Association Of American Universities Research Articles

Reflecting: Two Decades of portal Editorials and Accomplishments

Reflecting:Two Decades of portal Editorials and Accomplishments Ellysa Stern Cahoy (bio) As portal's new editor (as of January 2023), I am finding inspiration in reflection as I excavate our journal's rich history to uncover future possibilities. Reading portal's past editorials (published in each issue since the journal's inception in 2001) is a fascinating way to better understand not only portal's successful trajectory over the past two-plus decades, but also the issues and challenges our profession as a whole has faced and largely conquered. Widely recognized as the father of reflective practice, the philosopher and educator John Dewey wrote, "Reflective thinking is always more or less troublesome because it involves overcoming the inertia that inclines one to accept suggestions at their face value; it involves willingness to endure a condition of mental unrest."1 A more recent researcher on the power of reflection, Carol Rodgers, defined the act of reflection itself as "a meaning-making process that moves a learner from one experience into the next with deeper understanding of its relationships with and connections to other experiences and ideas." She asserts that reflection should happen in interaction with others and that it requires an attitude attuned to personal and professional growth and change.2 The "mental unrest" and "meaning making" that Dewey and Rodgers describe is at the heart of all academic work. With engaged students, learning is almost always uncomfortable, because it involves internal challenge and personal growth. The act of reflection, a partner in the learning process, is ideally incorporated throughout all phases of a creative, intellectual process, including the production of scholarly work. As I explored two decades of portal editorials, I saw multiple instances of reflection and "meaning making"—librarians confronting tough issues in our profession and looking toward creative solutions, as well as the "mental unrest" that comes when one is within a problem and the solution, while ahead, is not yet in sight. Our journal's first editorial, "Through portal," written by inaugural managing editor Gloriana St. Clair, does not mention the "mental unrest" and the coalescing event behind portal's founding—the 1999 purchase of the Journal of Academic Librarianship's publisher by Elsevier, resulting in higher subscription costs and an imperative for LIS [End Page 223] researchers to assume leadership in scholarly publishing.3 She does, however, identify three core objectives for the nascent publication: • To offer an affordable alternative to serials that have gone up an average of 9 percent a year while the consumer price index increased only 3.3 percent; • To provide a more inviting, constructive, and productive environment for authors; • To model a scholarly communications system as outlined in recent pronouncements from the Association of American Universities (AAU) and the Create Change initiative.4 These imperatives persist today. EBSCO's recently released 2022 Serials Price Projection Report indicates that for research and academic libraries, journal prices have increased more than 18 percent over the past four years (2018–2022).5 Open access research publishing is growing and provides alternatives, but deep challenges remain. St. Clair also discusses her initiation of portal's mentoring program, which was originally designed to provide intensive support from "the moment (authors) decide to engage in research to the moment when they elect to submit the finished product either to portal or to some other journal."6 Individual mentoring was provided by seasoned librarians active in the American Library Association's Library Administration and Management Association Research Committee and the Library Research Round Table. Executive editor Charles Lowry, also a portal founding editor, described the impact of the mentoring program in 2004 as "advanc(ing) a new idea that a manuscript may be raw, but if it contains the core of good research the author deserves more than a rejection. Thus we extend mentoring to help develop good ideas and good research into viable publishable articles."7 portal's mentoring program flourishes to the present day in the form of our Editorial Board's double-blind peer review of refereed articles. When an article is submitted to portal for peer-reviewed consideration, the conversation begins. Each reviewer provides unique and developmental feedback on an article under consideration...

Chinese public university patents during 2006–20: a comprehensive investigation and comparative study

Abstract Promoting growth in patent activity was an important stated goal of China’s Medium- and Long-Term Plan for Science and Technology Development (2006–20), and it was a successful one. By the end of this ambitious blueprint, China had witnessed enormous growth in the number of granted patents, especially those granted to public universities. This vital role played by universities in technology innovation justifies further research on the role of academia with respect to the development of technology. However, most studies on patenting by Chinese universities are limited in terms of research scale and context, and patent performance is seldom investigated in great detail. This study first presents an overall analysis of the utility patents granted to Chinese public universities (not utility model patents). Then, we compare the patent performance of two elite university groups: Project 985 universities in China and member institutions of the Association of American Universities (AAU) in the USA. Our results show that Chinese universities account for a high proportion of the total patents granted in China, and the number of patents granted to universities has grown rapidly in recent decades, making them a very substantial contributor to China’s innovation system. However, the value of patents did not improve as their counts surged. Compared to AAU universities, the technological and economic value of patents held by Project 985 universities is considerably lower, even for the top-patenting universities in China. These findings extend our understanding of technological innovation activity in China’s academic landscape and might inspire future policies toward patent quality and impact.

