<p> This study uses a mixed methods research design to explore the relationship between institutional financial aid practice and graduation rates at a subset of private, non-profit four-year colleges and universities and explores how institutions prioritize allocations to financial aid within the framework of institutional mission, culture, and leadership. The quantitative part of the study explored the relationship between the percentage of need met and graduation rates: overall, African American, and Latino and the percentage of institutional aid allocated to needy students and graduation rates of the same student populations. Four qualitative case studies explored how institutional leaders interpreted mission and made decisions with regard to enrollment and financial aid policy especially as it relates to underrepresented minority students. </p><p> The quantitative path analyses showed no relationship between financial aid (percentage of need met and the percentage of institutional aid allocated to students with need) and graduation rates overall and of African American and Latino students at the institutions in the population examined. The qualitative case studies found that institutions, consistent with their espoused missions, sought to support&mdash;financially and programmatically&mdash;underrepresented minority students but face economic, demographic, and political trends that are making it increasingly difficult to align mission with financial aid practice. There were distinct differences among the institutions in the case studies in terms of tactics they adopted to respond to these economic, demographic, and political trends.</p>

<p> First-year programs (FYPs) for college students offer extended orientation to campus resources and provide first-time freshmen with essential skills for academic success, and many believe that the effectiveness of FYPs increases with the presence of peer mentors. The present study measured the added effectiveness of peer mentoring in FYP classrooms with knowledge of campus resources as a dependent measure. Ninety one first-year students in nine sections of FYP classes participated in this quasi-experimental study. Seven of the classes had peer mentors (<i>n</i> = 70), and the two control classes (<i>n</i> = 21) did not have peer mentors in the classroom. A 30-item questionnaire regarding the use and location of several campus resources was administered in the first two weeks of the Fall 2009 semester and again in the last two weeks of the semester. A repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed a main effect of time (change between Testing Time 1 and Testing Time 2) and an interaction effect of time and group (students with peer mentors, controls without peer mentors), on knowledge of campus resources. Students with a peer mentor started out with less knowledge of campus resources, and finished the semester with a similar level of knowledge, when compared to controls. The results only partially supported the research hypothesis that students with peer mentors in their FYP classes learned more about campus resources when compared to students without peer mentors. GPA scores for the first semester at the university did not differ between groups.</p>

<p> Senior managers in public research universities monitor and anticipate the evolution of enrollment as part of a planning process that is linked to budget and staffing matters. While the tracking and planning of enrollment figures is important for all types of institutions, the position of public research universities and the non-resident students they serve warrants closer attention. </p><p> This study's main focus was to generate estimates of the effects of institutional attributes and conditions in sending regions on first-time full-time, domestic non-resident undergraduate enrollment in public research universities. However, a larger purpose was to lay the groundwork, if appropriate and based on the results of the study, for the future development of more refined models to forecast non-resident enrollment for this group of institutions. </p><p> In taking the perspective of the individual university, the study's methodology drew from the existing literature concerned with enrollment management and student choice to identify institutional attributes and circumstances in the prospective migrating students' home state that seemed to be associated with the choice of an institution. </p><p> Several key findings emerge from the study. First, the analyses did find evidence to support that whether taken individually, in groups, or as a collective total, the examined measures of institutional attributes and sending region conditions did help in explaining variation in levels of non-resident enrollments among the public research universities of the study. </p><p> Second, a sub-set of the measures when taken together formed a best model which was found to account for the largest amount of variance in non-resident enrollment flows. The model included a scale variable of the ratio of non-resident enrollment to overall undergraduate enrollment, that when considered on its own, explained approximately 40% of the variation. Further, with the addition of the other institutional attributes and sending region conditions, the amount of variance explained increased significantly.</p>

