This mixed-methods study examined what the specific needs of first-generation college students are as they pursue study abroad experiences and what effect the ASU and ISA Planning Scholars Program had on them. A combination of surveys, semi-structured interviews, and a photovoice project provided data for the study. Key findings included that first-generation college students had concerns about finances, finding a study abroad program that would keep them on track for graduation, making friends while they study abroad, and traveling abroad alone. The study indicated that the Planning Scholars program did increase students’ confidence in pursuing study abroad. Additionally, the theory of First-Generation Strength was developed which suggests that first-generation college students possess certain strengths and capital that help them overcome a variety of new obstacles and make them an ideal candidate for study abroad due to their experiences with having to navigate new contexts, such as going to college, independently. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Leadership and Innovation 2017