QTPOC Survivors of Sexual Violence in College: Methods at the Intersections

The Association of American Universities (AAU) Report on the AAU Campus Climate Survey on Sexual Assault and Misconduct surveyed over 180,000 undergraduate and graduate students and found significant rates of sexual violence on college campuses across the United States with even greater rates experienced by students who identify as women, trans, nonbinary, and queer. However, what the survey findings do not include is an intersectional analysis of the unique realities of historically marginalized students that make them more susceptible to sexual violence and create barriers to reporting and seeking support after this violence. Despite these important quantitative data and growing research on the topic of sexual violence in higher education, there continues to be a dearth of research on the experiences of historically marginalized survivors of sexual violence, specifically Students of Color, LGBTQ+ students, and Queer and Trans People of Color (QTPOC). This article begins with a review of prior literature related to QTPOC survivors of sexual violence in college. After reflecting on previous methods utilized in the literature on this population, this article explores some critical theoretical frameworks and methods by which to conduct research with QTPOC survivors of sexual violence in college—in service of improving higher education research, services, resources, and policies to better reflect and support these students.

Contribution of Training to Scientists’ Public Engagement Intentions: A Test of Indirect Relationships Using Parallel Multiple Mediation

This article investigates the impact science communication training has on engagement intentions through a parallel multiple mediation model. Theory of planned behavior variables for internal efficacy, response efficacy, norms, and attitudes are examined as potential mediators. Based on a survey of randomly selected scientists from universities in the Association of American Universities, results indicate indirect effects for internal efficacy and attitudes toward the audience and consistent direct effects found in earlier research. This research provides a more comprehensive examination of how communication training contributes to scientists’ public engagement activity.

AAU Library Directors: Past Employment and Educational Credentials

Previous employment and educational background are two important criteria used to evaluate candidates for vacant library director positions. Search committee members seek individuals who demonstrate the potential and ability to provide inspirational and visionary leadership. This study examines previous employment and educational background of library directors from the Association of American Universities (AAU). Results indicate that most directors have previously worked as a library director or associate director in large, complex library systems. Their responsibilities in previous positions show an upward trajectory of advanced administrative activities. In addition, 88% of the directors have earned the MLIS, while 38% had attained a doctorate.

Research Data Management Services and Strategic Planning in Libraries Today: A Longitudinal Study

INTRODUCTION Research data services have been adopted by many academic libraries. This study tracked the changes in research data management services and staffing among Association of American Universities (AAU) libraries over the past 5 years and compared them to the libraries’ goals for research data management (RDM) in their strategic plan. METHODS This quantitative study examined libraries at the 60 U.S. AAU institutions. In order to examine longitudinal changes, portions of Briney et.al. (2015a) were used as a basis for measuring data librarian staffing and services. These trends were compared to the contemporary strategic priorities of libraries interviewed by Meier (2016), as well as against strategic plans of 2014 and 2019 available online. RESULTS & DISCUSSION While there have been modest increases in libraries in the sample population offering data services, most of those gains have been among the libraries that did not consider RDM a priority in 2014. Interestingly, some of the libraries that mentioned RDM as a priority in 2014 have lost data librarian positions. Over half of the libraries in this study now provide or support a data repository. Many library strategic plans that mentioned RDM as an explicit goal 5 years ago now no longer mention it. CONCLUSION Data librarian positions, data services, and data repositories have now become common features of large research university libraries. However, research data services are no longer as prominent in many library strategic plans at institutions where such services are more established, and libraries instead seem to be moving on to the work of rethinking the nature of the services or expanding them. Data: https://scholarsphere.psu.edu/concern/generic_works/t1g05ff42r

