Elite Universities Research Articles

A Study on the Collective Anxiety of Upward Mobility Among “Small-Town Swots” Based on the Perspective of the Sociology of Education Theory

Education has always been the pursuit of many for “knowledge changes destiny,” and it has become animportant way for disadvantaged students to achieve upward social mobility. However, when children from lower-middle-class cities or rural areas enter elite universities, they often feel like they are lagging behind other students. The aura ofelite universities and the bleak reality causes anxiety among “small-town swots.” This article finds that the collectiveanxiety of upward mobility among “small-town swots” involves three aspects: academic anxiety, employment anxiety, andability anxiety. According to the sociology of education theory, this anxiety is caused by the frustration experienced duringthe process of field transformation and the lack of competition for inherent advantages.

Balancing control and legitimacy in higher education policy implementation

A key policy challenge in establishing new universities is the potential risk of lower academic standards and mission drift, which can affect policy effectiveness and outcomes. While regulation and funding tend to be preferred policy instruments for securing control of higher education expansion and achieving policy objectives, this article reports on a nation-wide reform in which various forms of legitimacy and control were actively used as measures in the design and establishment of almost one hundred new elite universities – the Institutes of National Importance (INIs) – in India. Our theoretical framework is based on the need for reinvention in policy design in higher education, that is based on the possible cross-fertilisation between the field of public administration and organisational theory. Through a mixed-method research design that included archival documents related to higher education reform and case studies of seven new INIs, this article demonstrates how ‘soft instruments’ based on legitimacy may align public policy objectives and stakeholder expectations ensuring quality and mission sustainability of new universities. We suggest that institutional and instrumental dimensions related to legitimacy and control can be integrated into a joint theoretical framework for policy implementation in higher education. We inform higher education policy by uncovering a range of legitimacy-based policy options in higher education, including the significance of reputation, national classification schemes, and organisational archetypes, that can be operationalised to minimise mission divergence.

Helping High-Achieving, Low-Income, Black Students Gain Admission Into America’s Elite Colleges: Considerations for School Counselors

The recent decision by the United States Supreme Court to limit affirmative action in college admissions could make it even more challenging for academically talented students of color to gain access to competitive schools. The importance of school counselors in guiding and supporting these students is now more crucial than ever. This qualitative study aimed to determine what school counselors need to know, do, and believe to help academically talented, Black students from low-income households gain admission into highly selective colleges and universities. Three broad themes and 10 subthemes emerged from the data analysis. The themes were (a) knowledge and awareness, (b) mindsets and beliefs, and (c) habits and practices. Implications for school counselor practice, training, and research are discussed.

Who are the Gatekeepers of Economics? Geographic Diversity, Gender Composition, and Interlocking Editorship of Journal Boards

ABSTRACT This study investigates the role of editorial board members as gatekeepers in science, creating and utilizing a database of 1516 active economics journals in 2019, which includes more than 44,000 scholars from over 6000 institutions and 142 countries. The composition of these editorial boards is explored in terms of geographic affiliation, institutional affiliation, and gender. Results highlight that the academic publishing environment is primarily governed by men affiliated with elite universities in the United States. The study further explores social similarities among journals using a network analysis perspective based on interlocking editorship. Comparison of networks generated by all scholars, editorial leaders, and non-editorial leaders reveals significant structural similarities and associations among clusters of journals. These results indicate that links between pairs of journals tend to be redundant, and this can be interpreted in terms of social and intellectual homophily within each board, and between boards of journals belonging to the same cluster. Finally, the analysis of the most central journals and scholars in the networks suggests that journals probably adopt ‘strategic decisions’ in the selection of the editorial board members. The documented high concentration of editorial power poses a serious risk to innovative research in economics.

I Justify Myself, Therefore I am. Regimes Of Justification In Chilean Elite Universities

Few studies focus on understanding the role of universities in the elites’ legitimation processes. This article examines how elite universities -in the context of Chilean tertiary education massification- actively create privileged statuses. Focusing on eight case studies, we examine how these universities justify their roles and existence, generating distinctions that promote highly exclusive spaces, replicating elite privilege. Through 48 semi-structured interviews, this article focuses on understanding the justification arguments employed by faculty and deans from these elite institutions. Following Boltanski’s and Thévenot’s theoretical model, the results illustrate three different justification regimes: i) arguing for their elite status within the university system; ii) justifying the role they fulfil within Chilean society; and iii) defending their existence in the social structure. These regimes combine arguments relating to social justice, efficiency and market system performance in an eclectic and pragmatic way.

