In recent years, many married women have not only entered the working world, but are also rapidly climbing the career ladder. This has given rise to an increasing number of dual-career couples who have to constantly navigate between work and family life. Being in this position, coupled with Indians – generally regarded as one of the more traditional cultural groups in South Africa, with an emphasis on male dominance – provides a unique and interesting context for the study. In this study, the perceptions of Indian dual-career couples towards the wives’ career advancement are explored. The study places a specific focus on the role of the husband in the dual-career arrangement by determining the impact that the spouse has on the balancing of work and family life and, ultimately, the impact he has on the wife’s career progression. I embarked on this study from an interpretivist stance in terms of which a qualitative research strategy, using in-depth, semi-structured life-story interviews, was employed in order to gain a greater understanding of the various factors that mould the perceptions that couples currently hold with regard to the career advancement of women. Purposive as well as snowball sampling strategies were used to identify nine dual-career Indian couples, who constituted the sample for this study. A comprehensive analysis was conducted that involved thematic analysis. This process was aided by using the qualitative analysis software Atlas.ti. The results of this study reveal that, although there is a shift towards greater acceptance of career women, the spouses have not reached a level of parity as Indian women are not completely emancipated from their duties in the home domain. In addition, masculinity and the male ego were running threads throughout this study, tying in with various aspects of the study. My thesis contributes to the growing research on dual-career couples by focusing on an under-researched, but crucial aspect of the dual-career arrangement, and therefore opens avenues for further research. / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / Human Resource Management / Unrestricted

This applied dissertation was a quantitative, data-mining analysis to determine the effects of mentoring on career advancement after employees participated in a 1-year formal leadership mentoring program. The company in this study developed a formal leadership mentoring program as part of its talent development and succession planning strategy. Company leaders selected mentoring participants from an internal pool of diverse high-potential leaders to participate in the leadership mentoring program. This study implemented a quantitative, data-mining research method technique to analyze the company’s data on the formal leadership mentoring program from a monitored system. The purpose of data mining was to review and analyze career-progression results of women and people of color to see if employees were advancing in careers as all other mentoring participants who participated in the 2009 and 2010 mentoring program classes. Quantitative data-mining results showed that, in 2009 and 2010, the total population was 105. Mentees who were women and people of color represented 79% of employees who remained at the company. In addition, 13 women of color were promoted at the study company after attending the leadership mentoring program. Company leaders selected mentoring participants from an internal pool of diverse high-potential leaders to include Black-African Americans, Asians, Hispanics-Latinos, and Whites. This data-mining study provided valuable to mentoring, career advancement, and succession planning for the leadership that could provide confirmation for the need to offer formal mentoring programs to increase the numbers of women and people of color in middle- and senior-level management positions.

No description available.

This study examined the characteristics and predictors of Millennial alumni who donated financially to their alma mater and those who did not by reviewing data from the Alumni Attitude Survey (AAS). The data set was composed of 2,108 Millennial respondents and 1,110 as Generation X respondents. This study can help university foundation and alumni association staff members to determine why their donors, specifically Millennial alumni, give to their institution and how to be more effective in requesting for a financial donation from them. Generating consistent support from alumni and other donors is an economic necessity for postsecondary institutions. As current students graduate, institutions need to know how they can entice these alumni to provide financial support. This dissertation fills the gap in the literature by providing new research on the effect Millennial student involvement has on the likelihood they will become donors to their alma mater. This dissertation used Astin's (1984) involvement theory as a foundation for the research. The connection that alumni have with their alma maters and the outcome of donations after graduation may stem from the connections that these alumni established while involved in activities as undergraduates. Astin's involvement theory provides some insights into identifying the experiences that help to inspire alumni to donate financially and helps institutions identify and devise new ways of using these experiences to help increase donations. The positive emotional experiences from undergraduate involvement may be motivation to donate to one's alma mater. This study identified the involvement characteristics of undergraduate Millennial alumni donors, the differences between these donors and nondonors, and predictors of undergraduate Millennial alumni donor behavior. This study focused on the potential relationship between involvement and student satisfaction and subsequently, found statistically significant variables that influenced Millennial alumni to donate to their alma mater. Specifically, Millennial alumni who were involved in organizations that relate to peer involvement; such as fraternity/sorority involvement, participation in intramural athletics, community service, residence halls participation, and the alma mater providing or encouraging relationships with other students, encouraging the attendance at athletic events, providing student leadership opportunities and providing opportunities to interact with alumni relate to one donating to their alma mater. These variables were statistically significant, but they were also practically significant, meaning that the findings do make a difference in helping to identify factors that lead to Millennial alumni to donate to their alma mater. The findings in this dissertation reiterate the importance of student engagement on the campus. An institution's faculty and staff involvement with undergraduates, specifically those staff who work directly with student organizations, are vital for student engagement that lead to graduation and future donations as an alumnus.