Guest Editorial—“Celebrating a Decade of UO Undergraduate Research”

In 2010 student leaders began advocating for three initiatives to support undergraduate research and creative work— an annual conference, a student-edited journal, and a dedicated office. They approached Karen Sprague, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies, who shared their excitement about undergraduate research. First, Vice Provost Sprague wanted to find out how other universities were developing these areas, so I was asked to investigate the undergraduate research programs of the 62 universities that belong to the Association of American Universities (AAU). I found that 49 institutions hosted an annual undergraduate research conference, 31 sponsored a university-wide undergraduate research journal, and 59 had a dedicated undergraduate research office.

Coming of Age: portal at 20

Coming of Age:portal at 20 Marianne Ryan (bio) Nearly 20 years ago, Gloriana St. Clair, then dean of Carnegie Mellon University Libraries in Pittsburgh, noted the challenge of writing a journal's inaugural editorial. As portal's first managing editor, she acknowledged the need to "expound the reasons for the creation of a new journal" and proceeded to do just that. St. Clair outlined the circumstances that led to portal's creation, which have become legend among academic librarians. Just before the turn of this century, a band of librarian-scholars decided to buck the existing journal publishing system to create something different and better. It was a bold move, predicated primarily on three goals: to offer an affordable alternative to serials that had risen exponentially in cost; to provide a more inviting and supportive environment for authors; and to model a new scholarly communication framework. To make something like this happen, a publisher was needed—one that was reputable, forward-thinking, and not risk averse. Enter the Johns Hopkins University Press (JHUP). And the rest, as they say, is history. Now, two decades later, it is time to review and celebrate that history. I confess to feeling a challenge not unlike that described by St. Clair. How does one capture the elements of a journal's coming-of-age? This editorial will attempt to do so by providing a progress report on the three goals outlined above; describing some of portal's other significant accomplishments; and offering a preview of potential future directions. Fulfilling the Mandate As portal embarks on its 20th year, it has achieved its three initial objectives. Regarding affordability, it has continued to offer quality, reasonably priced content as the subscription costs of many academic journals have skyrocketed out of reach. At the time of its inception, portal was available at the individual and institutional print subscription rates of $48 and $145 annually, respectively. Today, an individual may purchase a print subscription for just $55 or obtain online access for $60. An institutional print subscription runs $235. portal also is offered through JHUP's diverse, interdisciplinary Project MUSE (http://www.jhu.edu/journals/portal_libraries_and_the_academy/), which ensures that content is archived and will remain available. [End Page 1] From the outset, portal has been committed to providing viable publishing options for both seasoned and novice authors. Regarding the latter group, the approach was—and still is—radical. St. Clair explained it well: The major journals in most disciplines have prided themselves on their high rejection rates. The rationale has been that a high rejection rate signifies a strong commitment to and compelling evidence of quality. Nothing could be more wasteful of the scarce resources for library research than to replicate a system that encourages authors to create a finished product to be judged and rejected … The portal board and editors want to help authors from the moment they decide to engage in research to the moment when they elect to submit the finished product either to portal or to some other journal. Precious librarian research resources should be encouraged and fostered. To actualize the commitment to this second goal, portal created a mentoring system for authors. At a minimum, this took the form of offering deep, rich feedback to prospective contributors, allowing them to benefit from expert insight and guidance on the suitability of their topics, the nature of their research, and the soundness of their approach. One need look no further than portal's tables of contents over the years to see the wide array of authors whose work has appeared on its pages, many of them early in their careers, whose original work might have gone unpublished without portal's mentoring, encouragement, and support. Both prospective and published authors regularly send notes of appreciation for the help they receive. In concert with recommendations made by the Association of American Universities and the Association of Research Libraries in 2000, portal sought to "guide the transformation of the scholarly publishing system" as its third goal. As noted earlier, the directives to contain costs, provide electronic access, and ensure archival preservation have largely been achieved. Additional considerations involve processes attendant to journal production: clarity about submission and...