Gender and social class inequalities in higher education: intersectional reflections on a workshop experience.

Research about the experiences of underrepresented groups in higher education (HE) demonstrates the persistence of challenges, despite policies and institutional strategies to promote inclusion. Diversity and inclusion policies have been part of the HE agenda for several decades, yet most policies and interventions focus on (a) a given, isolated identity experience (e.g., based solely on gender, social class, or ethnicity) rather than more intersectional approaches to identity; and (b) top-down interventions that do not include participants insights in their design. In this paper, we report a case study of a workshop with students at an elite university that drew on an intersectional approach to social identities (IASI), specifically, looking at gender and social class. We explore three key themes: (a) the importance of group processes, (b) the use of visual techniques, and (c) the institutional tensions and the (de)politicisation of social psychology research. Reflecting on this case study we argue that approaches to identity and inclusion in HE can benefit from intersectionality beyond the use of multi and overlapping identity and social group categories. We argue that research in this space is not neutral and needs to acknowledge researchers' position about (a) inclusion and diversity, (b) perceptions of participants in research, and (c) the motivation and aims of institutions where the research is conducted. Finally, we discuss the theoretical and practical implications of integrating an intersectional approach within social identity research in HE when focusing on underrepresented groups.

Intra-clan marriage in modern times: the role of elite education in assortative mating

Studies have shown a tendency for educational elites to marry within the elite circle in China. However, little research explores how they find a partner and the platforms’ roles in the process. We fill this gap by focusing on an online dating platform targeting alumni of elite universities. We interviewed the core staff of the platform to examine its operations. Through thematic analysis, we analyzed users’ self-representations in their dating profiles and the platform’s relatively high matching success rate. To achieve assortative matching for its elite users, the platform developed a large elite user base by setting university prestige as a dating threshold, hiring staff from elite universities, and providing profile editing and posting services. Users highlighted their privileged family backgrounds, elite university experiences, time-consuming hobbies, and preferences for a soulmate, as they aimed to attract similar partners. Our research reveals a new form of intra-clan marriage that has emerged with the massification of higher education. This homogamy, based on high levels of cultural capital, forms a social enclosure that may reinforce cultural inequalities beyond higher education.

On hauntings and hierarchies: bridging between elite universities and communities

ABSTRACT This essay uses Paulo Freire as inspiration of thinking about the limits and possibilities of building bridges between elite universities in the Global North and communities around the world given the historic and present-day entanglements between these universities and empire, colonisation, and epistemic violence. It sheds lights on how racialised and gendered capitalism distorts our collective possibilities for shared thriving, freedom, and bridging relations of difference. The essay reflects what is at stake in our current world and puts forward ideas for how we might begin to the process of transforming the modern-colonial structures of elite universities to create conditions of solidarity between universities and communities.

Elite College Quarterback Cognitive Functioning: A Qualitative Examination of Cognitive Processing and Mental Skills among Elite College Quarterbacks

Elite College Quarterback Cognitive Functioning: A Qualitative Examination of Cognitive Processing and Mental Skills among Elite College Quarterbacks

Selective Egalitarianism in Elite University Admissions: a Look at SFFA V. Harvard College

Selective Egalitarianism in Elite University Admissions: a Look at SFFA V. Harvard College

The agency-structure complex in international research collaboration: evidence from a Chinese elite university

ABSTRACT International research collaboration is a way to facilitate original knowledge production, share research equipment, promote learning together and talent pooling at a cross-border level. However, it takes place in a hierarchical and unequal global research space. Conditioned by various structural factors, researchers actively exercise their agency to pursue their own objectives through international research collaboration. While researchers’ agency is widely acknowledged in the literature, it remains unclear how the agency-structure plays out in international research collaboration. This study addresses this research gap through a case study of a Chinese elite university. It collected data from the university’s researchers and administers, and national policymakers through in-depth interviews and policy document analyses. The results reveal two types of agency exercised by researchers in international research collaboration – agency as reflexive response to structural factors and agency as reflexivity in seeking international collaborators and collaboration – and influential structural factors that condition researcher’s exercise of agency. The study theoretically contributes to the understanding of the agency-structure complex in international research collaboration and has practical implications for research policymakers, universities, and researchers.