No description available.

No description available.

With the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act, schools and school districts have come under increased pressure to demonstrate student proficiency and success at the elementary, middle and high school levels. Each state is required to use standardized test data as evidence of student proficiency. The data is collected by each state and reported to the federal government to demonstrate progress. In Florida, the exam used to record proficiency is the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). At all three levels, the FCAT is administered annually and the results are used to create school grades ranging from A-F. Florida high schools fall in the lowest 10% in the nation for graduation rates, graduating less than 60% of high school students. The pressure created by these high stakes tests have led to a growth in Florida secondary schools implementing the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program. AVID seeks to offer a rigorous curriculum with additional support to underserved students. However, some literature demonstrates that schools with AVID improve the success of not only AVID students, but the overall population as well. This is commonly referred to as the "AVIDization" of a school. This study used an independent t-test to compare middle schools in eleven Florida county school districts with AVID to non-AVID schools in the 2007-2008 school year in six main areas; a) FCAT Math scores, b) FCAT Reading scores, C) overall FCAT scores, d) frequency of disciplinary incidences, e) attendance rates, and f) overall FCAT scores with controlled data. In this study, 85 middle schools had AVID and 179 middle schools were non-AVID. In comparing AVID to non-AVID students in the six areas, the t-test demonstrated that schools with the AVID program did not outperform non-AVID schools in the three FCAT tested areas. Also, the data shows that AVID schools were more likely to have higher reported rates of disciplinary incidences then non-AVID schools.

No description available.

The Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) Program was implemented to prepare students from groups traditionally underrepresented in postsecondary education for eligibility, acceptance, and success in 4-year colleges and universities. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of AVID on course taking patterns, weighted cumulative grade point averages, and achievement level of twelfth grade high school students. This is the first study that will provide school districts in the southeast with information on the effects of middle school and high school participation. The investigation included 7-year AVID participants (AVID-7), 3-year AVID participants (AVID-3), and non-AVID participants (AVID-0). The three research questions were: (1) Is there a difference in group membership with respect to course selection as measured by the combined number of honors and advanced standing courses; (2) is there a difference in group membership with respect to weighted cumulative grade point average; (3) is there a difference among group membership with respect to achievement as measured by scaled scores on the English: Reading/Literature and Research Standards of Learning (SOL) Test scaled scores? Descriptive statistics were used to determine the mean, standard deviation, median and mode for the groups in the study. Three one-way Analysis of Variances (ANOVAs) were used to determine whether the group means differ significantly from each other. The Dunnett C post hoc procedure was used to determine where the difference occurred in the pairs of variables. The results of the study indicated that statistically (p <.05), AVID-7 students earned more combined honors and advanced standing courses than AVID-3 or AVID-0 students and AVID-3 students earned more combined honors and advanced standing courses than AVID-0 students. There were three major findings revealed in this study. The first finding indicated that students who participated in AVID take more rigorous courses than non-AVID participants. Secondly, the length of time a student participated in AVID has an effect on the number of honors and advanced standing courses students are likely to earn. The third finding of the study indicated that students who remained in the AVID program for seven years (during middle and high school) earned a significantly higher (p <.05) weighted cumulative grade point average than non-AVID students. There were no statistically significant differences in the weighted cumulative grade point average of the AVID-3 groups. The final finding of the study indicated that there was no statistically significant difference noted in the mean English: Reading/Literature and Research SOL Test scaled scores for any group in this study. However, it must be noted that the means for the three groups differed numerically, but not statistically. For example, the AVID-7 group had a mean scaled score of 476, the AVID-3 group had a mean scaled score of 455, and the AVID-0 group had a mean scaled score of 450. These scaled scores were different, but not statistically different (p >.05). It appears that participation in AVID does affect the course selection and the weighted cumulative grade point average of students who participate in the AVID program from grades 6 through 12. These results indicate that AVID-7 students take more rigorous courses and perform well in them. Students in the program only during middle school enroll in more rigorous courses than non-AVID (AVID-0) students but their weighted cumulative grade point average is statistically the same as non-AVID participants. Even though AVID-7 and AVID-3 students earned higher mean English: Reading SOL scaled scores than AVID-0 students, after performing the analysis of variance (ANOVA), there was no statistically significant difference in the scores(p >.05). In this era of accountability, school districts are searching for viable programs that affect the academic performance of students. The AVID program appears to make a positive impact on students who participate in the program from grades 6 through 12. These students enroll in more rigorous courses and perform better academically in those courses as evidenced by their weighted cumulative grade point average. However, the evidence is not as conclusive for students who participate in the program during middle school (grades 6 through 8). These students appear to make gains in their course selections, but their achievement in these courses is not impacted. If school districts are to receive the full benefit of the AVID program, they should consider implementing the program from grades 6 through 12. It is apparent that AVID middle school students who remain in the AVID program during high school realized higher academic achievement than non-AVID students. Educational leaders in school districts should consider these findings before implementing the AVID program. / Ed. D.