Visualizing Quality: University Online Identities as Organizational Performativity in Higher Education

Stratification and status competition are prevalent dynamics. This study explores the construction of legitimacy among some of the most prestigious higher education institutions in North America by analyzing the use of quality emblems (e.g., symbols associated with accreditation or rankings) on institutional websites among members of the Association of American Universities (AAU). We apply Lyotard's concept of performativity to guide a visual content analysis process. The visibility of emblematic quality varies primarily according to length of AAU membership. The study contributes to understanding legitimation in the competitive higher education field and the role that websites play in this process.

Contemporality & Supercontemporality – Criteria of Quality of Higher Education

The article, based on the information essence and mission purpose of higher education, substantiates the key criterion of the quality of the latter one – the contemporality and supercontemporality of the information being taught and studied and leads to the formation of competencies (qualifications). The sign «contemporaneous» and «supercontemporaneous» is interpreted as the relevance of information for the present and the future. According to the duration of the relevance of the information its characteristic is proposed - "shelf life", as well as the negative influence of inappropriate for consumption (non-contemporaneous) information - the concept of "negative value added" in the formation of human capital. It is proved that contemporaneous and supercontemporaneous information can be supplied from the past, present and future. Information on the future state of the subject of teaching and study is provided by research prognosis and prediction and on this basis, the innovative design (creation) of the future. It is argued that university leaders and leadership training at universities are based on contemporaneous and especially supercontemporaneous information. The system of measures for consolidation and concentration of shredded and dispersed higher education institutions of Ukraine was outlined with the aim of achieving their competitive potential, the ability to provide high-quality (contemporaneous and supercontemporaneous) higher education, to be leaders and to form leaders of progress. That system developed on the base of analysis of the parameters of the 31 extra-class universities, which rank at 1-30 places by the Shanghai Rating (ARWU) in 2018 and serve as an exemplary future for Ukrainian universities. These measures include the following. First, the introduction of a national university ranking of general and sectoral versions to identify the best, medium and backward higher education institutions, their further optimization (priority strengthening of the first, improvement of second, removal or rehabilitation of the third), as well as the formation of a culture of competitive leadership. Secondly, the creation of a leadership Association of Ukrainian Universities, such as the Association of American Universities, in order to determine the strategy and policy of modernizing the national university network, supporting the formation and further development of universities on the basis of leadership. Thirdly, the consolidation of institutions of higher education in order to create the necessary educational, research and innovative organizational, personnel, resource, infrastructure capacity, the ability to produce and offer contemporaneous and supercontemporaneous information for teaching and learning, the formation of appropriate competencies (qualifications) for its consumers (competitors). Fourthly, the consolidation and concentration of higher education institutions by combining them with the most experienced time-tested universities, while reviving the profile adequacy of the facilities available to them in their competitive professional capacities. Fifthly, the maintenance of the modernization of institutions of higher education through their consolidation and concentration by the obligatory creation of conditions for the implementation of the dual teaching and research function of teachers by reducing the training load, increasing wages, developing educational and research infrastructure, resource support.

Examining Processes of Normative Isomorphism and Influence in Scaled Change Among Higher Education Intermediary Organizations

This study examines the Association of American Universities Undergraduate STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) initiative and the ability of a national organization and its member institutions to reshape norms about the importance and value of teaching and dedicated efforts to teaching improvement. The study is framed with literature from institutional theory, meso-influence theories from organizational theory, and research on higher education intermediary organizations. Our findings suggest that Association of American Universities’ influence was a powerful motivator for institutions to alter deeply ingrained perceptions and behaviors. We organize our findings into three categories of “enactments” based on the vehicles through which an influence behavior is motivated: prioritization, social pressure, and recognition. This study was able to provide concrete descriptions for what influence can look like within national organizations that are organizational field actors.