<p> Kazakhstan's higher education system is based on the Soviet governance structure, limited academic freedom and no autonomy from the state. In such a system faculties are contract employees delivering predesigned courses with no incentive to bring new ideas and methods. But employers and the general public are concerned with the mismatch between market demand and curricula of universities. Qualitative research based on two case studies collected evidence on the opportunities for faculty to influence academic affairs of the two most prominent research universities in Kazakhstan. The study gave a detailed picture of state controls, hierarchical structures and limited role of faculty at the higher education institutions under investigation. The national universities of Kazakhstan were also compared with the University of West Florida, a public research university of similar size which is based on academic freedom, shared governance and faculty authority over academic matters. Conceptual framework for the analysis is based on the theory that university governance differs from other organizations in its involvement of faculty in decision making on academic affairs. The power is shared with faculty because of their recognized knowledge and authority in teaching and research in their particular professional fields. </p><p> The study identified that the national universities in Kazakhstan are established regulated and run like government organizations with a hierarchical structure. The existing centralized and stricter controlled environment results in frustrated and demotivated faculty who are not able to produce good quality teaching and research. Universities are required to produce similar academic programs and courses and offer a limited number of majors approved by the inter-ministerial committee. Structures of degree programs are set according to State Standards and contain certain share of mandatory courses which are provided by the Ministry. The universities are managed by the rectors who have wide powers especially in hiring and promotion of faculty as well as on other academic matters. </p><p> The research identified a number of shortcomings and mismatches with international theory and international best practice. If national universities are to develop they have to be allowed to compete and have freedom to innovate. The national universities need the governing boards to be introduced. Increasing faculty participation will be central to promoting key values of higher education such as academic freedom, autonomy and transparency. Empowering faculty will contribute to their greater responsibility and engagement in developing higher education institutions and their core functions of teaching, research and community service.</p>

Student discipline has been issue for higher education administrators in the founding of college campuses. Today’s student conduct administrator is faced with complex issues that require an understanding of the legal requirements of due process while supporting the education mission of the institution. However, little research has addressed student conduct administrators as professionals and no research has explored their decision-making process. This qualitative study examined eight student conduct administrators and how they make decisions in their positions through the concepts of justice and care. These individuals were employed at large public research institutions at mid-level, working full time in student conduct. In-depth interviews were utilized to collect data that were categorized and evaluated through the lenses of justice, based on the framework of Kohlberg, and care, based on the framework of Gilligan. The findings indicated that student conduct administrators used both justice and care in their decision making. Justice was seen primarily through the findings phase of the student conduct process, when a student conduct administrator must determine whether the student code of conduct has been violated. Care was seen primarily through the sanctioning phase, when a student conduct administrator must decide what outcome should occur if the student has violated the code of conduct. The findings suggest that gender had no impact on the use of justice and care, as all participants used both concepts.

