Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1996. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 144-148). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1996. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 144-148). Also available on the Internet.

This study investigated the relationships, if any, between the number, nature, and organization of partnerships between academic and student affairs and measures of institutional success and student learning. Specifically, this research sought to: (a) investigate the relationships between the number, nature, and organization of partnerships with institutional retention rates, graduation rates, and students' engagement in educationally purposeful activities, (b) test the feasibility of a classification system for the organization of partnerships developed by O'Halloran (2005), and (c) explore the alignment between reported goals for engaging in collaboration and the actual nature of existing partnerships. The population for the study consisted of 93 Senior Student Affairs Officers (SSAOs) at doctoral-granting institutions who participated in the spring, 2005 administration of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). The survey instrument was adapted from O'Halloran (2005) and was administered in spring 2006. Of the 93 surveys administered, 52 were completed for a response rate of 55%. The findings indicated that the nature of the partnerships has significant effects on measures of institutional success and student learning. Furthermore, 75% of the respondents reported that their institutions had developed partnerships for the purpose of enhancing academic performance or increasing student retention and/or persistence. Implications of these findings are discussed in terms of the iterative relationships between the number/nature of partnerships, goals of partnerships, and outcomes of partnerships mediated by organizational structures and institutional characteristics.