The purpose of this research was to identify, describe, and analyze the extent of faculty participation in administrative decision making within selected schools of nursing. The style of participation was analyzed. The secondary purpose of the research was to observe whether the dean and faculty shared similar perceptions regarding the extent and style of participation in administrative decision making. This qualitative research study utilized in-depth interviews with the dean and two faculty members from three randomly selected baccalaureate schools of nursing in New England. The dean and faculty members were interviewed regarding the extent and style of participation in administrative decision making. For the purpose of this study, administrative decisions fell into the following areas: (1) budget, (2) policy formulation, (3) facilities utilization, (4) faculty tenure, and (5) faculty workload. The formulation of these decision making areas were, in part, taken from a study conducted by O'Kane in 1984. Although categories for the styles of participation emerged as the investigation proceeded, Lawler's (1985) classifications of styles of decision making were utilized as guidelines. Conclusions from this study included the following: (1) In each of the five areas of administrative decision making, the extent of input from the deans and faculty members depended upon the type of decision to be made. (2) Perceptions expressed by each participant regarding the extent of participation in decision making were shown to be parallel. The dean and the faculty viewed both the process and the individuals engaged in the process similarly. (3) The style of decision making utilized depended upon the area of decision making addressed. (4) The following themes were commonalities within and across schools as identified by the researcher: organizational climate, structure, and the dean's style of leadership. These themes direct the style of decision making employed within the schools of nursing.

<p> The primary purpose of this study was the exploration of social media utility as a crisis communication practice on three selected university campuses. The overarching research question for this study was &ldquo;How and what social media technologies are selected, planned for, implemented, and monitored in crisis management in selected universities?&rdquo;. This study examines how these institutions used social media during crisis, pinpoints the emergent themes, analyzes the engagement between the selected universities and their social media audience, and analyzes the effectiveness of social media during campus crisis situations.</p><p> The findings of this study include the documentation of institutional practices that contribute to successful social media crisis communication integration. These elements ultimately coalesce into the identification of a series of best practices that can help inform the field and contribute to the establishment of best practices for social media use during campus crisis situations. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.)</p>

<p> There has been a decline in public good will toward institutions of higher education for nearly four decades. Resultantly, the public, media, and politicians call for greater transparency. It would be beneficial for institutions of higher education to utilize strategic means to communicate their stories, successes and brand directly to various publics. A critical, albeit often an overlooked public, are the employees of the university. They can serve as ambassadors for the university interacting with outside publics. In this capacity, not only do employees need to know information about their organization to function well at their positions, they also need to understand the strategic direction of the organization. Strategic communication of this nature can be accomplished with them via internal communication, and that falls under the domain of the public relations entity on campus.</p><p> This study seeks to examine how senior level public relations practitioners in higher education develop and carry out their internal communication responsibilities to employees. Understanding was sought regarding the practitioners&rsquo; beliefs and practices regarding: (a) public relations as a strategic management function; (b) the role of relationship management within public relations; and (c) whether symmetrical communication is used for cultivating relationships while maintaining a feedback mechanism to adjust public relations strategies based on publics and environment.</p><p> This study also looked at common and unique elements of practice, how higher education public relations practitioners define best practices, and whether they coordinate internal communication with other entities within their college or university and analyzes some demographic data regarding the career paths and education of the practitioners. It concludes that, while the participants in the study were operating with direct reporting to the president of their respective universities, and that all participants demonstrated working in a strategic capacity, none had documented communication processes with respect to internal audiences, and few had formal methods in place to evaluate the success of their efforts. In addition, none had well-formulated and strategic processes in place with respect to whether symmetrical communication is used for cultivating relationships while maintaining a feedback mechanism to adjust public relations strategies based on publics and environment.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of the study is to learn about how students who transfer from community and technical colleges to a private four-year research university experience the transfer process at both institutions. The study followed Merriam's (2009) basic interpretive qualitative design. A sample of 20 participants was recruited for the study. Semi-structured, in-depth, face-to-face interviews were conducted with each participant. Each interview was audio recorded and transcribed by the researchers. Data in the study is presented using Merriam's (2009) narrative analysis format. In the narrative analysis of the data, themes identified through the analysis are described at length including exemplar excerpts from the interview transcripts. Long quotations from the participants and rich description of the interview context from the researcher create the narrative. Quotations from various participants are organized in a way that demonstrates to the reader how the participants' responses form a theme. Aspects of the theories of involvement (Astin, 1984/1999), integration (Tinto, 1993), and engagement (Kuh, 2001; Kuh, Kinzie, Schuh, &amp; Whitt, 2005) were applied by the researcher to the analysis of the experiences of the study participants. These findings can be organized into an institutional strand and a student strand. The institutional strand of findings includes threads related to the institutions' role in engaging students both academically and socially as they travel between the institutions throughout the transfer process. The student strand of findings includes threads related to aspects of the students' experiences that demonstrate how the act of transferring changes how they participate in the academic and social environments of the institutions. The findings of this study have implications for students who transfer from community and technical colleges to private universities as well as for transfer students in general. Recommendations are offered by the researcher to improve future policy, practice, and research related to these student populations.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experience of undergraduate students who use online social networks such as Facebook while serving in paraprofessional roles on campus. The researcher conducted a qualitative study to address a primary research question: What is the interplay between college students&rsquo; participation in online social networks and campus-based paraprofessional roles? The study identified themes that can be used to understand this student experience. These themes contribute to the growing theoretical understanding of how online social networks and paraprofessional roles impact the college student experience.</p><p> A semi-structured interview protocol was devised in light of pertinent literature in the areas of college students in paraprofessional roles, peer mentoring, and computer-mediated relationships. Eleven resident assistants at a large, public research university in Central Pennsylvania agreed to participate in semi-structured interviews to discuss their experiences. They were asked to describe their involvements as resident assistants and users of Facebook. Participants discussed how they understood how their employment as resident assistants and their use of Facebook influenced each other, and their overall experience in their paraprofessional roles.</p><p> Through data analysis, three themes emerged: Facebook functionality and use, relationships, and discretion. Participants spoke of dynamic and complex experiences in their roles that were amplified by Facebook. The researcher proposed a Model for Online Social Network Mediated Role Conflict that describes tensions that represent the experience of paraprofessional staff members who use online social networks. Implications for practice and recommendations for additional research are provided.</p>