Throughout the world, quality assurance (QA) has become an increasingly dominant theme in higher education (HE) in recent years, with international processes playing an important role in the way in which quality assurance is interpreted and implemented (European Commission Tempus, 2009:7). The importance of quality assurance mechanisms in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) is reflected in the literature review which suggests that clearly defined and effective quality assurance policies are necessary in order to raise the standards in HEIs. The main drivers of change in higher education and the incentives for introducing more structured approaches to quality assurance have been identified as the growth in student numbers (massification), the recognition that higher education and skills levels are vital elements in the economic, political and social development of countries, stakeholder demands for accountability, and the perception that higher education has become both an international and a competitive market area. These are some of the many factors that have contributed to the understanding of the need for greater transparency and consistency in quality assurance in HEIs (Becket & Brookes, 2005:1; Fresen, 2005:18). Globally, the majority of HEIs in most countries have now implemented more structured and systematic approaches to quality assurance in response to the new demands for quality higher education in order to ensure high academic standards, integrity and accountability. The Commonwealth of Learning (COL) suggests that, while there is a clear need for the development and implementation of quality assurance strategies in HEIs throughout the world, there is, nevertheless, a lack of uniformity and agreement in respect of the form that such strategies should take (COL, 2009:3). This also applies to the HEIs in Namibia. This study was conducted in order to investigate the phenomenon of quality assurance with special reference to the internal quality assurance mechanisms implemented by HEIs in Namibia and, based on the findings of the study, to make recommendations aimed at the improvement of the practice of quality assurance in higher education in Namibia. The recommendations are contained in a proposed framework for best practice in quality assurance in HEIs in Namibia â see Annexure to this thesis. As background to the study an extensive literature review was conducted to investigate the phenomenon of quality assurance. This literature review revealed that, apart from unpublished official documents, there is little information available on empirical literature on quality assurance in higher education in Namibia. Accordingly, the researcher identified the need to investigate the field of quality assurance in higher education in Namibia in an attempt to close the existing knowledge gap. The research design was tailored to the purposes of this study and comprised a qualitative research approach. A phenomenological explorative and descriptive design was used with the aim of seeking an understanding and interpretation of the true meaning that the participants accorded to their experience of the phenomenon under study, namely, quality assurance in HEIs. In other words, this design provided the researcher with an opportunity to understand the phenomena as they unfolded in their natural setting during the enquiry. The methodology was based on improvement-oriented evaluation. The study confined itself to degree-granting HEIs only, with a university status. Three institutions participated in the study â one public university, one private university, and one polytechnic. The data were collected by means of individual interviews (purposeful sampling) and institutional document analyses. Focus group interviews were conducted for the purposes of triangulation. This threefold approach was adopted so as to allow the triangulation that would ensure effective data collection and information validation. The key research questions in terms of which the study aimed to find answers may be summarised as follows: What are the internal quality assurance mechanisms in place in HEIs in Namibia? What may be said about the implementation stage of these mechanisms, and are there areas of possible improvement? The study revealed, inter alia, that the overall picture is that the new paradigm for quality assurance systems in higher education in Namibia, in its current format and at both national and institutional level, is an extremely recent phenomenon as it is in the initial stage of development. The NCHEâs national quality assurance system in Namibian higher education was only introduced in 2009. Certain institutions had taken the initiative to introduce formalised quality assurance systems before 2009. However, mechanisms and procedures for self-evaluation have not been part of the quality assurance practices of HEIs. No attention has ever been given to benchmarking as one of the mechanisms of quality assurance which identifies best practices from which to learn in the interests of improvement. Many quality assurance mechanisms are informal and it is essential that attention be given to more structured mechanisms. Overall, there is a growing awareness of internal quality assurance in the Namibian HEIs. There is, however, very little agreement on notions of quality and quality assurance in these HEIs in Namibia. The understanding of the concept of quality assurance and the involvement of key stakeholders, such as students and employers, tend to be limited and, in the case of employers, actually relatively rare. Quality culture in HEIs in Namibia is generally extremely low. In certain institutions there appears to be a gap between the formal legal requirements and the actual implementation of quality assurance. There seems to be a lack of publicly available, transparent information about the quality assurance processes and their outcomes in the HEIs in Namibia. Where they do, in fact, exist, quality assurance units and offices in HEIs tend to be inadequately resourced. Although there are some notable exceptions, central information systems, which are key to effective decision-making, are still lacking in most HEIs. A framework for best practice in quality assurance in HEIs in Namibia, aimed at the improvement of the practice of quality assurance in higher education in Namibia, was deemed necessary and, thus, such a framework was developed and suggested. See Annexure A attached to Chapter 6. The value of this study is to be found in its endeavour to address the lack of research on quality assurance in higher education in Namibia. It is hoped that the study will make a meaningful contribution to the establishment and improvement of quality assurance in a relatively âyoungâ higher education system in Africa. The significance of the study lies in its enhancing the awareness of the current development of quality assurance in higher education practices and in its promoting the need to introduce formalised internal quality assurance systems and processes in order to improve the quality levels in HEIs in Namibia. Through this study much needed information on institutional quality assurance will be available to HEIs in Namibia, and also to government, higher education policy makers, and development partners. In addition, the study addressed the issue of accountability and continuous improvement as regards protecting the students from poor quality higher education.

This research study focuses on the development of a framework that can lead to the enhancement of the levels of job satisfaction that are experienced by the fixed-term academic staff members employed at South African Higher Education Institutions. This part of the academic workforce has become a vital part of the academic community as a whole, globally as well as in South Africa. It is thus very important that the needs of these staff members are tended to, and that the levels of job satisfaction that they have, are monitored. Six main clusters that may influence the levels of job satisfaction of these staff members were identified, namely the emotional well-being of these staff members, the availability of resources that is needed to complete the tasks, the levels of autonomy that they experience, the challenges and accomplishments that they are confronted with, their levels of job- and financial security as well as the overall manner in which their daily environment is managed. . To obtain more information about the factors that may influence the job satisfaction of these staff members, an adapted version of standardised Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) was sent to fixed-term academic staff members at five different Higher Education Institutions in South Africa. This was done with the help of the Human Resource Management departments of these HEIâs, as all employee information is confidential. The quantitative as well as qualitative data obtained from this questionnaire indicated that there are a number of aspects which has an influence on the levels of job satisfaction that are experienced by these staff members. The findings from literature as well as empirical research were analysed and discussed accordingly. Recommendations regarding strategies that may be followed to improve the levels of job satisfaction of this group of staff members were made. These recommendations were based on the findings from literature as well as the research conducted for this study. The levels of job satisfaction that are experienced by fixed-term academic staff members are essential for the continued motivation and productivity of these staff members. It is thus advisable that the HEIs focus on the needs that these staff members have to ensure not only their continued productivity and prosperity but also that of the HEI as a whole.

