<p> College athletics is a complex, revenue generating industry within the United States higher education system. This commercialized segment of education generated 9 billion dollars of income in 2015 from the efforts of 482,533 student athletes (Gains, 2016; NCAA, 2015). This system creates a unique spectrum characterized on one end by the insatiable desire for winning led by coaches, athletic departments, and alumni, resulting in athletic isolation to protect the &lsquo;athlete investment.&rsquo; On the other end of the spectrum is the pursuit of a degree, academic success, and career development guided by faculty and an institution&rsquo;s academic mission and reputation to protect the &lsquo;student investment.&rsquo; Student athletes are caught between the strong pull of these two opposing pressures which requires advising to assist them in navigating this complex environment and calls for current research to better understand the student athlete advisor role, its evolution, and related impact on student athletes within this academic-athletic spectrum. </p><p> Qualitative research methods explored the lived experiences of 32 athletic academic advisors from mid-sized Division I NCAA institutions. Semi-structured interviews conducted over a two-month period explored how their role, experience, and approach influence student athletes. The study drew eight primary findings and analyzed them within three original research questions that covered: (a) the evolution of student athlete advising in higher education; (b) how student athletes engage in the broader university; and (c) the range of advising from simply maintaining athletic eligibility to optimizing academic engagement. </p><p> The findings of this study illustrate the lived experiences of athletic academic advisors and unveils a mentorship role that exceeds academic advising. The findings also highlight the increasing numbers of advisors, their backgrounds, challenges, and the evolving role of student athlete advising along the athletic-academic spectrum. The results of this study can help guide institutional leaders in structuring advising and other support systems to benefit the academic and career prospects for student athletes.</p><p>

<p> Since the first intercollegiate athletic event in 1852, a patriarchal hegemony has controlled the governance, policy making, and leadership of intercollegiate athletics. Not until 1972 did women enter the national narrative on college sports participation and administration, albeit through federal mandate and in marginal fashion. More than forty years after the passage of Title IX, intercollegiate athletics still lacks a strong female presence in executive administrative positions. The National Association of Collegiate Women Administrators (NACWAA) is the only professional organization devoted solely to developing and advancing the success of women in the profession of intercollegiate athletics. </p><p> This study examined the lived experiences of seven women athletics administrators who participated in a leadership development program, the Institute for Administrative Advancement (IAA), offered by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and NACWAA. This dissertation used hermeneutical phenomenology to qualitatively describe how IAA participants make sense of this leadership development experience. By thoroughly characterizing the meaning ascribed to the IAA experience as well as the actualization of the IAA curriculum, the results of this study characterize how participants of the NCAA/NACWAA IAA perceive a) career development and leadership and b) leadership self-efficacy. </p><p> Seven themes emerged through data analysis: 1) Discrimination is evident. Many forms of discrimination were perceived, 2) Individual perceptions of leadership were varied and dynamic, 3) Self-assessment of leadership skills evolved over the duration of the IAA, 4) Expectations of the IAA experience were modest yet hopeful, 5) Participants experienced contrasting emotional states throughout the IAA, 6) Actualization of the learned skill set resulted in a variety of outcomes, and 7) The IAA was an empowering and transformative experience.</p><p> Based on the emergent themes, implications and recommendations are offered to counterbalance the underrepresentation of women in athletic administration. The findings from this study also serve a broader application to higher education. The narratives shared by the participants can provide a pathway to empower other women and members of historically underrepresented and socially excluded groups within higher education administration toward professional advancement. </p>

<p> Athletic programs have been an exciting staple of the higher education experience for over a century. Although student athletes have been studied near exhaustively in higher education research, less attention has been paid to the relationship of athletic academic staff members and corresponding institutional operations in supporting student athlete goals. This study was designed to create a full, rich description, ultimately contributing to the literature of the cultural, social, economic, and academic environment of the staff of the athletic academic support unit from 1991-2014. The overall research question is thus: How has NCAA legislation shaped the administrative institutional action at the "Big Football University" athletic academic support unit from 1991-2014? </p><p> A case study methodology was chosen for the research design. The study utilized a constructivist epistemological orientation and two theoretical lenses: Organizational Identity Theory and Social Identity Theory. Data collection was conducted through interviews with key informants and primary and secondary document analysis. Data displays, domain analysis, and open coding was be used to answer the research question. To increase both internal and external validity, trustworthiness tactics were used ensuring that the results matched reality, that there was a saturation of data, and that a truthful portrayal was created by providing a clear synthesis of patterns found. During data analysis, four constructs were used as macro categories for themes including University Responses, Identity Changes, Legislative Influences, and Leadership and Role Conflict.</p><p> The results from this study led to three major findings. First, the data collected has the ability to contribute data furthering research in the fields of Social Identity Theory, Organizational Identity Theory, and constructivist epistemology influences in higher education environments. Next, the hyper focus of the study on one institution's administrative choices was a pragmatic choice by the researcher to be able to recommend how other schools can adjust their own support services if they are faced with similar scenarios. And lastly the study highlights the need for more athletics research to improve practice within the field.</p>