Catalysts for Achieving Sustained Improvement in the Quality of Undergraduate STEM Education

Promoting excellence in undergraduate STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education at major research universities is necessary to ensure that we have the STEM-literate workforce and general population required to propel the nation forward into the twenty-first century and beyond. This essay provides a brief contextual history of the Association of American Universities' (AAU) effort to improve the effectiveness of undergraduate STEM education at member campuses and delineates the specific goals of this initiative. The essay then illuminates the essential role of the academic department and department chair in achieving long-lasting change and improving the quality of undergraduate education. It also discusses critical strategies and approaches for promoting the most effective methods for undergraduate STEM teaching and learning, with numerous examples from AAU member universities. The essay concludes with an acknowledgment of key challenges and opportunities that continue to face undergraduate education at research universities.

Leveraging Multiple Theories of Change to Promote Reform: An Examination of the AAU STEM Initiative

An emerging body of literature suggests that systemic efforts to change institutions are enhanced when change actors utilize multiple approaches or strategies to change that capitalize on their individual, team, or organizational assets. Given that little research in higher education has examined the ways leaders deploy multiple strategies in service of change, this study sought to fill this gap in the literature by studying an effort that deployed several strategies or theories of change. Building on emerging literature about the value of multiple theories of change, the study followed the Association of American Universities (AAU) science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) Initiative, which aimed to improve undergraduate teaching in STEM at research universities and utilized multiple theories to inform a complex strategy. This research shows the value of using multiple theories of change and also provides guidance on the best way to harness or use multiple change approaches.

A Fractured Profession: Commercialism and Conflict in Academic Science by David R. Johnson

Reviewed by: A Fractured Profession: Commercialism and Conflict in Academic Science by David R. Johnson Vassa Grichko David R. Johnson. A Fractured Profession: Commercialism and Conflict in Academic Science. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2017. 192 pp. Hardcover. $49.95. ISBN: 978-1-421-42353-1 Does commercialism impede upon academia? The book's author, David R. Johnson, Assistant Professor of Higher Education Leadership at the University of Nevada at Reno, noted, "We know remarkably little about commercial culture in the academic profession" (p. 6), and studied the prevalence of commercialism and its effects on highly esteemed American universities, from academic scientists' viewpoints. Specifically, he queried: "How does a commercially oriented reward system operate in the academic profession?" (p. 2). Methodologically, the author conducted a qualitative study in 2010, interviewing traditionalists, or "scientists [who] advance knowledge by sharing their discoveries with the scientific community. . . in exchange for recognition of priority in discovery," and commercialists, or "scientists [mandated] to contribute to economic development through the dissemination of their discoveries in the market in exchange for profits" (p. 2). To be classified as a [End Page E-20] commercialist, a scholar had to be an inventor on at least 5 patents, must have founded a company, or had to have a licensing agreement with a company. Sixty-one academic scientists, traditionalists and commercialists, participated in the study; slightly over half comprised the latter group. Fifty-two of the scientists (~85%) were males, and 9 were females (only 2 of these female scientists were commercialists). The interviewees specialized in chemistry (41%), biology (31%), or chemical/ biological engineering (28%). Remarkably, the sample featured a plethora of prominent scholars, including 3 Nobel laureates, 16 members of the National Academy of Sciences, and 18 fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Four elite American universities (2 private and 2 public), located in different regions, were represented. These institutions were members of the Association of American Universities (AAU) between 1960–2005, and, combined, accounted for nearly 20% of all licensing activity among AAU universities from 2000–2007. Consequently, the author acknowledged that the findings generalize only to the commercial culture of elite universities, which are research exemplars, and are paragons of technology transfer to others. The work is divided into 4 chapters along with an introduction and conclusion. The sections are entitled: "Professional Ideologies in Higher Education" (Introduction), "Normative Tension in Commercial Contexts" (Chapter 1), "The Reconstruction of Meaning and Status in Science" (Chapter 2), "Embracing and Avoiding Commercial Trajectories" (Chapter 3), "Identity Work in the Commercialized Academy" (Chapter 4), and "Commercialism, Rationalization, and Fragmentation in Science" (Conclusion). The denouement is followed by an appendix (interview protocol). Twenty-four questions, with a few corresponding probes, constituted the interview protocol. It was fractionated into 4 thematic areas, titled "The Conception of the Scientific Role," "Motivations of Entrepreneurialism," "Norms of Science," and "The Operation of Reward Systems." The introduction recounts the rapid rise of research commercialization in American higher education since the 1980s. The author refers to the passing of the Bayh–Dole Act, or the Patent and Trademark Law Amendments Act of 1980, which permits a university, or non-profit institution, to pursue ownership of an invention that was created using federal funds. Thereby, the author thoughtfully selected interviewees to balance those who received PhDs pre-and post-1980. The opening recounts tales of research commercialization blockbusters. However, the author contends that the remarkability of these innovative feats is not their fiscal successes, but "the dramatic change they represent in the nature of work in aca demic science and the social organization of higher education" (p. 1). Thereby, this book delves into 2 divergent reward systems, which the author notes as breeding intraprofessional conflict. The first is priority recognition to traditionalists; the second is the exchange for profits for commercialists. Since this book predominantly focuses on cultural differences between commercialists and traditionalists, specifically with respect to "norm espousal, meaning and status, career paths, and identity" (p. 19), the first chapter examines how traditionalists and commercialists adhere to and deviate from Mertonian norms of science. Overall, the author found that "traditionalists espouse the institutionalized norms of disinterestedness, universalism, and communalism, whereas commercialists attitudinally or behaviorally...

