Over the past two decades, federal agencies and health-related professional associations have launched national movements to recruit people from populations that are underrepresented in medicine for the health professions. While this recruitment effort showed substantial results initially, recent occurrences have impeded the growth. Relevant historical events, current trends of low African American enrollment in medical school, and existing research on diverse student experiences have indicated a critical need for effective academic advising for premedical African American students attending predominantly white undergraduate institutions. Using mixed methods, this study investigated the premedical advising that is being offered to African American students on predominantly white campuses. Results indicated that advisors considered the larger societal and institutional contexts of advising African American premedical students in a variety of ways including the positive impact of African American physicians on the larger community, the influence of affirmative action on the medical school application process, and the adversity some African American students face on predominantly white campuses. Most advisors, however, did not directly use this information when advising African American students. Some advisors considered the race and/or ethnicity of their advisees while others perceived such consideration as unethical behavior and therefore utilized a race-neutral advising approach. The utilization of qualitative and quantitative approaches revealed divergent viewpoints regarding confidence in and comfort with advising African American premedical students. While the majority of advisors believed they had the potential to play a significant role in increasing African American enrollment in medical school, findings from this study raise questions regarding who is ultimately responsible. Results stand to inform the practice of advising diverse populations of students across disciplines.

This dissertation was a case study of four community college women who were first in their families to attend college. Through this study, the first-generation construct was analyzed in regard to its uses and limits. The researcher found the label as an identifier becomes problematic through social discourse. These results confirm Londons (1996) finding that students themselves do not necessarily find anything unique about their situations or anything in common with other students simply based on their being the first in their families to attend college. Therefore, the first-generation construct may be viewed primarily as a higher education versus an individual construct. This study further explored the ways in which the participants constructed their own identities and challenges related to participation and persistence. A significant finding was participants distinctions of their career and academic identities. Another significant finding was the students expressions of personal control over their finances and life choices in general. All four of the students held positive outlooks for their futures regarding gaining more independence, achieving their personal or professional goals, and becoming smarter. None of the four students viewed themselves as powerless or at risk.

The landmark Supreme Court Decision of Brown v. the Board of Education in 1954 struck down the policy of separate but equal and set a legal precedent that racial discrimination in public education violates the United States constitution. Later the 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibited colleges and universities from discriminating based upon age, sex, race, or religion. The Civil Rights Act strengthened the enforcement capabilities of the Office of Civil Rights in ensuring desegregation. These legislative and judicial efforts have engaged higher education and state officials in often-controversial attempts to desegregate systems and institutions of higher education. Because colleges and universities predominately failed to comply with court decisions and judicial outcomes, in 1971 the NAACP Legal Defense Fund filed suit against the Office of Civil Rights for failing to enforce Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Adams v. Richardson, 1973). Since 1971, 19 states have been struggling to comply with legislative and judicial requirements to desegregate. The purpose of this study was to longitudinally analyze the results of desegregation efforts at public colleges and universities in states that formerly operated dual systems of higher education. The progress, rate of change, and pattern of desegregation were quantifiably measured using a segregation index and analyzed using a repeated measure analysis of variance, pooled cross-sectional time-series model, and Split-Plot Analysis of Variance. The results of the study indicate that Adams states made initial progress in desegregating between 1980 and 1990, but over the last 10 to 15 years, the Adams states have, overall, begun to re-segregate. The results of this study have implications for policy makers in setting state and institutional policies and allocating resources. The data provides policymakers the ability to benchmark and understand the historical implications of policies implemented during the early desegregation efforts. Policy makers, to include legislators, state executives, institutional administrators, and governing boards have the ability to influence the direction and priorities of desegregating higher education.

The stakes associated with student performance have been raised to new highs under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB, 2001). Many people are concerned with the adequacy and appropriateness of the statistical models used in identifying low-performing schools for educational accountability. The purpose of this study was to compare four generic types of accountability models (i.e., status models, improvement models, growth models, and value-added models) and see if they reach consistent/inconsistent conclusions regarding the effectiveness of the same set of schools. Further, the four models were also compared in terms of fairness. A fair model is defined as one that produces school effectiveness indices that have low correlations with various student background variables (Webster, Mendro, Orsak, & Weerasinghe, 1998). The sample included this study consisted of all 297 K-5 schools in Louisiana. The results indicate that (1) the school effectiveness indices produced by the status model, the improvement model, and the growth model diverged significantly from those produced by the value-added model but converged highly among themselves; and (2) the school effectiveness indices produced by the value-added model had the lowest correlation with various student background variables. The methodological and policy implications of these findings were discussed.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Alberta, 2009. / Title from pdf file main screen (viewed on July 15, 2009). "Fall 2009." At head of title: University of Alberta. "A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Finance, Faculty of Business." Includes bibliographical references.

As a societal phenomenon, festivals and planned events are discussed in a wide policy context. They have entered a broader discussion with regard to sustainability in which the factors that contribute to being sustainable are part of a new paradigm of responsibility for festivals and events. Recognition that this includes responsibility for socio-cultural impacts has gained traction in the academic literature. However, only minor attention has been given to the dynamics and competencies affecting the decision making of festivals and events leadership as it influences these. As the needs of festival stakeholder are changing, so too consideration of new competencies and new platforms for transformation are required. This critical appraisal provides a significant consideration of my research in this subject area. At the core of the appraisal are nine peer-reviewed journal papers, two peer-reviewed research book chapters and one peer-reviewed conference paper. These reveal the contribution over the last ten years made to the body of knowledge in the research area of leadership, futures and sustainable development of festivals and events. The pragmatist paradigm that had guided the work, and the integration of research methods germane to the stage of the research cycle and the layering of knowledge is discussed. A principal tenet of the research is creation of knowledge which is both academically rigorous and socially useful. The contribution of my work to knowledge and understanding is established in three key theme areas of festivals and events leadership values and influences; festivals and events context and stakeholders; and festivals and events futures. For both academic and the festival and event providers, practical benefits of extending the capacity of leadership competencies and awareness – and the obstructions to this – are shown, with methodologies for future visioning and future proofing observed and discussed. Limitations of the work and future research proposals conclude the work.

