Foreign policies of U.S. higher education institutions: Accident or design?

Based on a content analysis of The Chronicle of Higher Education from 1984 to 1989, the authors find that current foreign policy decisions of higher education institutions are being made reactively within four policy arenas: research, students, investments, and academic programs. The authors conclude that a comprehensive foreign policy should be included in an institution's strategic planning process.He has served recently as Visiting Professor of Higher Education at the University of Georgia. Previously he was Director of the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education. Carolyn P. Griswold has a M.Ed. from Georgia State University and is a doctoral candidate in the Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia. Phyllis Wyatt-Woodruff is Director of Enrollment at Paine College and a doctoral candidate in the Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia. Patricia Gregg is on the staff of Clayton State College and is a doctoral candidate in the Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia.     

Higher Education Trust, Rank and Race: A Conceptual and Empirical Analysis

This study involved an analysis of faculty trust in a large southwestern institution. After reviewing the literature, we identified a valid and reliable instrument, the Higher Education Faculty Trust Inventory, to measure higher education faculty trust in administrators, colleagues, and students. We then used this instrument to gauge various aspects of faculty trust, and we found significant trust differences among professors of varying academic ranks (i.e., adjunct, assistant, associate, and full professor). We found, however, no significant trust differences in regard to race. Finally, we discuss the findings within a context of implications for future research and practice in higher education. Page A. Smith received his B.S. in Education from Wright State University, M.S. in Educational Administration from the University of Dayton, M.A. in Educational Administration from The Ohio State University and his Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Leadership from The Ohio State University. He is an Associate Professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio. His research pursuits include organizational climate and health, institutional trust, workplace aggression and bullying, and leadership development. Alan R. Shoho received his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from California State University at Fullerton, M.Ed. in Secondary Education from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and his Ed.D. in Secondary Education from Arizona State University. He is an Associate Professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio. His research interests include aspiring principals, high school reform, and organizational trust.     

Transforming the College through Technology: A Change of Culture

In this article we address the implementation of sustainable technological change among the faculty, staff, and students in the College of Education and Human Services at a mid-western urban institution. We examine cultural factors common to institutions of higher education and then describe particular planning and implementation processes employed at one institution to move faculty and staff from a state of minimal technology use to one of substantial technological competence over a period of years. The process turns out to be robust and stable despite growth over time. We conclude with recommendations for other educational institutions facing similar needs for cultural change in the use of technology. James A. McLoughlin has been Dean of the College of Education and Human Services at Cleveland State University since 1995 and Interim Provost from 2000 to 2001; he received his Ph.D. in Special Education from the University of Arizona. Lih-Ching Chen Wang is a Fulbright Scholar. She is currently an Associate Professor of Education in the Department of Curriculum and Foundations at Cleveland State University. Her work focuses on the integration of technology into teacher education. She holds a Ph.D. in Instructional Technology from Kent State University. William A. Beasley is a Professor of Education who specializes in Educational Technology and runs the Center for Teaching Excellence at Cleveland State University. He holds an Ed. D. in Gifted Education from the University of Georgia.     

The synergy of minority student persistence and faculty renewal

In response to increased student assessment and accountability concerns, colleges and universities have been called on to increase their efforts to improve the retention rates of an increasingly diverse student body. This article outlines a synergistic strategy for promoting minority student persistence through faculty renewal efforts that encourage faculty to question their cultural beliefs and academic values concerning the teaching and learning enterprise.Dr. Kay F. Norman is currently with Delaware State University where she is Director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching. She also teaches graduate courses in Educational Assessment and Special Education Administration and Supervision. She holds an Ed.D. in Higher Education Administration with emphasis in Student Services from Texas Southern University. Her research interests are in student retention, assessment, and effective teaching. James Norman, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Education at Delaware State University's School of Education. He is a graduate of Ohio State University. Dr. Norman's research interest include special education monitoring and compliance issues, and behavioral management systems.     

