Higher Education Administrators Research Articles

Coaching program sets struggling students up for success

BOSTON — When student affairs staff at Texas State University wanted to boost student retention and graduation rates, they decided to focus on students on academic probation and in developmental education courses. According to Victoria Black, Associate Dean for Student Services at Texas State University, 20% of first‐year students find themselves on academic probation and 75% of those students don’t get into good academic standing, lose their financial aid, and thus have to leave the institution. To set those struggling students on a path to success, staff developed a success coaching program, resulting in improved GPAs for at least 50% of students who received success coaching at least three times. Also, about 75% of students who received coaching at least two times described the program as helpful, Black said during a presentation at the annual conference for NASPA — Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education.

Review recent rulings involving failure to accommodate

An overview of the key topics faced by higher education administrators with citations to noteworthy cases, statutes, regulations, and additional sources.

Optimization of the motivation for success in mathematics at higher education: Evidence from novel graph-based visualization of three models

Using three mathematical models, this study aims to optimize students’ motivation for success in courses of mathematics at universities. The uniqueness of this study is crystalized in the novel graphical visualization of three models, which are integrated to analyze certain factors that help in optimizing students’ motivation for mathematical success. The proposed models will benefit students, educators, administrators of higher education, and societies around the world. A quantitative approach is used to design the research, which involved 366 female and 319 male students in different mathematics courses. The results show that the third, second, and first models are the top three in order. The third model accounts for 71.3% of the shift in the motivation for mathematical success. The difference in the motivation for mathematical success is explained by 66.3% in the second model and 65.0% in the first model.

Policy work in educational leadership courses: university teachers’ interpretations, translations and engagements

ABSTRACT This study investigates policy work in educational leadership courses at universities. It analyses the types of engagement present in university teachers’ policy work and in their interpretations and translations of policy intentions into teaching designs and practices. The study illustrates policy work as a phenomenon and draws on the theory of policy work; it examines one case from Norway and one from California. The data has been analysed through discourse analysis. Observational data and materials from teaching practices constituted the supporting data, while contextual interviews with university teachers formed the main data. In both cases, various types of engagement were identified, which reflected academic freedom and different policy contexts. The analysis also revealed that university lecturers use their professional discretion and experience when interpreting and translating policy intentions into teaching designs and practices. This has implications for higher education administration, especially for the achievement of coherence across programmes and courses.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and Black Higher Education Administrators: Reflections on Illusions of Change

Over the past two decades, universities and colleges in Canada have increasingly styled themselves as being deeply invested in addressing anti-Black racism, coloniality, and histories of exclusion. To address these long-standing grievances, academic institutions have ramped up and mass-promoted the implementation of equity-focused initiatives such as equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) offices; executive-level EDI positions; race-based data collection; EDI working groups; subcommittees and councils; anti-racism charters; statements of solidarity; and EDI training and workshops. In this article, the author argues that these efforts have done nothing to meaningfully address entrenched inequities present at every level of academic institutions. Of particular focus is the role of the Black administrator, who, the author argues, is hired to nullify dissent within the institution while manufacturing optics of diversity and progress. Drawing on the author’s own experience as a former college dean, this article first provides examples of how these strategies amount to a nullification of dissent. The author argues that universities and colleges have become sophisticated in stifling legitimate challenges to hierarchies of power through incorporating and co-opting calls for change. The author shows how such practices not only undermine radical demands for change but also provide ways for institutions to maintain their racial capitalist, neoliberal objectives. In thinking about what may yet be possible in “another university,” the author reviews a set of principles derived from Black radical tradition and Black queer feminist theory, which point to ways in which we may move toward an alternative learning commons or what others refer to as the “off-university” or the “undercommons.” Extending on the concepts of the “Black test” and an “ethics of care,” the author suggests some fundamental criteria for moving toward transformed academic institutions while also addressing ways in which we can rethink notions of Black leadership that are too often deployed to frustrate calls for change.

Find ways to take chances that can change perceptions

Beth Paretta has a challenge for higher education administrators: What can you change in six seconds? If you think six seconds isn’t enough time to do much of anything, Paretta has proven that's just not true, and so she wants to see others follow suit and make a difference.

Find ways to take chances that can change perceptions

Beth Paretta has a challenge for higher education administrators: What can you change in six seconds? If you think six seconds isn’t enough time to do much of anything, Paretta has proven that's just not true, and so she wants to see others follow suit and make a difference.

Guideline for Chinese-Foreign Cooperation Project Management in Higher Education in China

The objectives of this research were 1) to study the current situation of Chinese-foreign cooperation project management in higher education in China, 2) to develop the guidelines for Chinese-foreign cooperation project management in higher education in China, and 3) to evaluate the adaptability and feasibility of the guidelines for Chinese-foreign cooperation project management in higher education in China. The sample were 226 lecturers and administrators in higher education in China. They were selected by systematic random sampling and sample random sampling. The interview group was the 1 administrator from each university, totaling 10 people. The experts for evaluated the adaptability and feasibility of the guidelines for Chinese-foreign cooperation project management consisted of high-level administrators from each university, totaling 9 people. Research instruments include: 1) questionnaire, 2) structured interview, and 3) evaluation form. data analysis by using percentage, mean, standard deviation and content analysis.

