This study examined the degree to which the variance in ratings of faculty by their division chairpersons, for teaching effectiveness and overall contribution to the college, is explained by individual faculty members' levels of agreement with community college goals at Northern Virginia Community College. Faculty agreement with goals was measured using the Community College Goals Inventory (CCGI) developed by Educational Testing Service. / Eight of twenty-one divisions at Northern Virginia Community College were used in the study. These eight divisions contained 218 faculty members. The eight division chairpersons rated their faculty on a six point scale for both teaching effectiveness and overall contribution to the college, and all faculty in each division were asked to complete the CCGI. Approximately 72 percent of the faculty returned the completed forms. / Multiple regression analyses were carried out using the division chairpersons' two ratings of their faculty as the dependent variables and faculty ratings of the goal statements in the CCGI as the independent variables. Findings showed generally moderate to low contributions of faculty levels of agreement with community college goals to explaining the variance in their ratings for teaching effectiveness and overall contributions to the college at Northern Virginia Community College. The findings are not in agreement with the statements of various authors writing in the field of community college studies, who have, instead, asserted the importance and necessity of a high level of faculty agreement with community college goals before those goals could be achieved by the college. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 43-02, Section: A, page: 0378. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1982.

The purpose of this study was to describe the curriculum decision-making process in Florida public postsecondary institutions. The study is based on responses from two groups--faculty members and administrators--within the public universities and community colleges in Florida. These research questions dealt with curriculum decision-making and its relationship to: (1) external and internal variables; (2) constraints and facilitators; (3) decision-making levels; (4) differences between university and community colleges; and (5) differences between faculty members and administrators. / This study is limited to a description of the progression of new courses, the revision of courses, the evaluation of courses, and the termination of courses within the institution. The progression of programs, originating outside the department or institution does not form a part of the study. / The data were analyzed and frequencies and percentages were presented for four groups: (1) university faculty; (2) community college faculty; (3) university administrators; and (4) community college administrators. Conclusions drawn from the analysis of the data included: (1) The curriculum process, once it passes from the department level, appears to be affected very little by other external or internal variables. (2) In most cases, the perceptions of administrators as to their role in the curriculum process was somewhat stronger than indicated by faculty responses. (3) In most cases, the importance of curriculum committees, mission statements, state laws and regulations, and public requests was perceived as stronger by administrators than by faculty. (4) Although the department--the chairperson, the mission, and the faculty--is indicated as important in the curriculum decision-making process, the extent of written policy at this level is minimal, as indicated by the data. / The recommendations of the study included suggestions for further study in the areas of curriculum decision levels, course duplication, length of approval/disapproval time for new courses, the impact of state level agencies on the curriculum, and the impact of the department on curriculum decision-making. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 43-05, Section: A, page: 1445. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1982.

The purpose of this study was to identify the life style aspirations, multiple role commitments, and role conflict strategies of women doctoral students in comprehensive programs of higher education administration within the State of Florida. During the Spring 1982 semester, there were 91 women doctoral students enrolled in such programs at The Florida State University and The University of Florida. A survey instrument was designed by the investigator, pretested, and mailed to the entire population. Responses were received from 81 women or 89 percent of the population. / Marriage and family aspirations were revealed by most of the respondents and the majority either had or expected to have at least one child. The majority of women who had no children but expected children in the future also indicated that they would return to work as soon as possible after the birth/adoption of each child. In addition, over 79 percent of the respondents did not expect their careers to be interrupted before their retirement. / With respect to the highest position respondents expected to obtain in their lifetime, the majority aspired towards executive/administrative level positions within postsecondary institutions. Over half of these women expected to become chief executive officers, vice presidents, directors, deans, or chairmen. In addition, the majority of the respondents indicated that they would consider employment in fields unrelated to higher education. / Marriage and family were viewed as either being advantageous to or having no effect on career advancement because of support provided by a husband and family. Women who wished to remain single viewed their flexibility as an advantage. / Most respondents indicated a future commitment to the roles of wife, mother, and employee, with the employee role being the most frequently mentioned response. The wife role, however, was considered the most important role, when roles occurred simultaneously. / Respondents were divided equally between those who did and did not anticipate future role conflicts, with time constraints being viewed as the primary problem. The majority of women reported structural role redefinition as their most likely strategy for conflict resolution and reactive role behavior as their least likely choice. Finally, respondents recommended that universities develop day care programs and flexible work hours to alleviate the role constraints placed upon women professionals in higher education. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 43-07, Section: A, page: 2249. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1982.