Faculty Productivity Barriers and Supports at a School of Education

All programs in a midwestern university recently embarked on a path to help increase the scholarly productivity of faculty. The effort to develop a research emphasis within the School of Education required determining the needs of tenure-track faculty regarding meeting the new requirements. The purposes of our study were to investigate these needs and identify the individual, environmental, and leadership factors that affect faculty productivity. Findings revealed a need to transform the School’s service and teaching culture to a culture of research and scholarship. Recommendations for helping other schools of education to become more research-oriented are provided. While the study focuses on data from a particular School of Education, the implications may generalize to faculty productivity within other institutions, particularly within professional schools. Susan A. Santo  received a Ph.D. in Instructional Technology from the University of Virginia and is currently an Associate Professor of Adult and Higher Education at the University of South Dakota. Her research interests include faculty productivity in higher education and improving distance learning. Mary E. Engstrom  received an Ed.D. from the University of South Dakota in Curriculum and Instruction. She is currently the Associate Director of Extended Learning Services at the University of Montana. Her research interests include instructional design for online learning and professional development for educators. Linda Reetz  received an Ed.D. from the University of North Dakota in Teacher Education and serves as the Associate Dean of the School of Education at the University of South Dakota. Her research interests include higher education practices for teacher education programs and mild disabilities. William Schweinle  received a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Arlington in Psychology and serves as an Assistant Professor at the University of South Dakota. His research interest area is in statistics. Kristine Reed  received a Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln in Curriculum and Instruction/Administration and serves as a faculty member in Curriculum and Instruction, University of South Dakota. Her research emphases include multicultural education and rural education.     

The Influences of Faculty on Undergraduate Student Participation in Research and Creative Activities

Using data collected from surveys of college juniors and seniors and faculty members in related academic departments, this study examined whether faculty teaching and research orientations, as well as faculty external funding, had any impact on undergraduate student participation in research and creative activities. The results of the study indicated that faculty research orientation and external funding were indeed positively related to student participation in research activities. However, faculty members’ teaching orientation was not significant. Further analyses indicated that faculty teaching and research orientations had different impacts on a range of research and creative activities by undergraduate students. The findings from this study provide insight on ways of improving college teaching and learning as well as informing the development of institutional academic policies related to faculty and undergraduate education. Shouping Hu is Associate Professor of Higher Education at Florida State University. He received his M.S. degree in Economics and Ph.D. in Higher Education from Indiana University. His research and scholarship focus on college access and success, student engagement, and higher education policy. Kathyrine Scheuch is the Deputy Director of Research and Evaluation in the Division of Community Colleges, Florida Department of Education. She received her Ed.D. in Higher Education from Florida State University. Her research interests include undergraduate research activities and minority student issues. Joy Gaston Gayles is Associate Professor of Higher Education at North Carolina State University. She received her Ph.D. in Higher Education from Ohio State University. Her research interests include the college student experience and its impact on student development and learning.     

A Breakpoint Moment: Leadership Visions and Values for Trustees of Collegiate Mission

American higher education is an enterprise of complex heritage, mission, and governance culture—an enterprise expected to serve as both cultural curator and cultural critic. Contemporary issues such as the call for accountability and the pressure of marketplace ideology present colleges and universities with a possible breakpoint change moment in both mission and leadership, as established policy and philosophic principles are challenged and leadership vision and values are similarly called to question. This article probes the particular effect of marketplace ideology on colleges and explores three metaphors of leadership role and value: the Servant/Exemplar Leader, the Steward/Trustee Leader, and the Artist/Designer Leader.This article is adapted from a keynote presentation given to the Association for Student Judicial Affairs 2005 Annual Meeting in Clearwater Beach, Florida.E. Grady Bogue is Professor of Higher Education at the University of Tennessee, is Chancellor Emeritus of Louisiana State University in Shreveport, and has also served as Interim Chancellor of Louisiana State University and A&M College. He holds B.S. in Mathematics, M.A. in Education, and Ed.D. in Educational Administration from the University of Memphis and was named a Distinguished Alumnus of the University in 1986     

Administrative support in initiating transformations: A perspective of an African American female

African American females need to develop alliances with White administrators to transform policies and practices to assist these female faculty members in becoming successful and productive professors at predominantly White research universities. Strategies for White administrators and other powerful White faculty members, and African American females are delineated in this article. In addition, illustrations of courses, activities, and programmatic changes in one college are included.Mary M. Atwater is an associate professor in the Department of Science Education at the University of Georgia. She holds a B.S. in chemistry from Methodist College in Fayetteville, North Carolina; an M.A. (M.S.) in organic chemistry from the University of North Carolina; and, a Ph.D. in science education from North Carolina State University, Raleigh. Her research interests include African American learning and involvement in the sciences, multicultural science teacher education, and urban education. Her teaching experiences include science education, multicultural education, and chemistry.     

