Mormon missionaries face numerous challenges throughout the course of their mission. They serve in multiple capacities; they provide numerous types of services; and they work an average of 12 hours a day, six days a week. Missionaries encounter nearly constant rejection and hostility. In most cases, these missionaries serve in areas that are unfamiliar to them and they have limited contact with their family and friends. Despite these challenges, most missionaries not only successfully complete their mission, but they also have a positive view of their mission. According to Bjorck and Kim (2009), not much research has been conducted in the area of coping styles of religious missionaries. This study is an attempt to contribute to this area of knowledge. This project also relied on qualitative research methods in order to describe the lived experiences of returned Mormon missionaries, to identify daily stressors and coping responses to these stressors, and to identify any additional support received while in the field. The framework used in this study relied on semi-structured informal interviews that were audio-recorded. It was determined that data saturation occurred with the tenth interview. This study used Moustakas's modified van Kaam method during the data analysis process. The following themes emerged from the data: attitudes toward mission; changes, growth, and development; success and efficacy; and protective factors, motivation, and coping. An implication from this study include the need for organizations that train missionaries to offer consistency among people who are charged with training missionaries. Returned missionaries in this study reported a disparity between the image that they had been given of missionary work and the true nature of missionary work. As a result of this disparity, missionaries encountered feelings of anxiety and disillusionment with the work. Missionary training centers should also provide missionaries-in-training with education on burnout, including the identification of successful coping strategies and potential sources of support. Though the study yielded information on the coping skills of male missionaries who are in their early 20s, it did not focus on the coping styles of female missionaries, missionaries who identify as ethnic minorities, and senior missionaries. Future research should also seek to determine if coping strategies of missionaries employed in religious organizations differ from their counterparts in non-religious organizations.

The purpose of this sequential explanatory mixed method study was to assess the need for a one-stop shop disaster management mobile application. This was done by identifying the perceptions and utilization of current disaster preparedness resources in the southern region of the United States. The perceptions and utilization levels were measured by obtaining statistical, quantitative results from the Leingang Disaster Preparedness and Utilization survey. Individuals at four universities in the Southern disaster prone area of Louisiana were surveyed. The survey yielded a preparedness score for each survey participant. The preparedness score was achieved based on subsequent scores in three categories: knowledge, usage, and technology. Knowledge was defined as simply knowing about that the preparedness resource available. Usage was defined as participants knowing that the resources existed and whether they chose to use it or not. Technology was identified as any medium the participant used to assist in their hurricane preparedness efforts. This included anything from printed resources to mobile applications. Respondents that identified they were available for more in-depth interviews that had the highest and lowest scores at each institution were contacted to further explore their survey results. The availability of a one-stop shop disaster management mobile application that is utilized before, during, and after a disaster would allow Louisiana residents to have one place to access the various emergency preparedness resources that are available for them. This study found that residents would be interested in utilizing a one-stop shop mobile application during disasters and therefore the researcher recommend modifying current disaster management mobile applications in order to meet this need.

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative research study was to examine in great detail the experiences of members of an active postvention team for survivors of suicide. This team is referred to as the Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors (LOSS) team in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. This study also assesses potential benefits and detriments of being an active member of this team. In this phenomenological research study, seven participants meeting the following criteria were interviewed: 1) Participant is a survivor of suicide 2) Participants loss by suicide was at least one year prior to the beginning of this study 3) Participant is/was a member of the Baton Rouge, Louisiana Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors (LOSS) team within two years from the beginning date of the research study 4) Participant is/was an active member of the Baton Rouge, LOSS team for at least one year. The modified version of van Kaams methods for organization, analysis, and synthesis of data presented in Moustakas (1994) was used. The participants in this research study clearly indicated that the active postvention services of the LOSS team were an essential part of their grieving and healing process and enabled them to continue to live their lives. These individuals truly believe that without the survivors of suicide support group and the LOSS team, they would not be where they are today. These individuals strongly believe in the importance of providing newly bereaved survivors of suicide with an instillation of hope. This is one of the many reasons why they continue their volunteer efforts. Although few detriments to being a member of the LOSS team were introduced, there are safeguards in place for each of them to ensure the mental stability of the LOSS team members.