With each new cohort of directors entering the field of alumni relations in agriculture, a pattern emerges. They often are not adequately prepared to assume the responsibilities of the position. There is a perception that attention to detail and event planning skills are sufficient qualifications to manage an alumni volunteer program successfully. Managing the people and activities involved with the programs in the ever-growing field of alumni relations requires much more than event planning know-how. Implementing impactful alumni engagement programs requires knowledge of leading and managing programs, budgets, and people, specifically volunteers. Alumni engagement involves extensive communication skills and, depending on the institution, knowledge of board organization procedures. As we all strive to advance agriculture, we must put in place qualified individuals to engage our alumni and stakeholders, specifically volunteers. Are there programs in place to provide training for the candidates selected? Are resources readily available that provide good practices for these individuals to follow as they build their alumni volunteer programs? Although there is a demand for more rigorous and sophisticated professional practice, there continues to be a gap between research and practice in the field of volunteer administration (Seel, 2013). Resources available for volunteer managers are often how-to manuals with practical suggestions and approaches (Fisher and Cole, 1993). Associations such as the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), the National Agricultural Alumni and Development Association (NAADA), and BoardSource® provide opportunities for networking with colleagues through conferences and online resources. Still, these are often costly and fragmented with regard to the presentation of content. The purpose of the study was to examine how alumni relations professionals are prepared to carry out their roles and responsibilities as administrators of alumni engagement programs and volunteers in colleges of agriculture at land-grant institutions. The study sought to describe good practices for support, training, communication, and volunteer management that can be utilized by new members of the field and seasoned veterans alike. Thirteen current alumni relations professionals in agriculture at land-grant institutions who are members of NAADA were interviewed. Job descriptions were reviewed prior to each interview. Interviews were transcribed by TranscribeMe, Inc., analyzed using a form of whole text analysis with open coding. Common codes were merged to develop the themes. Research Questions 1. How do alumni directors administer alumni engagement programs and associated volunteers? 2. What skills should alumni directors bring to their positions upon employment? 3. How do alumni directors identify individuals or groups to connect to in order to accomplish their goals? 4. How do alumni directors identify and implement communications strategies to make successful connections to use with individuals and/or groups? 5. How do alumni directors continue to improve their skills and knowledge to meet their job expectations related to administering alumni engagement programs and associated volunteers? Through a thematic analysis of the data, the following themes emerged: management of volunteer boards; management of general volunteers; perceptions of alumni directors; engagement with alumni, faculty, and students through events and programs; partnerships with university-level advancement and college leadership; communications tools; and professional development. Overall, the findings were not surprising other than lack of knowledge of volunteer management models or prior experience in volunteer management. Participants who had the support of leadership, who arrived to their positions with at least some background working with volunteers, and those who were willing to try new tactics to engage volunteers set an outstanding example of how success is possible in the role of an alumni director. Communications is a powerful tool for all alumni directors but can also be a significant challenge. Participants who expanded their definition of "volunteer" beyond alumni to include faculty, staff, and students appeared to have better-developed strategies to engage, empower, and lead individuals. Participants who partnered with colleagues in academic programs were better positioned to engage students in programming, find student volunteers and interns to assist in their efforts, and create and maintain stronger connections