Starting the Conversation: Are Campus Sexual Assault Policies Related to the Prevalence of Campus Sexual Assault?

One goal of university campus sexual assault (CSA) policies is to help prevent CSA. Federal guidance in the 2014 White House Task Force to Protect Students From Sexual Assault Checklist for Campus Sexual Misconduct Policies suggests 10 elements for inclusion in CSA policies (e.g., Policy Introduction, Grievance/Adjudication), and outlines policy topics to be included within each element (Policy Introduction includes two topics: statement of prohibition against sex discrimination including sexual misconduct and statement of commitment to address sexual misconduct). However, no research has examined whether CSA policies impact CSA prevalence. To begin addressing this gap, we studied 24 universities participating in the 2015 Association of American Universities Campus Climate Survey on Sexual Assault and Sexual Misconduct. We linked 2014-2015 data from these universities' CSA policies and their CSA prevalence findings from the 2015 Association of American Universities (AAU) survey. To test whether the comprehensiveness of schools' CSA policies was related to schools' CSA prevalence, we examined the degree to which the CSA policies included recommended policy content from the aforementioned Checklist. Policies were characterized as more comprehensive if they included greater numbers of Checklist topics. We then correlated the number of topics within the policies with school-level CSA prevalence. We also explored whether there was lower CSA prevalence among schools with policies containing particular topics. Results suggested that greater comprehensiveness of schools' entire CSA policies was negatively correlated with CSA prevalence; however, these findings did not approach statistical significance. The number of negative correlations observed between schools' CSA policy elements and CSA prevalence among undergraduate women was greater than expected by chance alone, suggesting a possible connection between comprehensive CSA policies and CSA prevalence. Schools with policies that included a topic on their sexual assault response team had the lowest CSA prevalence for both women and men, and schools that included topics describing grievance/adjudication procedures had lower CSA prevalence. This study provides a novel examination of CSA and could inform needed research related to the impact of CSA policies on CSA.

Engaging with Science Policy as a Grad Student

Engaging with Science Policy as a Grad Student

Supporting students in responding to disclosure of sexual violence: a systematic review of online university resources

ABSTRACTHow support providers respond to disclosure of sexual victimisation influences recovery. Scripts may be useful in preparing support providers to respond appropriately to disclosure of sexual violence, however little is known regarding how institutions of higher education inform community members on appropriate responses to sexual assault disclosure. The current review analysed the websites of 60 members of the Association of American Universities (AAU) to examine how online resources educated students, faculty, family members and residential advisors on appropriately responding to disclosure of sexual violence. University websites often included information on positive and negative social reactions to disclosure. Websites infrequently included scripts of what to say/not to say to a survivor or provided information on vicarious traumatisation. As information on how to support a survivor was not consistently located on a single webpage, work is needed to consolidate information to insure that information on how to support survivors is easily accessed.