Multiculturalism Incorporated: Student Perceptions

Multicultural education has transformed higher education both in terms of research and in terms of student experiences. Given the complexity of our institutions, the overall effects of these transformations are mixed. Building on the successes and strengths of multicultural education as it is currently incorporated in institutions and programs will involve better understanding how it is perceived, positively and negatively, by those who are experiencing it first hand. In this article we seek to contribute to this reflection through a discussion of a survey of students’ perceptions of multiculturalism in a large first-year program in a research university. Patrick Bruch is Associate Professor of Writing Studies in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. He received a B.A. in English from Western Michigan University and a Ph.D. in English from Wayne State University. His teaching and research focus on struggles for equality within and through higher education. Jeanne L. Higbee received her B.S. in Sociology from Iowa State University and earned both her M.S. in Counseling and Guidance and Ph.D. in Educational Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She currently serves as Professor and Senior Advisor to the Center for Research on Developmental Education and Urban Literacy, College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota. Her research interests are related to student development and the access and retention of student populations that traditionally have been underserved in postsecondary educational institutions. Kwabena Siaka is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Educational Policy and Administration at the University of Minnesota.     

Simulations: Using experiential learning to add relevancy and meaning to introductory courses

Over the past two years the authors have provided experiential learning in the form of a simulation exercise to help 240 college students relate personally to the foundations of education. Introductory courses, with a preponderance of facts and breadth of content, can easily overwhelm students. The simulation not only energized the students but also personalized an in-depth understanding of educational issues. This theoretical knowledge was applied practically, a link which may often be missing in many introductory courses.Kathleen K. Montgomery holds a D. Ed. from The Pennsylvania State University. She is Assistant Professor of Education at Elmira College, where she teaches Introduction to Education, Instructional Strategies, and Curriculum and Instruction for Elementary Education. Professor Montgomery's research interests include the design of experiential learning and assessment methods used to evaluate such learning. She is currently working on a book about authentic assessment methods useful for elementary teachers. Susan C. Brown holds an Ed.D. from the University of Central Florida. She is the Assistant Director/Assistant Professor of Education at Elmira College, where she teaches Introduction to Education, Instructional Strategies, and Multicultural Education. Professor Brown has recently published articles on multicultural education for perservice teachers in theJournal of Curriculum and Supervision andCurriculum, a British Journal of educators. She is on the Editorial Board of the Educational Forum. Cathleen M. Deery holds the M.S. degree for Syracuse University. She is lecturer at Elmira College, where she teaches Introduction to Education, Educational Psychology, and Inclusionary Education. Professor Deery has designed numerous experiential learning components for her classes, and she is currently working on a book with Kathleen Montgomery about authentic assessment methods.     

Educational policy through service learning: Preparation for citizenship and civic participation

This article describes a course designed to prepare undergraduate students to participate effectively in civic life and in public decisions about education and schooling. The course includes an examination of the theoretical and conceptual basis of civic responsibility and service learning, a review of the process of educational policymaking, and an in-depth exploration of a number of current educational policy issues. The course is taught with service learning pedagogy. Experiences in a service placement yield personal knowledge that has the potential to inform students' critical analysis of theoretical, research, and policy literature and to make students more effective active classroom learners.Susan G. Forman is Vice President for Undergraduate Education at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. She obtained her B.A. and her M.S. at the University of Rhode Island and her Ph.D. in School Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Vice President Forman is responsible for oversight of university-wide curriculum and teaching issues and has substantially expanded service learning courses as a means of increasing students' understanding of citizenship. Louise C. Wilkinson is Dean of the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Her B.A. is from Oberlin College, her Ed.M. from Harvard University, and her Ph.D. in Human Development also from Harvard. Dean Wilkinson's interests in education span primary through higher education and include a focus on teacher education and how educational policies are formulated and implemented.     

Nurturing faculty vitality by matching institutional interventions with career-stage needs

A questionnaire study, modeled after Baldwin's 1979 research on faculty at a liberal arts college, was conducted with 42 Lilly Teaching Fellows and Lilly Mentors at a large, public, research-oriented university in the Southeast U.S.A. Results from the study support the notion that one of the keys to a successful instructional and faculty development program is to target activities to the academic career stage of the faculty member.Patricia Kalivoda works in the Office of Instructional Development at The University of Georgia. She holds an MBA and an Ed.D. from The University of Georgia. Her research focuses on faculty career development and faculty vitality. Geraldine Rogers Sorrell is Special Populations Coordinator at Middle Georgia Technical Institute. She holds an M.Ed.and an Ed.D. from The University of Georgia. She specializes in faculty and staff development, and career counseling. Ronald D. Simpson is Director of the Office of Instructional Development at The University of Georgia, where he also is professor of Higher Education and Science Education. He holds degrees from The University of Tennessee and The University of Georgia.     

