The purpose of this study is to explore job satisfaction among pre-tenured faculty. More specifically I was interested in examining demographic and personal fit factors, fit with the norms and values of the institution among pre-tenured faculty in different institutional types. The sample for the study included all pre-tenured faculty members who completed the COACHE 2009- 2010 job satisfaction survey. The COACHE survey was administered to pre-tenured faculty at 149 four-year colleges and universities in 2009-2010. The conceptual framework for this study is grounded in a modified version of the structural model of job satisfaction by Olsen et al., (1995). The application of exploratory factor analysis followed by stepwise multiple-regression was used to construct and discover dimensions or factors that predict global job satisfaction affecting pre-tenured faculty members. The results of the stepwise multiple-regression revealed that the three constructs of variables differ by institution type. A combination of five variables: effectiveness of work-life balance policies, satisfaction with time available for faculty work, satisfaction with tenured collegiality, satisfaction with autonomy of faculty work, satisfaction with compensation, and satisfaction with support services were the most significant predictors of job satisfaction for pre-tenured faculty members. Institutional fit variables were stronger significant predictors of fit and job satisfaction compared to demographic and personal fit variables. The findings of this study underscore the importance of university administrators to pay particular attention to extrinsic dimension of the faculty work to job satisfaction to fulfill institutional mission. / Ph. D.

Avoiding the negative effects of habitat fragmentation on biodiversity is especially challenging when also the management institutions are spatially and administratively distributed. This doctoral thesis introduces five case studies that investigate ecological, social and social-ecological relations in fragmented landscapes. I present new approaches in which research and governance can detect and manage mismatches between landscape ecology and planning. The case studies include urban and forested landscapes where an intense land-use is limiting the connectivity, i.e., the potential for many species to disperse between the remaining patches of habitat. Graph-theoretic (network) models are applied to map connectivity patterns and to estimate the outcome for dispersing species at the patch level and for the whole study system. In particular, the network models are applied to evaluate the spatial complexity and the potential mismatches between ecological connectivity and geographically distributed management institutions like protected areas and municipalities. Interviews with municipal ecologists complement the spatial analysis; revealing some problems and ways forward regarding the communication and integration of ecological knowledge within local spatial-planning agencies. The results also show that network models are useful to identify and communicate critical ecological and social-ecological patterns that call for management attention. I suggest some developments of network models as to include interactions between species and across governance levels. Finally, I conclude that more effort is needed for network models to materialize into ecological learning and transformation in management processes. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defence the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 1: Manuscript. Paper 2: Manuscript.</p>