Civic responsibility is an important ideal of higher education that is rarely considered through a cultural and theoretical lens. Swidler?s (1986) framework linking ideology, culture and action provided a means of studying civic responsibility at two research universities, the University of Virginia (UVA) and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). The purposes of the study were (a) to understand dominant institutional beliefs about civic responsibility at two research universities, and (b) to understand how their institutional cultures contribute to unique institutional approaches to civic responsibility, specifically for the areas of student involvement and development. This ethnographic study examined campus ideologies and cultural forms that addressed five dimensions of civic responsibility: (a) knowledge and support of democratic values, systems and processes, (b) desire to act beneficially in community and for its members, (c) use of knowledge and skills for societal benefit, (d) appreciation for and interest in those unlike self, and (e) personal accountability. Data collection involved interviews, field observations and document analysis at both campuses. Student questionnaires and site summary reviewers were used to ensure trustworthiness of the findings. Data was analyzed for each site independently, and then a cross-site analysis was conducted. The ideologies, cultures and actions specific to the two institutions aligned with Swidler's framework and yielded two unique institutional approaches to civic responsibility, namely the "test bed" and "role model" approaches. The significance of the findings from the cross-site analysis are multi-fold, with implications for both organization studies and student development.

This study identified that African American women presidents have been disproportionately underrepresented in leadership positions in higher education due to a historical and contemporary system of hegemony within higher education that has limited their access to positions of power. The purpose of this study was to examine the ways in which gender, race, and class constructed as an intersectional paradigm influences the professional and personal development of African American women throughout their life experiences. Black feminist standpoint theory and critical race feminism are used as the theoretical frameworks within which the relevant social, historical and contemporary events that influenced black women's development and experiences in higher education are analyzed.

Single parent households are on the rise, and female headed households are more likely to live in poverty than other single parent households (Holyfield, 2002). Many single mothers who do not have an undergraduate degree see education as a way out of poverty (Holyfield, 2002; Heller & Bjorklund, 2004). This research was undertaken to highlight areas where universities are assisting single mothers to attain a degree. This qualitative study utilized semi-structured in depth interviews of 16 single mothers who transferred from community college to a university. Three themes emerged regarding the educational experiences of single mothers who work and attend college. The first theme, âFinding my way to and through collegeâ; highlights their motivating factors, their support network(s) and their feelings of pride. The second theme, âStruggle for legitimacy as a parenting studentâ focuses on the challenges that confront mothers as students: invisibility within the institution, and the fact that motherhood is a full time job which she cannot neglect. The final theme, âStriving for balance between multiple rolesâ centers around how they cope with their multiple obligations: knowing herself (honoring abilities as well as limits), and overcoming time scarcity (by managing multiple priorities). Women in this study were challenged by financial need not met by aid packages, finding appropriate child care, insensitive instructors and class schedules which made working difficult. These women were proud of their academic accomplishments and felt supported by institutional recognition of success. They were also supported by student health, counseling services and academic support programs.

This study aims to assess if students are learning about religion and spirituality from popular culture, and if it subsequently affects their understanding of their own religious or spiritual identity, or the religious and spiritual identities of others. Utilizing the theoretical frameworks of Perry?s (1970) scheme of Intellectual and Ethical Development, Belenky, Clinchy, Goldberger, and Tarule?s (1986) theory of Women?s Ways of Knowing, and Gerbner?s et al. (1978) Cultivation Theory, I assessed whether students are affected by participating in popular media and if they identify the media as an authority in their own understanding of religion and spirituality.

This study used data from five years of first-semester entering freshmen cohorts (1999-2003) from North Carolina State University to assess the effects of exposure to part-time faculty upon student retention. A logistic regression model containing high school gpa, total first year hours attempted, gender, SAT verbal score, SAT math score, and percent faculty exposure was found to be a significant (p<.0001) predictor of second year retention. While the percentage to which first-year students were exposed to part-time faculty instruction was significant (p<0.0253) in predicting retention, it had no real impact upon the odds ratio (0.996) of being retained.

Although there has been a concerted effort on the part of colleges and universities to increase women?s representation as faculty in higher education, equal representation in all disciplines has not been realized. The purpose of this research is to increase our understanding of the graduate student experience of current women faculty, specifically, their experience as it relates to becoming a faculty member. The investigation of an exemplary case, Higher Education Administration, lends support to the graduate student literature that emphasizes faculty-student interaction as a primary factor in persistence and retention. This interaction is particularly important for Higher Education Administration students as many are enrolled in programs that do not have institutionalized support for future faculty. While most participants in this investigation did not follow the traditional academic career path that began as an undergraduate, they did display commonalities within the group. What characterized all of the participants was the ability to create their own path to the professoriate. Given the academy?s inequitable proportion of women in tenure-track ranks, especially noted in a number of program areas such as science and engineering, the example of Higher Education programs may have salience for institutions that purport to make the academy more equitable.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how fifteen students with blindness and visual impairments experienced their engagement in undergraduate studies at four 4-year universities and perceived their success. They also provided their understandings of the impact of institutions, faculty, staff, and others on their academic success. Previous literature suggests that students with blindness and visual impairments as well as students with other disabilities were academically successful in college because of institutional support and the positive attitude of faculty and peers (Baggett, 1994; Branker, 1997; Enberg, 1999; Fichten, 2005; and Roy, 2000). Findings from this study demonstrate that participantsâ understandings and experiences with blindness varied and their subsequent adjustment and transition also differed. Participants described several factors that facilitated the creation of positive educational experiences during their undergraduate programs: positive exposure to a new region of the country, positive peers, supportive departments and professors, financial opportunities, and welcoming and diverse campus environments. As these students transitioned to the university, they utilized accommodations and services provided by Disability Students Services (DSS) to facilitate their access to the academic environment. The undergraduate students also described challenging experiences, including feeling academic discrimination, a sense of isolation, limited campus accessibility, and peer interaction issues. There were other support systems that facilitated participant academic success, such as mentors, family, administrators, and staff. This study concluded that blind and visually impaired undergraduate students were more likely to succeed academically when they felt a sense of connectedness with the university academic system. DSS is most responsible for facilitating that connectedness. Quality contact and collaboration with faculty were also important, as well as the attitudes of faculty, administration, and staff. The disconnectedness between study participants and the university system was fostered through inflexible bureaucratic procedures; the attitudes of faculty, staff, and administrators; and isolation from peers. Implications for policy include a recommendation for additional funding of technology-related assistance programs, in-service training on disability issues awareness for faculty and staff, and campus-wide committees on university accessibility. This study suggests future research is needed on the academic success of this population in community colleges and at the graduate level. There is a need for more empirical research and research on the populationâs social integration. The study recommends that higher education programs develop self-advocacy programs for blind and visually impaired students, in-service training for faculty, and peer mentorship programs.