Review recent rulings involving student‐athletes and Title IX

An overview of the key topics faced by higher education administrators with citations to noteworthy cases, statutes, regulations, and additional sources.

Predicting intellectual engagement from academic resilience: mediating moderating role of academic diligence and learning support

PurposeThe paper aims to propose a mediation moderated model to examine the influence of academic reliance on students' intellectual engagement.Design/methodology/approachFour hundred and seventy-one respondents who completed a self-reported questionnaire were chosen to participate in the study using a convenient sampling technique. The hypotheses were tested using PLSc.FindingsFindings from the study reveal academic resilience and academic diligence positively predicts students' intellectual engagement. Academic diligence positively predicts students' intellectual engagement and further mediates the effect of academic resilience on intellectual engagement. Finally, learning support positively predicts intellectual engagement and further moderates the effect of the association between academic resilience and academic diligence on intellectual engagement.Practical implicationsThis research shows that higher education administrators must establish effective and efficient policies that integrate students' academic resilience, academic diligence and learning assistance.Originality/valueThis paper is amongst the first to have tested a model including resilience, academic diligence, intellectual engagement and learning support in a university setup from a developing country perspective.

The Existence of Integrated Service Units in Improving Management and Public Services Quality at Universities in Indonesia

The study aims to analyze and gather information about the implementation of an Integrated Service Unit (ULT) to improve quality management and service quality at universities in Indonesia. The context for this research is the highly competitive and tight competition for quality management and public service quality among universities in the last decade. In response to the low quality of higher education administration services in Indonesia, the concept of service bureaucratic reform led to the establishment of Integrated Service Units. The research type is library research or literature review, where the researchers rely on existing literature to gather data. The research follows a descriptive qualitative approach with observation tools to analyze the existence of Integrated Service Units that have a high presence in the world of university administration services and have received awards or appreciation from the government. The results of the research indicate that the services implemented by the Integrated Service Units have quality management and service quality that adhere to established standards and principles of public service. The infrastructure of the service system is built using an electronic-based service system (SPBE). The activities are carried out in an integrated manner and are closely connected with other work units to provide cross-unit services in the university or faculty. The service process is completely digitized, using applications developed by each tertiary institution.
 Keywords: integrated service unit, quality management, service quality

From complacency to criticality: Envisioning antiracist leadership among white higher education administrators.

From complacency to criticality: Envisioning antiracist leadership among white higher education administrators.

Enhancing Data Security in Higher Education Administration: Strategies for Protecting Student Information and Institutional Integrity in Cloud-Based Systems

The widespread adoption of cloud-based systems in higher education has brought significant benefits and heightened concerns over data security. This research paper explores practical strategies for enhancing data security in cloud-based systems used by higher education institutions. The study employed a literature review, case studies, and surveys to gather data on current practices, challenges, and technological solutions in data security. The findings reveal that while cloud computing offers convenience and cost savings, it also introduces new vulnerabilities that must be addressed through a comprehensive security program. The paper discusses the importance of risk assessment, transparent governance, encryption, access controls, and the integration of emerging technologies like blockchain and AI. The implications of this research suggest the need for policymakers, administrators, and IT professionals to prioritize data security as a critical component of cloud-based system adoption in higher education.

The crisis effect in TPB as a moderator for post-pandemic entrepreneurial intentions among higher education students: PLS-SEM and ANN approach

This research examines college students' entrepreneurial inclinations using TPB, self-efficacy, and the crisis effect. It also examines the crisis effect's moderating influence post-pandemic. A unique analytical technique using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) was used to evaluate the model's resilience. 310 Indian university students were surveyed online. Self-efficacy is a crucial predictor of entrepreneurial tendencies among higher education students. ANN analysis confirms SEM findings that self-efficacy and perceived behaviour control shape entrepreneurial desires. Despite its negative impact, the crisis effect doesn't appear to affect entrepreneurs' objectives. The crisis impact moderates all exogenous and endogenous factors except subjective norms and entrepreneurial goals, the research finds. The research also shows that students' education and geography affect their entrepreneurial inclinations. Gender, however, has little control. Policymakers and higher education administrators could boost entrepreneurial ambitions by fostering students' self-efficacy and perceived behaviour control. Understanding these elements allows higher education stakeholders to create targeted interventions and support systems to foster college student entrepreneurship.