<p> For students with disabilities, inclusion implies more than access as stipulated through the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and its 2008 Amendments Act. It indicates the idea of a communal experience that attempts to develop a culture wherein the full participation of diverse students is established through proactive decisions and allows them to engage in aspects of campus life "in a seamless and real-time manner" (Huger, 2011, p. 5). The purpose of this study was to explore conversations surrounding disability, as understood by students with physical impairments, in order to make meaning of their lived experiences, the messages they receive, and their interpretations of those messages. Using discourse analysis as both a theory and method (Gee, 2011), seven students self-identifying with physical impairment were asked to discuss their college experiences; what factors impact their decisions regarding involvement; what it means to be "inclusive"; what they feel their institutions do to create and encourage inclusive campuses; and what they think non-disabled peers think of them. </p><p> Despite interviews designed to focus conversations on social involvement and engagement, participants often gravitated toward their educational pursuits and specific concerns based upon individual disability needs. Students de-emphasized extra-curricular involvement in favor of adherence to objectives for successful academic pursuits, often requiring they weigh the physical and wellness tolls such activities could take on their bodies. Considering how respondents speak of their university experiences, this paper argues the discourses of disability are understood as seriously academic and seriously medical or health related. Further, while participants stated overall positive experiences at their universities, analysis of the conversations revealed encounters with physical access problems and difficulties with interactions and interpersonal relationships on campus. This suggests a deeper complexity to their initial assertions, perhaps highlighting the low expectations students with physical impairments hold toward true inclusion and the degree to which bad has to be sensed as bad enough to reach the level of being truly damaging to their view of the overall experience. Implications for this study are to help the university community&mdash;administrators, faculty, and students&mdash;understand the decision-making process for students with disabilities regarding campus involvement.</p>

<p> The purpose of this quantitative study was to identify psychological and physical health factors that influence African American college students' academic achievement using secondary data from the American College Health Association's National College Health Assessment (ACHA-NCHA). Using Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory, this study explored the influence of health variables on African American college students' academic experiences. Independent sample t-tests were used to analyze gender differences between African American female and male college students. Factor analyses and a Logistic regression was used to ascertain the influence of psychological and physical health factors on African American college students' academic achievement. Findings of this study highlight personal health issues, future help-seeking behavior, and impeding emotional experiences as significant predictors of academic achievement for all African American students. Implications for practice and recommendations for future research are reviewed.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of alumni&rsquo;s perceptions of the impact and effectiveness of field education on their professional/career preparations for full-time ministry. The theoretical framework for this study, David Kolb&rsquo;s (1984) Experiential Learning Cycle, identified the key elements upon which an effective field education program might be structured and provided a framework through which to analyze alumni&rsquo;s perceptions of the career/professional preparation they received. </p><p> This qualitative interview study explored the experiences of 18 recent alumni to understand their perceptions of the development of their career capacities as they relate to the role and responsibilities of a Salvation Army officer. The participants were all recent alumni of the Salvation Army&rsquo;s College for officer Training (USA Western Territory) and were selected based on their age and time since graduation. </p><p> Three main themes emerged: Meaningful Experiences, Attitudes, and The Field Supervisor. The alumni&rsquo;s meaningful experiences included hands-on opportunities to test and apply the theory learned in the classroom, insight to the role and responsibilities of the corps officer, and exposure to new and/or different expressions and traditions of worship and service to the community. Additionally, though alumni were divided on their attitudes towards tasks that were more menial, it was, ultimately, this attitude that determined the perceived value of that experience for both learning and ministry. To fully benefit from their field education opportunities, alumni had to be self-directed in their learning and make a conscious decision to want to learn, see value in experiences, and engage in reflection on their experiences. Finally, field supervisors not only determined the experiences that are offered, but their willingness to invest in the learning experiences of the alumni (being available for shadowing and observation, and providing feedback) was critical to the effectiveness of the field training experience. </p><p> Recommendations for policy and practice include the selection of appropriate field education locations, orienting and preparing the students for their field education experiences, selecting and preparing/training practitioners in the field to be effective field supervisors, and some best practices for field education programs.</p>