The purpose of this study was to examine the use and determine the preferred method of social media among 4-H alumni in Louisiana. Based on a review of literature, communicating with youth through social media has become a major trend and necessity, especially among 4-H Youth Development and Cooperative Extension Service professionals. The Zammit Social Media Questionnaire, a 24-item instrument that includes multiple choice, multiple answer, open-ended, ranking, and Likert scale questions, was developed and administered online to 161 Louisiana 4-H alumni who received the 2011 Louisiana 4-H Senior Honor Cord and provided usable e-mails. The final response count was 32, representing a 19.9% response rate. The overall preferred method of social media among Louisiana 4-H alumni was Facebook and text messaging. A majority of 4-H alumni use their smart phones or personal computers to utilize social media. Some of the primary reasons that 4-H alumni use social media are to communicate friends, view photographs, and become updated with current events. Less than 13% of surveyed 4-H alumni use blogs, less than 7% use Google Circles or discussion boards, and less than 4% use Flickr. Overall, 100% of surveyed 4-H alumni use some form of social media. Majority of the respondents were Caucasian, females, lived in rural areas, and have completed or are enrolled in a 4-year college program. They participated in 4-H for 9 years and were not a member of a parish 4-H Junior Leadership Club.

This study compared College of Agriculture (COA) alumni of a research university (RU/VH) in the Southern U.S. on selected demographic characteristics and contact information by whether or not the alumni are donors to the university. The target population was COA graduates from 1862 Land Grant Universities located in the Southern portion of the United States. The accessible population was Louisiana State University (LSU) COA alumni graduates. The sample was alumni who completed their degree program from the years 1950 through 2000. The instrument used was the Tiger Advancement Information Lookup System (TAILS) database. Universities have become burdened by financial instability due to the increasing number of students enrolled in college and state budget cuts to higher education. Alumni donations acquired through fund raising efforts have been put in the forefront of raising money to support and sustain the mission of higher education. Targeting alumni is a way to increase funding and endowments for support to higher education. Alumni have become an integral component in the fund raising scheme of higher education. The methodology of this descriptive exploratory study involved downloading alumni data from the university foundation database. The study found that alumni donors and nondonors were different on a number of demographic characteristics. Additionally, models were found explaining number of donations, largest donation, total amount of donation, and total donations specific to agriculture. In addition, a logistical model was identified that correctly classified 84.1% of alumni on donor status. The researcher concluded that non-employment university affiliation and total number of contacts were important explanatory factors. Recommendations included establishment of more affiliation opportunities and increased frequency of contacts with alumni. The researcher recommended increasing non-traditional methods of contact and involving alumni through various forms of affiliation by creating new types, especially within areas identified by this study in the states with cluster groups of 50 or more alumni. Furthermore, the researcher recommended studies on contact information, and non-employment university affiliation be conducted in an effort to increase the percentage of classifying alumni donor status. The researcher recommends student involvement through club affiliation in an effort to build relationships prior to graduation.