Management in higher education faces complex and pressing problems caused by size, complexity, scarcity of financial resources and backward administrative procedures. Lack of accurate, relevant and timely information is a key problem higher education managers encounter in their attempts to make the kind of decisions current administrative conditions demand. / Management information systems (MIS) have been very helpful in business and industry for the improvement of administrative conditions and the decision-making and problem-solving processes. In higher education, however, MIS models have not proved as efficient as was expected, but they have helped to realize that systems engineering in higher education should focus on institution-specific, flexible, adaptive, and dynamic management information system models. / This study takes the four public institutions of higher education in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, as an instance of the conditions and problems educational administrators have to cope with. Those four institutions are analyzed and conceptualized as a system. This system is the background and point of reference for the study. A prototype decision model was designed and tested in reference to that background system. The system provides the parameters to obtain the prototype data for the simulation. The simulation of the prototype model implements the test of the model, produces descriptive and analytical information, and performs sensitivity operations. The results of the simulation are analyzed to determine how a dynamic MIS model can provide management with relevant information for decision making. / The main analytical technique applied in the study is path analysis, which, combined with functional analysis, makes up the policy analysis algorithm. Three main computer programs were written to carry out the study. / The study presents conclusions about the conditions and value of specific and dynamic MIS models in higher education, and recommends the application of analytical techniques as an essential component in higher education MIS models. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 43-09, Section: A, page: 2906. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1982.

This study examined the legislative stance toward governance and corporate academic freedom of institutions of higher education in Florida between 1900 and 1989. The conceptual framework for this study was drawn from political systems analysis, focusing on the external control exerted from environmental forces upon organizations through their dependency for resources. The investigation replicated qualitative and quantitative measures of autonomy used by Fisher (1984) in the study of four states. Additionally, Florida legislation was analyzed for its impact on corporate academic freedom. / Analysis of laws passed in Florida and historical documents substantiated the key conclusions: (1) Public higher education developed as a state agency in Florida, affording it a low level of autonomy and high level of legislative involvement. (2) Demands for efficiency and economy brought centralized coordination to public higher education in Florida in 1905, and its influence remains visible today in the emphasis on a unified system of education, strict fiscal control, and restrictions on duplication and new program approval. (3) Restrictive legislation in Florida intruded in recent decades in two areas--programs and regulatory boards--and in one essential freedom domain--how it may be taught. (4) Some responses to legislative interest such as compliance and the use of citizen boards appear to discourage further legislative intrusion, whereas, other responses such as avoidance of implementation of laws and solicitation of special appropriations appear to reinforce further legislative intrusion. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-02, Section: A, page: 0433. / Major Professor: Joseph C. Beckham. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1993.

The problem of the study was to compare the perceived roles of various subsets of division chairpersons in Florida's public community colleges and the perceptions of academic deans in the same system. / Using a framework of role conflict and role ambiguity, the researcher developed, with the assistance of a jury of community college educators, an instrument that contained statements of thirty-one management activities. The respondents were asked to evaluate each activity in terms of importance and performance, using two Likert type scales with ranges of 1 to 5. The instrument was a modified version of a questionnaire used by the Institute for Departmental Leadership at Florida State University to collect data from academic middle managers at the state universities in Florida. / The survey instrument was sent to each of the 160 division chairpersons and the 42 chief academic officers in the population. The response rate was 66 per cent for chairpersons and 69 per cent for chief academic officers. All usable data were analyzed using the Statistical Analysis System (SAS) software procedures for computing means and other statistics. / The major conclusions of this study were as follows: (1) Division chairpersons do not have teaching or administrative experience at another college but consider themselves to be administrators. Also, they earned their highest degree held while at the college. (2) Division chairpersons are satisfied with administration and wish to continue in that role. (3) The role of the division chairperson at small community colleges is more like that of a faculty member. (4) Where there is congruence between importance and performance of management tasks, the activities are considered to be of low importance. (5) Chief academic officers are more satisfied with the performance of chairpersons than the chairpersons themselves. (6) Chief academic officers give more importance to a chairperson's management activities internal to the division; chairpersons give a higher ranking to activities affecting the overall institution. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 44-12, Section: A, page: 3613. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1983.