Identity (re)construction, return destination selection and place attachment among Chinese academic returnees: A case study of Guangzhou, China

As Chinese cities are issuing talent attraction policies for foreign-educated professionals, there have been waves of Chinese academic migrants returning to the homeland. By using the transnationalism/trans-locality framework and based on 30 in-depth interviews in Guangzhou, this paper studies the identity (re)construction process of skilled Chinese returnees and their integration into destination cities after returning. First, the identity negotiation of academic returnees from the time when they were overseas is investigated, and how their reconstructed identities affect their return destination choice is explored. Meanwhile, the academic returnees' dual place selection rationale is analyzed, how a globalizing city and intellectual gateway like Guangzhou in a developing country acts to attract talents is revealed, and whether its sociocultural environment facilitates or hinders returnees' integration and attachment to the city of residence is uncovered. This paper contributes to the broader migration literature by providing a micro-level detailed analysis of skilled migrants' professional and daily experience after they return to their home country in the Global South. Also, it provides some talent policy implications for higher-education administrations and local governments.

Administrators’ Politics of Delegation of Responsibilities and Academic Staff Job Satisfaction in Universities in Cross River State, Nigeria

The study aimed at examining administrators’ politics of delegation of responsibilities and academic staff job satisfaction in universities in Cross River State, Nigeria. Two research questions were raised to achieve the aim of the study, to guide the study, two hypotheses were formulated. The study adopted Correlational research design. The study Population consists of one hundred and forty one (141) heads of Department from two public Universities in Cross River State were selected through census sampling technique. The instrument used for the data collection was questionnaire titled: Administrators’ Politics of Delegation of Responsibilities and Academic Staff job Satisfaction Questionnaire (APDRASSQ) was developed by the researchers and was validated by experts in administration in higher education and measurement and evaluation. Data collected were subjected to statistical analysis using Pearson moment product correlation analysis. The result revealed that administrators’ delegation of responsibilities significantly related with academic staff job satisfaction in universities in Cross River State, Nigeria.

Religious Doubts and the Problem with Religious Pressures for Christian Students

Educational literature has underscored the importance of higher education attending to students’ religious development. For Christian students, environment plays a role. Recent Christian religious development literature focusing on environmental predictors of growth found that higher religious pressures, assumed to be a controller according to Self-Determination Theory, predicted religious growth for students. The current study examines this finding by considering the influence of religious pressures along with normative experiences of religious doubt on spiritual/religious development variables of relatedness and self-mastery. A web-based survey procured responses from a large sample of students from both Christian and public/secular institutions. Controlling for sex and institution, multiple linear regression modeling was used to develop a model hypothesizing that when religious doubts are high, greater pressure would result in lower levels of religious development. The model was supported for spiritual/religious self-mastery but not for relatedness. Students’ quotes were presented to illustrate the findings that emerged from the data analysis. Results clarify the deleterious role of religious pressures for Christians at certain developmental and situational milestones who are also simultaneously experiencing religious doubt and/or questioning their beliefs about God. Given past findings about the uncomfortable and unsatisfying, albeit necessary, role of engaging in some religious doubt and exploration, religious pressures can sabotage effective adaptation. The results underscore the importance of higher education administrators allowing space and support for religious questioning and doubt. Moreover, administrators in Christian universities should help facilitate the honest expression of their students’ doubts and questions and the minimization of environmental religious pressures.

Coaching program sets struggling students up for success

BOSTON — When student affairs staff at Texas State University wanted to boost student retention and graduation rates, they decided to focus on students on academic probation and in developmental education courses. Knowing that 20% of first‐year students find themselves on academic probation, and 75% of those students don’t get into good academic standing, so they lose their financial aid and have to leave the institution, according to Victoria Black, Associate Dean for Student Services at Texas State University. To set those struggling students on a path to success, staff developed a success coaching program, resulting in improved GPAs for at least 50% of students who received success coaching at least three times. Also, about 75% of students who received coaching at least two times described the program as helpful, Black said during a presentation at the annual conference for NASPA — Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education.

The three most important words in faculty workload: transparency, transparency, transparency

Among the most contentious topics between faculty and administration in higher education is defining what constitutes fair and equitable faculty workload. The provost, as chief academic officer, oversees the faculty workload policy, yet implementation is typically carried out at the department level. Specific teaching assignments for each faculty member are determined by the department chair, who must address the needs of the faculty and the department, with oversight from the dean. Like the real estate adage about location, location, location, we suggest that transparency is a critical factor for chairs in assigning faculty workload. Individual faculty sometimes feel that they are doing more work than their colleagues, and a lack of transparency regarding teaching assignments can cause suspicions of favoritism and inequity. Transparency leads to increased trust and a sense of accountability between faculty and academic leaders (O’Meara et al. 2019). Here we discuss three strategies for increasing transparency and, thus, faculty satisfaction in workload matters.

Find ways to take chances that can change perceptions

Beth Paretta has a challenge for higher education administrators: What can you change in six seconds? If you think six seconds isn’t enough time to do much of anything, Paretta has proven that's just not true, and so she wants to see others follow suit and make a difference.