Studies concerning spirituality and higher education, particularly for the college student, are beginning to appear in journals, conference papers, and presentations. However, there is little research conducted with professionals in higher education on the construct of spirituality. Spirituality has so many different definitions in the literature, it is difficult to define, and perhaps even more complex to study academically. Using a research-based conceptual model for religious faith, developed within the study of family sciences, this study examines the lived experience of how and why Catholic women administrators connect their faith and leadership in a setting of public institutions of higher education. Using a grounded theory qualitative approach to research the how, why and processes of the faith and leadership connection for women administrators, interviews were conducted with ten Catholic women administrators. Findings include four emergent themes which begin to explain and deepen the understanding of how religious faith and leadership are connected at work. These themes, with sub-themes, include: Faith at the Core of Identity, Using Faith and Leadership Connection for Performance Management (Management of Self and Management of Supervisees), Specific Actions of Faith and Leadership (Use of Faith in Decision-Making: Prayer; Faith as Action: Service Orientation, Valuing Others, Relationship Building, Doing the Right Thing), and Challenges in Practicing Faith (Public Institution Factors; Implicit/Explicit Actions/Thoughts). These findings begin the research agenda to study faith and leadership, particularly in settings of public institutions of higher education. One research recommendation from the study was continued qualitative study approaches interviewing a wider sample of women leaders, including those of other faith denominations and geographically diverse regions of the United States. Practical implications for Human Resource offices, as well as Catholic parishes and diocese are included. As the women themselves articulate the connection of faith and leadership as inseparable, with faith as the foundation of their leadership, more is understood about the way women of faith lead in public institutions of higher education. Universities and the Catholic parishes and diocese are positioned to provide time, space, and training initiatives for leadership development.

During the current tough economic times volunteers are playing an increasingly important role in making human services widely available and in building collaborative community partnerships. Volunteers are most likely to be productive, to be satisfied with their experience, and to sustain their volunteer service when the opportunities provided to them are aligned with their motives for volunteering, which may include building the kinds of knowledge, skills, and interpersonal awareness that are the cornerstones of leadership. Organizations that purposefully recognize, support, and develop their volunteers leadership potential generate positive outcomes not only for themselves and their volunteers, but also for the clients they serve, and for whole communities. Across the country more than 240 affiliates of the HandsOn Network (HON), the nations largest volunteer network, serve as clearinghouses for individuals seeking both long-term and short-term (episodic) volunteer opportunities, and for nonprofit agencies seeking volunteer services. In its commitment to civic engagement and innovative problem solving, HON is investigating opportunities and technologies for volunteer and community empowerment, and is actively engaged in the inquiry as to how best to serve volunteers who want to cultivate their leadership at every level. In partnership with HON, and using the Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen, 1991), an elicitation study was conducted as formative research to determine the most salient factors that predict volunteers intentions to develop their leadership via their attitudes toward leadership development, subjective norms regarding leadership development, and perceived behavioral control of leadership development. Themes derived from the elicitation study provided the content framework to create a survey tool, which was then administered in a pilot study to HON volunteers across the country. Content analysis of pilot study responses produced a solution in which items reflecting the respective theoretical constructs of the Theory of Planned Behavior separated with near-exact fit in a six-factor solution. This research resulted in the production of an instrument, the Volunteer Leadership Development Questionnaire (VLDQ), which can identify the factors influencing intentions of HON volunteers to express and develop their leadership. Recommendations are made for ongoing validation and refinement of the instrument.

Little research has been done to examine how the awarding of bachelors degrees, by community colleges, influences the traditional associate degree-granting role of these institutions. This quantitative study investigates the impact of this change on the community colleges that have been allowed to award bachelors degrees, examining how this change affects the traditional associate degree granting output of these institutions. The population for this study is all public community colleges in the United States that offer associate degrees, including those awarding bachelors degrees. A data query was used to collect the data for this study from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) database. In the full sample, there was a correlation between the number of associate degrees awarded and whether a bachelors degree was offered. Schools that offered bachelors degrees tended to have higher numbers of associate degrees awarded. In the subsample of schools that offered bachelors degrees, there was a moderate positive correlation between the number of bachelor and associate degrees awarded. The number of associate degrees awarded was undiminished by the initiation of a bachelors degree program at two-year schools. As such, this study may indicate successful higher education marketplace competition, with community colleges evolving to offer bachelors degrees while successfully continuing their traditional associate degree-granting role. This study indicates that the awarding of associate and bachelors degrees is not mutually exclusive. The one can be conducive to the other. A successful synergy can be established. The community college bachelors may make sense as a competitive, market driven response to a societal need. Public community colleges that began to offer, over the last ten years, a four-year baccalaureate degree to meet higher education needs, in addition to the traditional two-year associate degree, are accomplishing this dual mission effectively. This conclusion is supported by the findings of this study and facts in the published literature. More states need to allow community colleges to offer bachelors degrees. In this way, the legislatures could recognize the reality of the educational and economic development needs of place-bound, non-traditional students who have increased the demand for localized bachelors degree programs.

