Public higher education increasingly relies on performance-based funding (PBF) policies to enhance accountability. These policies attempt to steer institutions towards successful outcomes via performance indicators, such as graduation rates. Nationally, PBF policies continue to grow in popularity despite limited evidence that they are effective (Hillman, Tandberg, and Gross, 2014). Motivated by the apparent conflict between the widespread adoption of PBF policies and the lack of evidence that they actually improve outcomes in higher education, this dissertation investigates the perceived impacts of PBF policies. Florida’s public university system serves as the setting for the study due to its uniquely punitive PBF policy design and the model’s non-standardized performance indicators. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2019. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

More than 30 states currently implement some form of outcomes or performancebased funding for public two-year and/or four-year institutions of higher education. Thirteen of these states have public Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Every state’s higher education governance and power relationships are a unique compilation of internal and external entities such as the governor, governing boards, policymakers, higher education staff and advisors, and the institution’s administration, faculty, students, and alumni. Each entity holds power over the HBCU or its state policy context. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2019. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

The world of today's higher education organizations is characterized by complexities brought about as a result of rapid change, economic and political turbulence, and increasing global interdependence. The complexity of the environment in which colleges and universities operate is also due in part to a need to serve multiple internal and external constituencies. In order to be more responsive to the demands of its numerous constituencies and at the same time preserve their intrinsic values, colleges and universities need to know how effective they are in what they do. This research asked: To what degree does institutional effectiveness allow public colleges and universities to operate in a sustained manner over a long period of time while meeting the needs of their constituencies? The lack of criteria about what constitutes effectiveness in higher education contributes to the lack of research in this area of organizational theory. This research examined organizational effectiveness and its measurement in higher education environment using a survey of multiple internal and external constituencies. The purpose of the survey was to gather information regarding participants' perceptions about educational outcomes, processes, and environment in higher education organizations. In addition, given the changes in how higher education institutions are financed and the potential implications of these changes for effectiveness, this research explored the degree to which resource dependence, primarily dependence on public funding, influences the effectiveness of public colleges and universities. To address these questions the research tested the applicability of the sustainability framework as a model of effectiveness in higher education. The study suggests modification of the elements of the sustainability and extends the use of the concept of environment as it is defined in the sustainability framework to the concept of environment as defined in organizational theory. The sustainability framework has not been tested in this way before. The results indicate that there is promise in using the sustainability framework in this modified form and suggest that this concept is worthy of further exploration. Additionally, the study examined the role of multiple constituencies in defining effectiveness in higher education. The findings indicate that there are significant differences in perceptions of effectiveness among the groups of constituencies examined in the study. Finally, the results suggest that sources of public funding and the amount of money institutions spend per student have an influence on some aspects of effectiveness. To examine this further, the study explores the role of the political and fiscal environment in which institutions of higher education operate and offers institutional theory as a basis to explain resource dependence in public higher education. The findings of this study contribute to the field of organizational effectiveness, aid in understanding the role that public funding plays in higher education effectiveness, and contribute to the field of organizational theory more generally.

The educational system in the Yemen Arab Republic (YAR) is in desperate need of reform to accommodate recent changes in the structure of the economy and society of the YAR. At present, there is only one university, the University of Sana'a, within the country. In this study, the organization of a system of local community colleges is considered. In response to the problem of how these systems should be structured, organizational alternatives developed within the American community college movement are considered to the degree that the American experience may be applied to the problem of educational reform in the YAR. Examples given particular consideration include the structure of community college organizations in the states of Connecticut, Florida, Oklahoma, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and New York. It is determined that the best model for application to the situation in the YAR would be a system in which authority is shared between the central government Ministry of Higher Education and the governors of each local governance, the level of authority immediately beneath the national level in the governing structure of the YAR. The implementation of such a community college model in each governance would be structured in terms of local needs and directly administered through a board of trustees. This progressive step would serve to introduce a new era in education in the YAR. More students would be encouraged to enroll in institutions of higher education since they could attend a postsecondary institution for an additional two years while remaining in their local communities. In addition, the organization of institutions of higher education at the local level would clearly be of benefit to local citizens and their communities. The implementation of a community college movement, and in particular special systems for tutoring and counseling students in a psychologically healthy atmosphere, will serve as a positive contribution to all generations of the population of the Yemen Arab Republic. / Graduation date: 1991

No description available.

This study explores the notion of autonomy in the dynamics of private higher education in China. Focusing on the role and function of autonomy in the operation of private institutions of higher education, it examines the evolution of government policy, documents the recent rapid development of private post-secondary institutions, and investigates the quality of the relationships between private institutions, their communities, society and government. / Data were collected from government sources and from fifty-six private institutions through various methods, including interviews, questionnaires and case studies. / Qualitative analysis of the data revealed different dimensions, perceptions, and patterns of autonomy in these institutions. / The study found that institutional autonomy has generally promoted efficiency and flexibility in the operation of these institutions and allowed adaptability and responsiveness to changing social and economic conditions which in turn, have enabled private higher education to contribute significantly to the on-going transformation of Chinese society. However, such autonomy is subject to both external internal constraints and problems, including some restrictive government policies, the lack of financial resources and inexperience in private school operation.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Illinois State University, 2007. / Title from title page screen, viewed on February 15, 2008. Dissertation Committee: Edward R. Hines (chair), Patricia H. Klass, Ross A. Hodel, W. Paul Vogt. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 196-203) and abstract. Also available in print.

Thesis (PhD.(Education))-University of Pretoria, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references. Available on the Internet via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--University of Tulsa, 1990. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Western Sydney, Nepean, 1998. / Includes bibliography.