as they become young alumni. Seven key good practices can be elevated from the data: 1. Familiarize with volunteer management models to understand how and why people are motivated to volunteer and develop skillsets and tactics to recruit, train, retain, and recognize volunteers 2. Empower volunteers to develop their own mission and goals, strategize their plan of work, and lead the execution of their programs and organization 3. Expand the definition of "volunteer" 4. Build collaborative partnerships across the team, college and university 5. Develop innovative approaches and partnerships to engage students 6. Expand professional development resources 7. Advocate for yourself and your program After interviewing thirteen alumni relations professionals, it was clear that those land-grant institutions have passionate, volunteer-centric professionals who diligently work every day towards the mission and goals of the colleges they serve. But there is much work to be done to create an environment that is more supportive of them. Efforts should be made to help college and university leadership better understand the qualifications required for alumni relations positions, elevate alumni engagement and volunteers' impact, and provide more targeted professional development opportunities. / Master of Science in Life Sciences / Good practices of alumni relations professionals leading engagement programs and volunteers in colleges of agriculture at land-grant institutions contribute to the advancement of agriculture. The purpose of the study was to examine how alumni relations professionals are prepared to carry out their roles and responsibilities as administrators of alumni engagement programs and volunteers in colleges of agriculture at land-grant institutions. The study sought to describe good practices for support, training, communication, and volunteer. Thirteen current alumni relations professionals in agriculture at land-grant institutions who are members of the National Alumni and Development Association (NAADA) were interviewed. Research Questions: 1. How do alumni directors administer alumni engagement programs and associated volunteers? 2. What skills should alumni directors bring to their positions upon employment? 3. How do alumni directors identify individuals or groups to connect to in order to accomplish their goals? 4. How do alumni directors identify and implement communications strategies to make successful connections to use with individuals and/or groups? 5. How do alumni directors continue to improve their skills and knowledge to meet their job expectations related to administering alumni engagement programs and associated volunteers? Participants who had the support of leadership, who arrived to their positions with at least some background working with volunteers, and those who were willing to try new tactics to engage volunteers illustrated success in the position. Communications, while a powerful tool for all alumni directors, was often a significant challenge. Participants who expanded their definition of "volunteer" beyond alumni to include faculty, staff, and students appeared to have better-developed strategies to engage, empower, and lead individuals. Participants who partnered with colleagues in academic programs were better positioned to engage students in programming, find student volunteers and interns to assist in their efforts, and create and maintain stronger connections as they become young alumni. Seven key good practices identified: 1. Familiarize with volunteer management models to understand how and why people are motivated to volunteer and develop skillsets and tactics to recruit, train, retain, and recognize volunteers 2. Empower volunteers to develop their own mission and goals, strategize their plan of work, and lead the execution of their programs and organization 4. Build collaborative partnerships across the team, college and university 5. Develop innovative approaches and partnerships to engage students 6. Expand professional development resources 7. Advocate for yourself and your program Participants were passionate and volunteer-centric, diligently working every day towards the mission and goals of the colleges they serve. But there is much work to be done to create an environment that is more supportive of them. Efforts should be made to help college and university leadership better understand the qualifications required for alumni relations positions, elevate alumni engagement and volunteers' impact, and provide more targeted professional development opportunities.