This study investigated the impact participating in S.T.R.I.P.E.S., an extended orientation program, had on student satisfaction and retention. Student satisfaction was determined through a calculated total score on the College Student Satisfaction Evaluation. Retention was determined based on a students enrollment status beginning with their first fall semester and continued to the beginning of their second fall semester. In addition, the study investigated the relationship between student satisfaction and retention. Finally, the study sought to determine if selected variables explained a substantial portion of student satisfaction and contributed to the predictability of retention. The target population was all first time, first year students entering a large, public, research institution in the southeastern United States in the fall of 2009, 2010, and 2011. The accessible population for the objectives on retention was students that had complete information on selected variables in the study (N=12,466). The accessible population for the objectives on student satisfaction included all students with a valid email address (N=13,983). Data analyses were conducted utilizing correlations, stepwise multiple regression and stepwise logistic regression analyses. Results indicated a small relationship exists between participation in an extended orientation program and student satisfaction. No relationship exists between student satisfaction and retention. Students who participate in S.T.R.I.P.E.S. are 30% more likely to be retained to the second year than their peers that did not participate in the program. Finally, 8 variables: percent high school rank, S.T.R.I.P.E.S., on campus first semester, gender, fathers education level, first semester cumulative GPA, ACT, and ethnicity (white/non-white) are statistically significant predictors of student satisfaction and 9 variables: first year cumulative GPA, Pell Grant in the second year, Pell Grant in the first year, percent high school rank, fathers education level, residency status, on campus first year, gender, and S.T.R.I.P.E.S. are statistically significant contributors in predicting student retention. In the case of student satisfaction, the effect size was small with a small amount of variance being explained. Even though the effect sizes for the correlations and regression models tended to be small, the large sample size gives reason to believe that the effects matter.

The purpose of this study was to describe university Academic Administrators, Tenured Faculty, and Tenure-track Faculty at RU/VH: Research Universities (very high research activity) universities as designated by the Carnegie Foundation in the southeastern region of the United States based on demographic characteristics, as well as determine the knowledge and the perceptions of the three aforementioned groups regarding Stopping the Tenure Clock. Researcher-designed surveys were used to collect data. There were 49 participants identified as Academic Administrators, defined as employees who have administrative decision making authority over an academic unit at the level of department chair, director, or dean. Additionally, there were 346 Tenured Faculty who participated in the study while 180 Tenure-track Faculty participated. An important finding was that 78.3% of the Tenure-track Faculty participants were not aware of the Stopping the Tenure Clock process. It was based on this finding that the researcher recommended future research be conducted to determine the preferred and most effective method(s) of communication to the university community. Lack of awareness of Stopping the Tenure Clock may be a result of inadequate publicity of the policy or procedures. Administrators should consider a variety of communication methods such as website postings (on all related stakeholders websites), periodic announcements at faculty meetings or orientation, inclusion in applicable policies, employee handbooks, or print publications. Another important finding is that Tenure-track faculty had more positive perceptions than the Tenured Faculty of Stopping the Tenure Clock. This finding was based on the comparison of perception of Stopping the Tenure Clock by employee groups, whereby a significant difference was revealed between two or more groups. The post-hoc analysis indicated that there was a significant difference between the Tenured Faculty and Tenure-track Faculty groups. University administrators should acknowledge the reasons behind any negative perceptions and address them directly by opening up the dialogue and the appropriate medium of how they can be addressed.