<p> This case study examined co-curricular portfolios and transcripts at two institutions to investigate the use of co-curricular portfolios, how they are developed, how institutions utilize them, and how they shape student learning. This research contributed to the literature by documenting evidence of student learning, describing how students and institutions utilize these programs, and providing in-depth comparative analyses of two cases. Five assessment frameworks and the conceptual framework of Preparation for Future Learning were used to analyze the data gathered. </p><p> Twenty-four students, four administrators, and one faculty member participated in interviews on two campuses where co-curricular involvement is documented by portfolios or transcripts. The findings indicated evidence of intrinsic student gains in the areas of self-awareness, pride and self-confidence, and transfer of learning; as well as extrinsic benefits including enhanced remembering and marketability. In addition, findings related to institutional perspectives described design and practice recommendations, practicality benefits, and challenges in implementing these programs.</p><p>

<p> Recently, the issue of campus sexual violence and the term Title IX have become commonplace with the majority of college-aged individuals within the United States. This time of increased regulation began as a crescendo with the U.S. Department of Education and the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) Dear Colleague letter of April 2011, which was enhanced by the reform of the Campus SaVE and VAWA Acts and the 2014 Question and Answers guidance documents. This guidance resulted in a significant increase in the number of institutions under federal investigation of alleged violations of Title IX by the OCR, with an increasing number of students also engaging in formal litigation with their institutions. </p><p> This qualitative study set out to better understand the impact of addressing campus sexual violence and sexual harassment, public scrutiny, and a U.S. Department of Education and OCR investigation of an alleged violation of Title IX on 19 student conduct administrators or Title IX coordinators who were responsible for administering, enforcing, and reporting incidents associated with Title IX at 11 Association of American Universities (AAU) institutions. Additionally, this study sought to give a voice to a U.S. higher education professional staff population that is often silent, either because of federal regulations or due to the social stigma associated with their work. Eight main impacts were identified: (a) lack of clear guidance, (b) shifts in institutional organization structure and staffing, (c) legalization of the student conduct processes, (d) staff feeling on trial, (e) greater public scrutiny, (f) changes in relationships with students, (g) personal impacts, and (h) shifts in career ambitions. Overall, the process of addressing and responding to campus sexual violence and sexual harassment of student conduct administrators and Title IX coordinators has fundamentally changed. </p><p> Ultimately, this study demonstrated how the practitioners who deal most directly with campus sexual violence and sexual harassment experienced both positive and negative impacts in regard to addressing and responding to campus sexual violence and sexual harassment in this ongoing period of heightened U.S. federal regulation, guidance, and public scrutiny.</p><p>