C&EN talks with Mary Sue Coleman, Association of American Universities president

The world was quite different for U.S. universities in the spring of 2016, when Mary Sue Coleman became president of the Association of American Universities (AAU). President Donald J. Trump’s election several months later brought challenges that the chemist and former president of the Universities of Iowa and Michigan didn’t anticipate when she took on the role leading the coalition of 62 top public and private research universities. “It’s been more chaotic than I would have expected,” says Coleman, 74. Research funding has been the major source of upset, with wild swings between the immense cuts proposed in the president’s budgets and the increases finally passed by Congress. To make matters worse, many of the people in the president’s administration who science groups would normally rely on—such as the director of the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy—haven’t been appointed yet, 16 months into the new administration. Beyond

Sociology and Social Work Undergraduates’ Experiences Participating in a Research Project on Campus Sexual Assault and Misconduct

In this article, we discuss the application of a collaborative, team-based, semester-long research project in undergraduate sociology and social work research methods courses at a midsize southeastern university. The goal of the endeavor was to engage undergraduates in research on students’ perceptions and knowledge about sexual assault and misconduct on their college campus. Surveys focusing on sexual assault and misconduct modeled after the Association of American Universities’ Campus Climate Survey and the Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance Scale were distributed to students in introductory classes on campus. The data from the surveys were then used in various assignments in the social work and sociology research methods courses to demonstrate to students the multitude of steps involved in the research process. The assignments culminated in a research paper and presentation at the end of the semester. We use data collected from end of the semester student evaluations to better understand students’ learning experiences by participating in this hands-on research project in the sociology and social work methods courses.

AAU Library Directors Prefer Collaborative Decision Making with Senior Administrative Team Members

A Review of:
 Meier, J. J. (2016). The future of academic libraries: Conversations with today’s leaders about tomorrow. Portal: Libraries and the Academy, 16(2), 263-288. Retrieved from http://muse.jhu.edu/article/613842
 
 Abstract
 
 Objective – To understand academic library leaders’ decision making methods, priorities, and support of succession planning, as well as to understand the nature, extent, and drivers of organizational change.
 
 Design – Survey and interview. 
 
 Setting – Academic libraries with membership in the Association of American Universities (AAU) in the United States of America and Canada.
 
 Subjects – 62 top administrators of AAU academic libraries.
 
 Methods – Content analysis performed to identify most frequent responses. An initial survey written to align with the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) 2014-2015 salary survey was distributed prior to or during structured in-person interviews to gather information about gender, race/ethnicity, age, time since terminal degree, time in position, temporary or permanent status, and current job title. 7-question interview guides asked about decision processes, strategic goals, perceived impacts of strategic plan and vision, planned changes within the next 3-5 years, use of mentors for organizational change, and succession planning activities. Transcripts were analyzed to identify themes, beginning with a preliminary set of codes that were expanded during analysis to provide clarification.
 
 Main results – 44 top academic library administrators of the 62 contacted (71% response rate) responded to the survey and interview. Compared to the 2010 ARL Survey, respondents were slightly more likely to be female (55%; ARL: 58%) and non-white (5%; ARL: 11%). Approximately 66% of both were aged 60 and older, while slightly fewer were 50-59 (27% compared to 31% for ARL), and almost none were aged 40-49 compared to 7% for the ARL survey. Years of experience averaged 33, slightly less than the reported ARL average of 35. Requested on the survey, but not reported, were time since terminal degree and in position, temporary or permanent status, and current job title.
 
 Hypothesis 1, that most library leaders base decisions on budget concerns rather than upon library and external administration strategic planning, was refuted. Hypothesis 2, that changes to the academic structure are incremental rather than global (e.g., alterations to job titles and responsibilities), was supported by responses. Major organizational changes in the next three to five years were predicted, led by role changes, addition of new positions, and unit consolidation. Most participants agreed that while there are sufficient personnel to replace top level library administrators, there will be a crisis for mid-level positions as retirements occur. A priority focus emerging from interview responses was preparing for next-generation administrators. There was disagreement among respondents about whether a crisis exists in the availability of new leaders to replace those who are retiring.
 
 Conclusion – Decisions are primarily made in collaboration with senior leadership teams, and based on strategic planning and goals as well as university strategic plans in order to effect incremental change as opposed to wholesale structural change.