Evaluating Academic Challenge Beyond the NSSE

The authors investigated student and faculty perceptions of academic challenge at their institution, based on early administrations of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). This analysis revealed that the NSSE did not fully capture many meanings of academic challenge held by these faculty and students. This study led to a proposal for the development of an internal assessment approach using a modification of the NSSE and other scale items on academic challenge and student engagement. The authors discuss several implications of this study for academic scholarship and for institutional policy concerning the assessment of academic challenge.All authors except Jim Purcell are at Georgia College and State University. Stephen L. Payne received his Ph.D. in Management from Arizona State University. He is an Associate Professor of Management and has broad research interests in areas related to ethics and education. Karynne L. M. Kleine is an Associate Professor of Middle Grades Education and has an Ed.D. from the University of Maine in science studies. Her interests are intellectual development for teacher preparation and the history and philosophy of science education. Jim Purcell received his Ed.D. from the University of Alabama, is currently the Executive Director of State System Research for the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, and concentrates on issues of student retention and graduation. Ginger Rudesal Carter is an Associate Professor of Mass Communication with a Ph.D. from the University of Southern Mississippi. Her interests include research on oral history, the media, and issues relating to the student press.     

Fostering Faculty Collaboration in Learning Communities: A Developmental Approach

Colleges and universities are adopting learning communities to increase student learning and build cohesion. As learning communities grow in popularity, institutions need to invest in faculty development (Oates, 2001) and understand faculty experiences (Mullen, 2001). The University of Hartford created a program that prepared faculty for collaborative teaching in first-year learning communities. Faculty learned to engage in collaborative behaviors, to think outside disciplinary borders, and to employ a specific template as a heuristic for course development. Results of focus group research about the faculty experience and the impact of the experience on their pedagogy are summarized.Catherine B. Stevenson, whose M.A. and Ph.D. are from New York University, is currently an Associate Professor of English and Drama and Academic Dean of International and Honors Programs. She and her coauthors are affiliated with the University of Hartford, West Hartford, CT. Her special interests include nineteenth and twentieth century literature, curriculum reform, pedagogy, and international education. Robert L. Duran, Professor in the School of Communication, who earned his M.A. at West Virginia University and Ph.D. at Bowling Green State University, is a specialist in program evaluation, evaluation research, and research methods. Karen A. Barrett, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies, has an M.S. from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Her special interests include interdisciplinary general education curriculum, higher education administration, and diagnostic hematology and microbiology. Guy C. Colarulli, earned an M.A. at the University of Connecticut and a Ph.D. at The American University. He is the Associate Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Studies, whose special interests include Higher Education Administration, First-Year Experience, as well as American Government, and Politics     

Collaborative Course Development for Online Courses

Developing a course for online instruction requires content knowledge and understanding of the interactivity, technological requirements, and possibilities in the asynchronous environment. Using a case study method, the researchers investigated the development of an online humanities course by a team of faculty and instructional designers. Data were collected through observation of face-to-face planning meetings, document analysis of group postings at the online site, and interviews with the team members. Using Berge’s typology of online facilitator roles and Stark and Luttuca’s framework on academic plans, this study examined the roles assumed by team members and the curricular decisions. Haixia Xu is a Ph.D. candidate in the Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia. Her research interests include policy aspects of distance education, comparative higher education, qualitative research methodology, and assessment and evaluation. Libby V. Morris is the Director of the Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia. She holds the Ph.D. degree from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Her research interests include evaluation and assessment, instructional technology, and educational demographics.     

The Concept of Readiness in the Academic Department: A Case Study of Undergraduate Education Reform

While there has been emphasis on the institution and individual classroom as loci of learning and reform, less attention has been paid to the academic department. However, precisely because its structure is so endemic to institutions of higher education, the academic department may be the most logical and potent site for change. Using a case study approach, this paper examines the conditions under which change in undergraduate education takes hold and flourishes in the academic department, advances the concept of readiness, and explores its implications for those who wish to promote change in the department. Virginia S. Lee  is managing member and consultant, Virginia S. Lee & Associates, LLC, a consulting firm specializing in teaching, learning, and assessment in higher education. She received her B.A. from Smith College, her M.B.A. from New York University, and her Ph.D. from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Special interests include the design and implementation of institution-wide curriculum reform efforts, course and curriculum design, inquiry-guided learning, intensive learning, outcomes-based assessment, and the scholarship of teaching and learning. Michael R. Hyman  is Director of Graduate Programs and Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology at North Carolina State University. He received his B.S. from University College, London, his M.B.A. from Oregon State University, and his Ph.D. from Bristol University. His major research interest is the biodegradation of environmental pollutants. Geraldine Luginbuhl  is Interim Department Head and Professor in the Department of Microbiology at North Carolina State University. She received her B.S. from Stanford University and her Ph.D. from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has a longstanding interest in undergraduate education and, recently, inquiry-guided learning.     