The purpose of this study is to examine the differences between lonely and non-lonely students at the University of Florida on the variables of leisure participation, leisure motivation, leisure attitude, and leisure satisfaction. The study is based on a conceptual framework which included the following factors: (1) the nature of loneliness may be a motivating factor or an inhibiting factor in finding a solution for the lonely condition, (2) an individual's choice of leisure behavior may increase social contact or may decrease social contact, and (3) the importance of leisure participation as a determinant of psychological well-being. / The Leisure Participation Scale, the Leisure Motivation Scale, the Leisure Attitude Scale, the Leisure Satisfaction Scale and the Revised University of California Loneliness Scale were used to measure the four leisure variables and loneliness respectively. A random sampling of classes produced 294 subjects between the ages of 18 and 50. One hundred and three subjects were identified as lonely and 92 subjects were identified as non-lonely from the approximate top one-third and the bottom one-third of the ranked order scores on the loneliness scale. / Null hypotheses for the four leisure behavior variables and sub-scales were tested using an independent samples t-test. An alpha level of .05 was stipulated. / Significant differences were found between the two groups on the following components and sub-components of the variables: leisure participation (mass media, sports and social activities); leisure motivation (social); leisure attitude (cognitive, affective and overall); and leisure satisfaction (social, relaxation, aesthetic and overall). / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 45-01, Section: A, page: 0094. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1984.

This study examined Defense Department personnel perceptions in an effort to uncover an appropriate mix of conceptual, human, and technical skills needed for future mid-level managers. Further consideration was that these managers would be involved in the acquisition of major weapon systems for the Defense Department over the next twenty five years. Mid-level managers, professors (educators), and directors of training were sampled, a recommended hierarchy of skills was recorded and their weighted importance of each skill was examined to determine the type of program and teaching technique preferred for developing that needed skill. Results were compared with a prior "Fortune 500" study accomplished in 1978 with no significant differences uncovered. The study indicated that the development of human skills; namely, those abilities to work effectively as a group member, were paramount for mid-level managers independent of their technical competence. The results of this study may give guidance to mid-level managers in structuring their career paths, educators in planning curricula, and training directors in arranging comprehensive and integrated development programs for future mid-level managers. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 45-04, Section: A, page: 1052. / Thesis (Educat.D.)--The Florida State University, 1984.

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship of the identified personality types within the study population to their future orientation. The selected study group was comprised of 156 undergraduate student members of Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society. / The future orientation of the study group or their individual attitudes toward the future, was measured by a three-factor test. The three factors of this test included: (1) determinism versus freedom to control/influence future events (Control); (2) uncertainty versus predictability about the future (Change); (3) pessimism versus optimism about the future (Outlook). / Personality types were model-classified according to definitions set forth in the work of Holland's theory of careers (1973). / The instruments used to classify personality type and to measure degree of future orientation were The Vocational Preference Inventory and the Futures Orientation Survey, respectively. The instruments were mailed to the study population. 79.4 percent of the study population responded. / The findings of this research indicate that this study population was not future-oriented in terms of the Control and Outlook factors. The respondents reflected an attitude of determinism and a lack of control or influence on future events. The data also indicated an attitude toward change, a perception that the future will be different from the present. Also, there was a pessimistic attitude toward the future. No significant differences existed in future orientation by sex. As a whole, the study population was not highly future-oriented. / Three significant relationships were determined among the three factors of future orientation and Holland's six personality types. Relationships existed with the investigative personality type and the outlook factor, the social type and the control factor, and the artistic type was negatively associated with the change factor. / The results indicated that the study population had a reactive approach to the future. In addition, a limited relationship existed between Holland's personality types and future orientation. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 45-04, Section: A, page: 1058. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1984.

The perceptions of chief academic officers concerning curricular change in accredited small, private, two-year colleges of the south were examined in this study. The researcher interviewed 21 academic deans and vice presidents of institutions with fewer than 600 students for the purpose of investigating the nature of curricular change, the reasons for change, the process of change, the benefits of change, and successful change strategies. / All of the institutions studied were involved in curricular change; the most frequent changes included expansion of computer science and inclusion of upper-division programs. The changes were made in response to internal and external conditions affecting the institution. Institutional exiguity and autonomy expedited the change process. The chief academic officers viewed the changes as beneficial in attracting and retaining students by developing a curriculum that served their educational needs and career goals. / Successful change strategies were synthesized to develop a flow chart depicting the entire change process. The process was viewed as continuous with significant involvement of faculty and administration throughout the planning, implementation, and evaluation stages. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 44-11, Section: A, page: 3300. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1983.