<p> <b>Purpose:</b> The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe and explore what factors, as perceived by adjunct faculty and those who hire and manage them at nonprofit universities, had the greatest impact on their decision to continue to serve in the part-time role. A secondary purpose was to explore differences between the perceptions of adjunct faculty and those who hire and manage them with regard to these factors. </p><p> <b>Methodology:</b> This phenomenological qualitative study collected data through in-depth interviews with ten adjunct faculty members and five supervisors working for private nonprofit California institutions of higher education. After transcription, data was coded to describe the similarities and differences in perception of the reasons adjunct faculty continue teaching part-time. Documents and artifacts were gathered to support data triangulation. </p><p> <b>Findings:</b> Data analysis yielded four major themes that have an impact on an adjunct faculty member&rsquo;s decision to continue working part-time. Participants referenced the relationships that adjunct faculty have with their administrators, colleagues, and students most often. Participants discussed their compensation and benefits and most shared that they do not teach for the money or benefits. Faculty participants agreed that their flexible work schedule and the day-to-day work of an adjunct faculty member were also influential in their decision. </p><p> <b>Conclusions:</b> There was widespread agreement amongst participants that they value collegial relationships and their flexible part-time work schedule. Adjunct faculty members emphasized that they do not teach for financial gain but rather to be part of a community, share their professional knowledge, and work with students. Most are disinterested in professional growth and participants expressed concern about the connection between academic freedom and the evaluation of their work by students. </p><p> <b>Recommendations:</b> Future research should examine the relationship between adjunct faculty category and retention. This study should be replicated at a wider range of universities and additional studies conducted to explore the differences between the perceptions of new and long-term adjunct faculty. Research should be conducted to learn why adjunct faculty members choose to leave their positions. Finally, a grounded theory study should be conducted to develop a more current model of adjunct faculty experiences.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this multiple comparative case study was to examine why and how an intensive academic-orientation innovation was diffused and adopted at five different public research universities. The innovation under study was the Louisiana State University (LSU) Biology Intensive Orientation for Students (BIOS) program. Everett Rogers&rsquo; (2003) diffusion of innovation theory served as the theoretical framework for this study. Program documentation was collected and reviewed, an on-line survey was administered and completed by each program coordinator/director, and telephone interviews were conducted with each program coordinator/director. The study found there was relative fidelity in the adoption of BIOS and supported the presence of Rogers&rsquo; (2003) innovation attributes. A model was developed through this study to describe a successful innovation adoption process; essential elements, roles, and relationships were identified. Key findings of the study included the following: (a) need for a catalyst that the innovation addressed and impacted in a positive way; (b) a credible change agent, who was available to share knowledge about the innovation; (c) a champion, who was committed to the successful adoption of the innovation; and (d) an opinion leader, who supported the innovation adoption. The model further indicates there must be a productive and positive working relationship between the change agent and the champion, as well as an established positive working relationship between the champion and opinion leader. Discontinuation of the innovation adoption is possible if there is a change in opinion leadership or a less complex or less costly solution to the initial catalyst is discovered.</p><p>

<p> Educational research has produced numerous theories attempting to predict enrollment patterns of college students. From Tinto (1975) to more recent student persistence scholars, too often studies focus on a narrow aspect of student retention or persistence like co-curricular engagement, pre-college achievement, and institutional fit. Interruption of enrollment is frequently depicted as a personal or institutional failure rather than a persistence tool utilized by a significant population of students. </p><p> Research that considers non-college life events is fairly limited and typically presents quantitatively or serves as a predictive tool for the types of students by demographic marker that will or will not persist. Mental health problems carry impact across demographic delineations and the population of students disclosing mental health concerns or diagnoses has grown significantly on college campuses. Research attributes the lack of enrollment in higher education due to mental health reasons at anywhere between 4.7% and 8.7% of traditional college-aged students who were once enrolled. A stopout is one tool available to students managing their health concerns while on the path to graduation. </p><p> Using Reason&rsquo;s (2009) conceptual framework of student persistence, this dissertation explores the college experience for students who stopout due to mental health reasons and subsequently return to full time study. Framed by Schlossberg&rsquo;s (1995) transition theory, this study views the multiple transitions a student working through mental health concerns encounters when enrollment in college is interrupted. Portraiture methodology is used to create meaningful portraits of each student as they return to college after a leave. Portraiture is purposeful in highlighting the voices and successes of this population of students. </p><p> The portraits bring to light a confluence of persistence challenges framed in Reason&rsquo;s (2009) work. Organizational behavior and peer environment that students encountered prior to the leave and after returning presented significant barriers to participants&rsquo; successful transition. Sustained psychological treatment while away combined with an established plan of re-entry aided in students&rsquo; transition. More than any other resource, the participants found strength in the self as they transitioned back to campus. Implications for further research as well as institutional practice incorporating and supporting students&rsquo; returns are also discussed.</p>