My research explores the leadership challenge faced by contemporary higher education institutions. Globally, the need for high quality academic leadership has never been greater. Yet growing evidence suggests few academics are keen to engage. In this study, I investigate academic educational leadership (AEL) at the University of Exeter (UoE) from organisational and academic perspectives. My purposes are to clarify early career academics’ (ECAs) attitudes and stances towards AEL, what may lie behind these and to make recommendations about how to nurture their future interest in AEL. My study adopts a theoretical and methodological pluralistic approach. Theoretically, I draw on the leadership research of Mats Alvesson and Richard Bolden, relating to organisational culture and structure. In particular, I adapt Alvesson’s model of ‘multiple cultural configurations’. I also draw on the socio-cultural theories of Margaret Archer relating to ‘agentic reflexivity’. Methodologically, I adopt the role of ‘bricoleur’ (Kincheloe, 2001), drawing on an eclectic range of perspectives and principles derived from pragmatism and applied critical realism. By synthesising these, I create a ‘personal enquiry paradigm’. My theoretical research outcomes add to growing evidence about academic ‘defensive routines’ (Martin, 1999). I suggest that ECAs adopt diverse and nuanced attitudes and stances towards AEL, summarized in a ‘reluctance to lead’ typology. I identify a wide range of influential mechanisms and causal powers (M&CPs) which I summarise in an elaborated three dimensional framework. Influential M&CPs include attitudinal dissonance and misalignment between institutional strategies and processes which help explain reluctance. I argue that nurturing future AELs needs to reflect more closely the priorities of ECAs, set in a wider context of institutional cultural reconciliation and strategic realignment. Adopting a normative stance, I provide an example of how this might be possible. My methodological contribution develops through a series of three dimensional frameworks that suggest that multiple configurations of influences operate at different levels and through time at UoE. Overall, my research contributes strongly to the growing body of theories and methodologies investigating higher education cultures. Whilst the case study findings may not be generalizable, other institutions might benefit from some of the insights provided.

This thesis outlines a personal attempt to explore leadership in a holistic manner that recognises the contribution of both individuals and the collective whilst remaining sensitive to contextual factors. It endeavours to do this through presentation, analysis and discussion of two empirical studies of leadership, informed by distributed and practice perspectives, which regard leadership as a shared and contextually situated social process. The thesis begins with an overview of leadership theory and research, proposing that the time is right for a reframing of the field of leadership studies in order to redress the balance accorded to individual and collective accounts of leadership; review how we recognise, reward and develop leadership; and revisit our methodologies and approaches to leadership enquiry. The first empirical study investigates perceptions and experiences of leadership in the UK higher education sector, proposing that whilst leadership may be considered as widely dispersed, the notion of ‘distributed leadership’ also carries a powerful rhetorical function that may mask an uneven distribution of power, resources and rewards. The second empirical study explores the notion of ‘leadership-as-practice’ in three large, complex organisations outside the HE sector, and reveals the significant impact of discourse and sensemaking in shaping perceptions, experiences and the accomplishment of leadership for middle-senior level operational managers. The discussion chapter draws together the various themes explored in the thesis, in particular demonstrating the significance of issues of discourse, identity and purpose in making sense of the elusive nature of leadership practice. It is argued that a holistic representation of leadership remains difficult to achieve because of the manner in which grand Discourses and micro-level discourses of leadership interact to attribute the social process of leadership to the actions of individual leaders. The thesis concludes with a series of recommendations that highlight the value of a somewhat eclectic approach to leadership theory, research, practice and development that facilitates the emergence and recognition of contextually-appropriate ‘hybrid configurations’ of leadership.

University of Macau / Faculty of Arts and Humanities. / Department of English

This study problematizes the down play of heroic perspectives in the currently rising critical and post-heroic leadership research. It argues that compromising either the critical or the post-heroic perspectives in favour of the other would constrict or mislead our understanding of the social influence of leadership processes. This study calls for maintaining the theoretical uniqueness of both perspectives in order to enhance new understandings and broader knowledge claims. Therefore, the study adopts a reflexive-ethnographic examination of the leader-follower and group dynamics, in an International Human Rights Based Organization. The overall aim is to develop an understanding of how individuals in an International Organization like Global Peace Organization (GPO) cope with the universal scope of their organization and the diversity in their work environment. This aim is fulfilled through examining self-narratives generated by the participants in their day to day interactions. To facilitate the coherence between the two leadership perspectives in this examination, a dialectical dimension is enhanced by extending the emerging tactics of reflexivity and intertextuality to the various stages of research. The critical perspective then reveals a context-driven approach in the self-narratives where participants use their particular worldviews to interpret dilemmas and conflicts originating in their work. Conflicts between participants and their leaders also reflect power interplays based on crafting a sense of we-ness / us in self-Other encounters. However, an added perspective on interpersonal relations suggests the significance of the single factor where the less secure participants tend to mask their resistance with creative impression-management strategies. This eventually transforms their insecurities into more positive attitudes and behaviours which repositions them as informal leaders in their groups.