<p> Over the past few decades, the money and attention associated with Intercollegiate Athletics (ICA) has exploded. At the same time, however, many ICA departments claim to be at a financial crossroads with coaching salaries and operational costs soaring upwards. Not surprisingly, ICA departments are responding by focusing on increasing their fundraising in innovative ways. Perhaps the most interesting of these is in the area of hybrid&mdash;or blended&mdash;giving, which combines cash with a deferred gift. While these gifts have the potential to help generate substantially more revenue for ICA, unfortunately there is limited empirical research surrounding them. </p><p> In an effort to broaden this research base, this study examined hybrid gifts in Division I ICA at both the macro and micro levels. Specifically, an explanatory sequential mixed methods design was used to assess the state of hybrid-gift development among all 346 Division I ICA departments. This was accomplished through an online survey of the senior development director at every Division I ICA department; the 33-question survey had a 64% response rate and employed demographic, Likert-style, and open-ended questions. Following this mapping of the current Division I ICA hybrid-gift landscape, two purposely selected comparative case studies of Division I ICA departments were undertaken to better explain the complexity of hybrid gifts by digging deeper into the nuances of ICA philanthropy and hybrid-gift development. </p><p> Analysis of the data indicates hybrid-gift development is trending upward with a number of unique and new opportunities. Findings centered on building a culture of philanthropy and strategic process that includes education, communication, and collaboration; identifying the trajectory of hybrid-gift donors; and the new opportunities that hybrid gifts create, such as both short- and long-term approaches, re-cultivation of donors, and elevated partnerships. Further analysis used the lens of behavioral economics, specifically, framing, anchoring, loss aversion, and what you see is all there is to enrich the findings. </p><p> Taken together, the study responds to a yawning gap in the literature on philanthropy. In particular, the study informs best practices for ICA development, leaders, and donors, and generates potentially transferable philanthropic insights into higher education and nonprofit philanthropy.</p><p>

<p> Recognizing that the percentage of females in NCAA Division I athletic department leadership positions lag far behind their male counterparts, this study sought to learn about the lived experiences of females who have reached a senior level, defined as associate athletic director and athletic director using narrative inquiry. </p><p> The purpose of this study was to record the lived experiences of senior-level women administrators in intercollegiate athletics. Data was gathered through in-person interviews. Participants were asked to describe the paths their careers have followed, including the factors, issues, and circumstances that they feel have shaped the process by which they made career decisions. </p><p> Four primary themes from the participants&rsquo; backgrounds and life stories emerged that influenced the paths of the participants&rsquo; careers. They were: (1) the willingness and desire to take on challenges and opportunities; (2) the importance of family considerations, (3) influence of support they received from colleagues and people they came in contact within athletics; and (4) the impact of lack of support they received from colleagues and people they came in contact within athletics during their careers. This study revealed the presence of a strong sense of efficacy within the participants, which influenced the persistence of the participants in pursuing this particular career path, even when faced with obstacles. Finally, these participants offered advice, based on their career experiences to other current and future female athletic administrators. Policy implications and recommendations for institutions and athletic departments are provided.</p><p>

<p> Intercollegiate athletics have received considerable attention by scholars in higher education. Despite this wide treatment by scholars, there is little examination of the athletics director. Most of the published research on athletics directors disproportionately focuses on the responsibilities of the athletics director, the pressures of the leadership position, the characteristics and behaviors of these leaders, and the organizational culture of athletics departments. The purpose of this study was to investigate and gain insight into the environmental forces that disrupted and influenced athletics director leadership. This study explored how the participants understood, acknowledged, and reacted to forces that unavoidably influenced their choices. Particular attention was placed on comprehending how these individuals led change in their organizations while at the same time balanced the intersecting demands on their positions. </p><p> Qualitative research methods were used to explore the forces that influenced athletics directors at large, public and private research universities that were part of the NCAA and sponsor Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) or Division I-AAA (no football) athletics. A grounded theory methodological approach was used in the design and execution of this study. Using this method built theories through systematic stages of data analysis and conceptual development. The development of these concepts became the building blocks of theory,which explained the participants&rsquo; experiences as athletics directors. These findings offer insight into the forces that influenced athletics directors as they led change in their organizations.</p><p>