High paying and low skilled industrial jobs are diminishing, while low skilled and low paying service jobs are increasing. Those who are out of work or underemployed and lack the necessary education to fill higher paying jobs will be unable to fill a needed role in the economy. This change signifies a changing economy, the new economy, where globalization and evolving technology have facilitated a rapidly changing knowledge and skill base. If those who are unable to fill a role do not to gain the necessary knowledge and skills, not only will they lack economic self-sufficiency, but also they will be a drain on the American economy and society. New economy theory postulates a call to balance the needs of the economy and the needs of individuals, or the well being of society, individuals, and the economy will deteriorate. Education is the primary avenue to meet the needs of a changing workforce and the needs of individuals, especially those underserved. Community colleges are the most able to supply the education for these underserved students (Carnevale & Desrochers, 2001; Carnoy, 2000; McCabe, 2000). Through the perceptions and experiences of students who are ?beyond the margins,? the data supplies guidance on how to effectively meet the needs of this population for the benefit of these individuals, society, and the economy. These suggestions follow from the experiences and perceptions of over sixty students interviewed at three community colleges in different regions of the U.S. that were theoretically appropriate (Mason, 1996). The major conclusion identified was the lack of consciousness that ?beyond the margins? students exhibit. These students reveal their lack of awareness through their limited knowledge and understanding of society, work, money, and education. It was also identified that underserved students must receive individualized and specific assistance through a well-designed educational support system to accomplish their academic and work aspirations. The students interviewed noted the value of additional support by faculty and staff, various support services, student tracking systems, multiple course-taking pathways, policies and procedures, institutional initiatives and priorities, and funding to encourage their academic success.

Academic cheating is a persistent and pervasive problem that threatens the core values of higher education (Burnett, Rudolph, & Clifford, 1998; McCabe, Trevino, & Butterfield, 2001a; Whitely & Keith-Spiegel, 2002). While a significant amount of research has been devoted to exploring the problem of student cheating, much of what exists is descriptive in nature and lacks an overarching, theoretically-based, conceptual framework. This study aimed to fill this gap in the existing literature by proposing and testing a theoretically-based conceptual model of the motivational predictors of academic cheating using a population of first-year college students. The model used in this study was developed based on the combined work of Murdock and Anderman (2006) and Harding, Mayhew, Finelli, & Carpenter (2007) and relied generally on expectancy value theory and, specifically, on the theory of planned behavior, to explore how goals, expectations, and costs influence first-year college studentsâ decisions to cheat. The proposed model was tested using a quantitative web-based survey instrument that was administered during the spring of 2008 to all 4,462 full-time, second semester, first-year students attending a large, public, land grant, institution located on the east coast of the United States. Data were analyzed using a variety of quantitative statistical techniques including multiple and hierarchical regression, general linear modeling, and structural equation modeling. Results provided support for the use of expectancy value theory and, specifically, the theory of planned behavior, as a theoretical model for understanding how motivational factors influence studentsâ decisions to cheat. Results showed that goals and expectations are important for understanding how studentsâ perceive the costs associated with cheating and that attitudes toward cheating and past cheating behavior are among the strongest predictors of intention to cheat and actual cheating behavior. Implications for practice and future research are presented and discussed.

Effective coaching has long been associated with winning. Because of this conceptualization of effective coaching, researchers have tended to study the behaviors and thought processes of winning coaches, but not how these behaviors and thought processes affect athletes. Very little research has looked at poor, ineffective coaching, specifically from the athletes‟ perspective. Because of this, our understanding of poor, ineffective coaching is limited. The purpose of this study was to explore collegiate, professional and semi-professional athletes‟ perceptions of poor coaching. An existential phenomenological research design provided the framework for understanding athletes‟ experience of poor coaching. Data were collected via in-depth interviews with 16 athletes (10 male, 6 female; 12 Caucasian, 4 African-American). Athletes described a total of 33 poor coaching experiences that occurred in a variety of sports (baseball, basketball, football, soccer, softball) at several competitive levels (youth, middle school, high school, collegiate, and professional). Data were analyzed using phenomenological methods, similar to the constant comparative method, which led to the identification of five themes that constitute the essence of athletes‟ experience of poor coaching: Not teaching, Unfair, Uncaring, Inhibiting, and Coping. Because the athletes talked about poor coaches who were both winning and losing coaches, it was clear that for the athletes, poor coaching was not associated with losing.