The last paradise for creative workers? The case of Shueisha and Weekly Shōnen Jump

ABSTRACT The Weekly Shōnen Jump, published by Shueisha, is widely seen as the most important publication in global manga culture and home to some of the world’s most iconic media franchises, including Dragon Ball, and yet remains largely understudied. This article interrogates how Shōnen Jump’s success, steered by editors who are often deemed ‘uncreative’ within Japan’s inflexible employment framework, challenges the Western ideal of creativity that is associated with autonomy and flexibility. The inquiry is conducted through two primary processes: firstly, the recruitment of editors – considered as creative managers – through ‘Shukatsu,’ a Japanese system that predominantly favors elite university graduates, who often lack a passion for manga or relevant education and work experience; and secondly, the dynamics of their collaborative relationships with manga artists. Highlighting Shueisha’s exceptional job security and stability, akin to a ‘last paradise’ for a select few creative professionals, this examination challenges the homogenized Western narrative of creative labor, as a class characterized by precarity and challenges the conventional perception of creativity itself.

Expanding a Professional Learning Community to Focus on Inclusion, Belonging, and Student Success

Student success, particularly for students from marginalized populations, depends on a number of co-existing factors, not the least of which are a sense of belonging and the institution’s focus on inclusion. This article showcases the lessons learned from a professional learning community (PLC) for faculty, staff, and students, which was intentionally designed to create awareness of these issues and the need for courageous conversations to support change. The article discusses one particular PLC, a form of virtual “book club,” which occurred during the Fall 2021 semester (September–December). This PLC was focused on Anthony Jack’s text The Privileged Poor: How Elite Colleges Are Failing Disadvantaged Students, published in 2019, and encouraged a unique dialogue on student experience, co-facilitated by a team who critiqued aspects such as race, class, and first-generation status from different vantage points in higher education.

Stigmas and limited opportunities of on-line and for-profit university doctorate graduates in Technology, Healthcare, and Business

Introduction:Walden, Capella, and the University of Phoenix universities generate many African-American doc-toral graduates, according to Diverse Problems in Higher Education. Problem:While these universities graduate many minority students with doctoral degrees, they contribute sig-nificantly to student loan debt. These universities are for-profit, on-line, or owned by for-profits. Because of that classification, these universities and their doctoral degrees have stigmas in higher education that may hinder African-American and other minority faculty chances at elite, state flagship, and prestigious research universities. Objective:The research aims to formulate strategies to help African-Americans be more knowledgeable about non-traditional doctoral program selection and the current stigmas of graduating with a doctorate from a to-tally on-line or for-profit university. The purpose is not to diminish the accomplishment of anyone with the intellect, courage, and talent to get a regionally accredited doctoral degree. This research intends to educate and empower African-American and other students of color in their doctoral decision-making and discuss the stigmas against doctorates from for-profit universities and totally on-line universities in the U.S. Methodology: The approach used was a content analysis of the literature and qualitative interviews using a phenomenological research approach. The purpose is not to diminish or demonize graduates and degrees from regionally accredited on-line doctorate programs offered by for-profit universities, because they have provided opportunities and access to doctoral education. The goal is to share the realities of the current stigmas of those degrees from those universities in academic communities at the most highly ranked universities. The ultimate aim would be to educate them on the importance of school choice, even if the only viable option for doctoral completion is an on-line or hybrid doctoral program. Results:Academic careers often depend on having a doctorate and the university that awards that doctorate. So, African-Americans and other students of color should investigate and choose brick-and-mortar universi-ties with on-line and hybrid doctoral programs, which are often viewed more favorably. This study offers an accurate world understanding of the challenges and stigmas of African-American doctoral graduates driven by where they pursue their doctorate degrees. Conclusion:This project seeks to change the behavior of doctoral program selection and modification practices that would make graduates more successful and favorable for full-time faculty jobs after graduation. Originality:The gap in the literature explored is the limited academic discussion about how attending and com-pleting a doctorate from one of these universities can be detrimental to African-Americans, especially if they are interested in full-time tenure-track faculty careers at non-profit research universities.Limitations:More current research is needed on the stigmas and challenges of getting a doctorate from a for-profit or totally online university. More scholarly dialogues from the literature could have enriched the study.