Transfer Student Graduation Efficiency and University Administrators: New Bedfellows

Accountability is an important focus for nearly all-public higher education institutions. In 1997 the Washington State Legislature mandated an accountability measure designed to encourage public universities to increase student efficiency toward graduation. This accountability measure is assessed by a formula called the Graduation Efficiency Index. This qualitative study details the Graduation Efficiency Index's conception and ramifications for public higher education institutions. It further examines university administrators' perceptions of the Graduation Efficiency Index and transfer students' impact on the ability of three public institutions to meet mandated accountability goals. We include implications for practice. Susan Poch is the Director of the Student Advising and Learning Center at Washington State University. She holds a Ph.D. in Education Leadership, Higher Education from Washington StateUniversity. Her research focuses on the policy and practice of student transition. Mimi Wolverton is Professor of Higher Education at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Her areas of research include leadership, organizational change and organizational effectiveness. She holds an M.B.A. and Ph.D. in Education Leadership from Arizona State University.     

Engaging Undergraduate Students in Research Activities: Are Research Universities Doing a Better Job?

Engaging undergraduate students in research activities has been advocated as an innovative strategy to improve American higher education (Boyer Commission, Reinventing undergraduate education: A blueprint for America’s research universities. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Stony Brook, NY, 1998). This study compared the frequency of undergraduate student research experiences at different types of colleges and universities from the early 1990s through 2004. The results indicate that the frequency of student research experiences increased since 1998 at all types of institutions and that students at research universities were not more likely than their counterparts elsewhere to have such experiences. The findings were consistent across major fields. To live up to their claims, research universities must find additional ways to involve undergraduates in research with faculty members. Shouping Hu is Associate Professor of Higher Education at Florida State University. He received his M.S. degree in Economics and Ph.D. in Higher Education from Indiana University. His research and scholarship focuses on postsecondary access and persistence, college student experience, and higher education finance. George D. Kuh is Chancellor’s Professor of Higher Education and Director of the Center for Postsecondary Research at Indiana University Bloomington. He received his Ph.D. degree from the University of Iowa. His research focuses on the quality of undergraduate education. Joy Gaston Gayles is Associate Professor in Adult and Higher Education at North Carolina State University. She received her Bachelor’s degree from Shaw University, Master’s degree from Auburn University, and Ph.D. in Higher Education from The Ohio State University. Her research focuses on college student learning and development.     

Integrating Learning Communities and Distance Education: Possibility or Pipedream?

As demands for accountability continue and increase, higher education administrators require tools for evaluating campus programs. Learning communities, as a course design strategy, have proven successful in confronting challenges associated with attrition and retention. Because high attrition is associated with online distance education, learning community principles might be applicable to online courses. The authors surveyed attendees at a learning communities conference to determine the applicability of learning community principles to Internet learning and assessment. On the basis of their findings, they developed a rudimentary diagnostic tool for ascertaining whether online course design takes learning community principles into account.David DiRamio is Assistant Professor of Higher Education Leadership at Auburn University. He received both B.S. and M.B.A. degrees from the State University of New York at Buffalo and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. David's research interests include studying technology's impact on postsecondary education from administrative, legal, and policy perspectives. Mimi Wolverton is Program Coordinator and Professor of Higher Education Leadership at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She received a B.S. from Northern Illinois University, an M.B.A. from Arizona State University, and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from Arizona State University. Her research interests include academic deans, women and minorities in leadership, and elite M.B.A. programs. E-mail: diramio@auburn.edu.     

Oral English language proficiency of ITAs: Policy,implementation, and contributing factors

Student complaints to legislators led to 20 states mandating higher educational institutions develop policy on oral English language proficiency of instructors. These mandates directed public institutions to certify oral English language proficiency of international teaching assistants. Universities responded to these mandates by developing policy requiring formal evaluation of international teaching assistants and provision for remediation of those whose skills were deficient. Demographic factors which led to these mandates are number of non-resident aliens and number of students in higher education institutions in the state. Institutional factors leading to policy were graduate enrollment and degree granting status of institutions.Clayton F. Thomas obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Iowa. He is a Professor of Educational Administration and Foundations at Illinois State University and is affiliated with the Center for Higher Education. Patricia K. Monoson obtained her Ph.D. from the University of Illinois. She is an Associate Professor of Speech Pathology at Illinois State University and is affiliated with the Center for Higher Education.