Browsing by Author "John Levin, Committee Chair"

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African-American Alumni Perceptions Regarding Giving to Historically Black Colleges and Universities
(2006-05-23) Reaves, Nicole; John Levin, Committee Chair; Marvin Titus, Committee Member; Paul Bitting, Committee Member; Audrey Jaeger, Committee Member
The continued existence of several private historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) has been threatened due to limited financial resources. Several of these institutions are on probation with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) or in jeopardy of losing their accreditation due to financial position. Similarly, HBCUs have been dependent primarily on the government, the church, and benevolent philanthropists for funding. As government support of the private HBCU decreases, and as the economy worsens, competition for funding sources increases. As a result, these institutions focus their attention towards resource development and philanthropic support. The number one source of financial support for most colleges is the alumni (Yates, 2001). Unlike predominantly White colleges, HBCUs have not had a long history of generous alumni giving (Ramsey, 1992). Hence, if HBCUs can facilitate giving from their alumni, the financial condition of these institutions may improve. This study examined African-American alumni perceptions regarding giving for two private HBCUs located in the Southeastern United States. The purpose of this study was to determine the factors influencing African-American alumni perceptions regarding giving and how these factors facilitate or impede participation in giving to the HBCU. For this case study, data were collected through interviewing African-American alumni, attending alumni association meetings, and examining web-pages and other documents at the respective colleges. The findings under the lens of cultural, critical race and institutional theories (Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995; Outlaw, 1996) revealed factors influenced by Western social construction of culture, race, class, and power which have, consequently, impacted African-American alumni participation in giving to HBCUs. The conclusions and implications of this study are significant enough to warrant further investigation into the ramifications of African-American alumni giving to HBCUs in order to determine whether the anticipated benefits of alumni giving can, in fact, ameliorate the financial position of the HBCU.
Graduate Education Experience and Career Paths of Women Faculty in Higher Education Administration
(2006-10-02) Haley, Karen Jean; John Levin, Committee Chair; Audrey J. Jaeger, Committee Member; Colleen Aalsburg Wiessner, Committee Member; Cynthia Wolf Johnson, Committee Member
Although there has been a concerted effort on the part of colleges and universities to increase women's representation as faculty in higher education, equal representation in all disciplines has not been realized. The purpose of this research is to increase our understanding of the graduate student experience of current women faculty, specifically, their experience as it relates to becoming a faculty member. The investigation of an exemplary case, Higher Education Administration, lends support to the graduate student literature that emphasizes faculty-student interaction as a primary factor in persistence and retention. This interaction is particularly important for Higher Education Administration students as many are enrolled in programs that do not have institutionalized support for future faculty. While most participants in this investigation did not follow the traditional academic career path that began as an undergraduate, they did display commonalities within the group. What characterized all of the participants was the ability to create their own path to the professoriate. Given the academy's inequitable proportion of women in tenure-track ranks, especially noted in a number of program areas such as science and engineering, the example of Higher Education programs may have salience for institutions that purport to make the academy more equitable.
The influences of institutional reputation on the labor market outcomes of education and training: A case study of community college nursing programs
(2007-12-08) Nagler, Alisa; LEILA GONZALEZ SULLIVAN, Committee Member; John Levin, Committee Chair; MARVIN TITUS, Committee Member; CYNTHIA WOLF JOHNSON, Committee Member
Protests Without Teargas: Portrayals of Campus Activism in the Print Media 1996-2004
(2007-04-05) Olausen, Kurt; Colleen Grochowski, Committee Member; Marvin Titus, Committee Member; Audrey Jaeger, Committee Member; John Levin, Committee Chair
This study examines how student activists were portrayed by the campus daily newspaper during the time period 1996-2004. Duke University in Durham, North Carolina is the subject of this qualitative case study, which uses the dramaturgical theory of sociologist Erving Goffman as its framework. The issues taken on by student activists at Duke during this time period include the anti-sweatshop movement, race relations on campus, identity issues of African Americans, Asian Americans, women and political conservatives, and the Sudanese civil war. The Chronicle, Duke's daily campus newspaper, portrays the student activists in a number of roles that are categorized as campus⁄education roles, political roles, and social roles. The campus⁄education roles have been identified as educator, campus leader, object of ridicule and satire (as viewed by their fellow students), partner in university governance, and change agent or catalyst. The political roles are concerned citizen (both on campus and in the larger community), policy maker (for campus policy as well as local⁄national⁄international policy), representative⁄diplomat⁄spokesperson, idealist (someone who acts beyond or above politics), political agent, person with power and consumer advocate. The social roles identified by the study are moral conscience or compass, moral bully, social critic, champion of the underdog, social support network, and symbol maker. It is recognized that multiple roles can be played simultaneously. The study places the issues and roles of the period 1996-2004 into the history of student activism in American higher education.