A RANKING OF THE 100 MOST PROLIFIC ACCOUNTING SCHOLARS

Much research has been done that ranks research productivity in elite journals, departments and universities. Such studies ignore the vast majority of scholars and universities. The present study aims to partially fill this vacuum in the literature. This article ranks the 100 most prolific accounting authors based on the number of downloads from the Social Science Research Network database as of November 1, 2022. It also ranks accounting scholars based on citations.

Who benefits from elite colleges’ decreased reliance on high-stakes standardized tests? Evidence from a quasi-field experiment

Despite the increasingly popular perception that elite colleges’ reliance on high-stakes standardized tests to select students exacerbates social inequality, researchers have not demonstrated that a reduced emphasis on such tests actually alters individuals’ admission outcomes. Using all applications submitted in 2022 to National Taiwan University, the most prestigious university in Taiwan, we show who among the applicants would have been admitted under the country’s prior college admission system, which was entirely based on high-stakes standardized test scores, and contrast them with those actually admitted in the current system, which emphasizes holistic evaluations and considers many other criteria. The results indicate that for the majority of students the admission outcomes would be unchanged. Even among those whose outcomes would differ, class backgrounds are not clearly related to the direction of change in the outcome. Rather than students of upper- or lower-class backgrounds, women are the unequivocal beneficiary from the decreased reliance on high-stakes standardized tests. The analysis suggests that the better high school grades and more comprehensive application materials submitted by women applicants contribute to a considerable part of the female advantage in a more holistic admission system. Evidence from this quasi-field experiment has implications for how changes in the structural elements of the educational system affect elite college access.

Powerful female CEOs and the capital structure of firms

This study examines the impact of female CEOs and their power on corporate debt usage. Adopting the framework of Finkelstein (1992), we distinguish different power dimensions to analyze a sample of 418 CEOs of non-financial U.S. listed firms over the time period of 2007–2015. We find that the leverage of firms run by female CEOs is not different from that of firms run by male CEOs. However, when firms experience a transition of male-to-female CEOs, we find some evidence of an increase in debt. Further analysis shows that the gender effect is associated with the type of power CEOs possess. Female CEOs with structural power (reflected by low frequency of board meetings) and prestige power (reflected by education from an elite university) tend to use more debt than their powerful male peers. We recommend that the gender effect needs to be studied together with the power CEOs hold.

Will automation and robotics lead to more inequality?

AbstractThis paper presents a new framework for analyzing automation, robotics, and high‐tech, which differs from the canonical model of technological progress by incorporating the higher education system. The main difference is that there is not just one type of skilled workers, but two types, and there is not one type of education but two ‐ elite universities and standard ones. The gap between these two types of education is called ‘elitism gap’. The ‘elitism gap’ in the higher‐education sector enables a separation of individuals by their abilities. Since the economy is divided between low‐tech and high‐tech sectors, the elitism gap leads to a separating equilibrium in which, high‐ability workers graduating from top universities work in the high‐tech sector, while low‐ability workers, graduate from standard universities and work in the low‐tech industries. In consequence, human capital in both industries is different, which leads to wage inequality. We then analyze the effects of an increased use of robotics on inequality. We show that robots affect the “matching effect” between abilities and education, and in consequence, inequality increases. We also show that wages and productivity gaps between high‐tech and low‐tech sectors are fueled by the elitism gap in higher education. This leads to heterogeneity in human capital, and therefore to an increase in wage inequality. We develop an index of the elitism gap, and show a positive correlation between the index of elitism gap and inequality in OECD countries.

“I Was Open to Anywhere, It’s Just This Was Easier:” Social Structure, Location Preferences, and the Geographic Concentration of Elite College Graduates

“I Was Open to Anywhere, It’s Just This Was Easier:” Social Structure, Location Preferences, and the Geographic Concentration of Elite College Graduates

Political Capital Imbalance Between University Leaders and University Academic Publications: Evidence from Elite Universities in China

Political Capital Imbalance Between University Leaders and University Academic Publications: Evidence from Elite Universities in China