The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of disciplinary background on the leadership styles of academic deans. The researcher conducted a nation-wide survey of academic deans from a wide range of disciplines. Specifically, the study sought to determine whether the disciplinary backgrounds of university deans are reflected in their self-reported actions, decision-making, and role perceptions. Subjects’ disciplines were categorized according to high-consensus and low-consensus fields as well as the pure/applied dichotomy. Four dimensions of organizational leadership (bureaucratic, collegial, political and symbolic) were utilized to define the subjects’ potential cognitive frames. The subjects’ use of cognitive frames were classified into predominantly single-, paired-, or multi-framed approaches. Descriptive statistics, mean comparisons, and logistic regression were utilized to analyze the behaviors and motivations of subjects in the study.

The study examined the issues of access in public and private higher education institutions in Islamabad, Pakistan. The policies and institutions currently in place to deal with access related issues are not effective, therefore, not providing students with the support systems to help them succeed at the institutions of higher learning. The study analyzed student perspectives on access, examined access related systems in place at public and private institutions, and kind of students that have access to higher education. The study also analyzed the growth of higher education institutions and their impact on access related issues particularly in last eight years. Continuous planning, support and development needed to provide higher education is discussed. In addition, the research discussed opportunities and challenges experienced by students before entering college, processes involved entrance at college and after arriving at college. Moreover, similarities and dissimilarities between public and private institutions are also discussed. The study makes suggestions to improve access related systems to help students be successful and the need and ways how can they be further developed and strengthened is also discussed. The hope is that this research will contribute to well in-formed policy making that takes into account the complexities of the forces that shape higher education and the development of Pakistan.

In-depth interviews were conducted with ten Black male administrators. The interviewing process used a phenomenological approach which focused on the meaning that Black male administrators at predominantly White four-year institutions of higher education make of their work experiences. The meaning made by the participants is based on their personal interpretations and evaluations of their experiences. The in-depth phenomenological interview procedure utilized three ninety-minute interviews with each of the participants. The first interview asked the participant to reconstruct significant experiences in his life that led him to his current position. In the second interview participants reconstruct aspects of their current experiences in order to give the researcher a better understanding of the participants' work. The third interview is a culmination of the previous interviews where now participants reflect and make meaning of their work. The interviews were audio tape-recorded and later transcribed verbatim in order to maintain accuracy. To do justice to the data the researcher presents the material in two ways: first, as summarized narratives of the participants' experiences at predominantly White four-year institutions of higher education and their work experiences in their own words; and second, as a narrative outlining important themes that connect these individuals experiences to the body of literature presented in this study. Themes are analyzed by comparing the profiles (Appendices A-J) of senior administrators, junior administrators, as well as administrators who have institutional responsibilities versus those who have minority-focussed responsibilities. The common themes that emerged from the data are grouped under eight different headings: Work Environment, Work Experiences, Relationships with Whites, Relationships with Blacks, Mentoring/Support Networks, Being Black, Job Performance, and Issues of Diversity. These headings serve as an organizing framework for discussing institutional implications. The data as well suggests areas of consideration for Black male administrators at predominantly White institutions of higher education.

This study examined graduate experiences among Black, female, doctoral students and degree completers, and how they perceived the effect of individual and institutional factors in relation to their persistence at a predominantly White institution. Research indicates that graduate students are not typically leaving because of academic failure (Baird, 1993; Moody, 2004; Nerad & Miller, 1996). Instead, a combination of individual and institutional factors best explain causes of attrition among graduate students in general and among Black, female, graduate students at predominantly White campuses in particular (Hinton-Johnson, 2003; Lovitts, 2001). The theoretical framework of this study was drawn from Vincent Tinto's (1987) Model of Institutional Departure, Rendon, Jalomo, and Nora's (2000) conceptual framework on minority student retention and Black Feminist Epistemology (P. H. Collins, 2000). The research methodology focused on the analysis of qualitative data gained from direct interviews and a focus group to determine common themes (factors). Data were collected from four Black, female, doctoral students and four degree completers from one major research university. The results of this study will extend the limited literature on the persistence of Black, female, doctoral students at predominantly White institutions of higher education.