Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), University of Dayton, 2019, Educational Leadership

This study investigated if differences existed in students' expectations and satisfaction with first-year on-campus housing by their academic areas of study. Statistically significant differences existed between Social Science majors and Engineering majors relative to expectations regarding their residence halls. Additionally, statistically significant differences existed between the level of expectations for women and men, with women having higher expectations regarding the essential features for their housing facilities. No statistically significant differences emerged between the mean scores in students' satisfaction by academic area, but a multiple regression analysis found that majoring in the Liberal Arts was a statistically significant predictor of having higher levels of satisfaction with residence housing. While only a few differences existed in students' levels of satisfaction and their expectations based on their academic major, the physical facility or building that students lived in was a statistically significant predictor of students' expectations for and satisfaction with the residence halls in which they were housed. These results show that in addition to new construction and renovation of existing facilities, schools need to maintain the quality of their current supply of housing due to the connection between satisfaction with facilities and student academic success. Additionally, well-maintained facilities keep high education institutions competitive in terms of recruiting students. Finally, as demographics change for incoming first-year students, it is crucial to find ways to support academic achievement and success. The engagement and development students receive in on-campus housing is one way that institutions can promote student retention and educational attainment.

Committee: Thomas Lasley Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Katie Kinnucan-Welsch Ed.D. (Committee Member); Larry Smith Ph.D. (Committee Member); Una Cadegan Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Design; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2022, Leadership Studies

Colleges and universities with residence halls on their campuses are home to a myriad of crises that can occur any day and at any time. These crises occur at a much greater frequency and are often the responsibility of entry-level residence life crisis managers that often have the least amount of crisis management experience on campus. The purpose of this study was to utilize a mixed-methods approach to discover the environmental influences, crisis characteristics, and aspects of self that inform how entry-level residence life crisis managers perform their crisis management duties. Eleven entry-level crisis managers from a large public university in the Midwestern United States provided written responses and participated in interviews to share how their response to crises were informed by the crisis itself, the environment, and themselves. The qualitative data were coded into 39 individual codes, which were brought together into four core categories of findings: 1) Characteristics of the Crisis; 2) Characteristics of the Environment; 3) Characteristics of the Crisis Manager; and 4) Coordinating with Others. The qualitative findings were reviewed by a panel of nominated experts in residence life crisis management from the Great Lakes Association of Colleges and University Housing Officers (GLACUHO) through a Delphi study, a multi-round survey where participants rated their level of agreement to the extent that each code does and should inform crisis management. The insights from the qualitative participants along with the points of agreement and disagreement from the expert panel carry implications for practitioners when it comes to training staff and working with crisis stakeholders, as well as for future researchers in terms of how residence life crisis management is discussed and researched moving forward.

Committee: Patrick Pauken J.D., Ph.D. (Advisor); Kefa Otiso Ph.D. (Committee Member); John Buck D.Mgt. (Committee Member); Christy Galletta Horner Ph.D. (Committee Member); Chris Willis Ed.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Higher Education Administration

PHD, Kent State University, 2020, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Lifespan Development and Educational Sciences

The purpose of this qualitative investigation was to understand the lived experience of gay college males after coming out to a heterosexual roommate while living in a residence hall. Interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) was chosen for this phenomenological qualitative design. For the current study I sought to better understand the lived experiences of gay college males after coming out to a heterosexual roommate in a residence hall. Ten participants from a university who self-identified as gay males participated in semi structured interviews. During the interviews, participants were asked questions about their experiences with coming out to their heterosexual roommate while living in a residence hall. Data analysis was completed using guidelines for IPA described by Smith, Flowers, and Larkin (2009). Four superordinate themes developed through this process: (a) reflecting on the coming out process, (b) ability to live authentically, (c) experiences of homophobia, and (d) experiencing support. From this understanding gained from participants' lived experiences, support services related to the counseling profession can be utilized for gay males coming out in college.

Committee: Steve Rainey Ph.D. (Committee Co-Chair); Cassandra Storlie Ph.D. (Committee Co-Chair); Dianne Kerr Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Counseling Education; Glbt Studies; Higher Education; Mental Health

Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2016, Educational Leadership

Existing research reveals the benefits of living on campus for student involvement. However, a dearth of research focuses on the experience of minority student population. Concerned with minority students, institutional racism, and retention, Rendo'n (1994, 2011) argues that validation is more important than the conventional approaches in understanding minority students' campus engagement. In the current study, Chinese international students' sense of validation in residence hall is defined as: “ Feelings of being respected, confirmed, supported, enabled, and cared by the actions that are initiated by other residence hall members, such as Residence Assistant (RA), Hall Director (HD), Associate Hall Director (AHD), and residence hall peers”. The purpose of this study is to explore Chinese international students' sense of validation in residence halls, and to investigate the impact of this factor on their residence hall involvement. Stage one develops the Chinese Student Sense of Validation in Residence Hall (CSSOV-RH) Survey informed by validation theory and existing empirical studies. Stage two samples another group of Chinese students, and answers three core research questions. Findings indicate that Chinese students' sense of validation in residence halls can be reflected by five underlying factors including a. Sensitivity of Individual and Cultural Identity; b. Validation of Academic Self-efficacy; c. Validation of Social Comfortableness; d. Validation of Residence Hall Functionality; and e. Promotion of Diversity Awareness. Results also discover a significantly negative relationship between students' age and their sense of validation, a higher sense of validation among Chinese students from more affluent families, an increased sense of validation if students have a better English proficiency level, and fluctuated levels of sense of validation if length of stay in residence hall is considered. Chinese students' pre-college experience, such as taking the Nationa (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Kathleen Knight Abowitz (Committee Chair); Aimin Wang (Committee Co-Chair); Richard Quantz (Committee Member); Kathleen Goodman (Committee Member); Kevin Bush (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Leadership

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1968, ED Policy and Leadership

Committee: Collins Burnett (Advisor) Subjects:

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1980, Educational Policy and Leadership

Committee: Robert Rodgers (Advisor) Subjects:

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1980, Educational Policy and Leadership

Committee: Robert Rodgers (Advisor) Subjects:

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1980, Educational Policy and Leadership

Committee: Robert Rodgers (Advisor) Subjects:

Bachelor of Arts, Miami University, 2010, College of Arts and Sciences - International Studies

A central tenet of Miami University's mission and the goals of President David Hodge, student leadership development has become an increasingly important part of the Office Student Affairs and higher education. Nowhere is this focus more obvious than in the intentional leadership programming within the residence halls of the University. One of these residential communities, the CHANGE Living, Learning Community (LLC). works with first-year students to provide them with curricular and co-curricular experiences and to aid in their development and understandings of leadership. Despite observations and evaluations of other similar programs, additional research on these initiatives becomes a necessity in order to make changes and improvements to benefit leadership programs and student development at Miami. Chronicling the experiences of 10 students in the CHANGE LLC over a six-month period, this study examines the effects of the different components of living, learning communities. Particularly targeting students who participate in the course EDL 306: Nature of Group Leadership, this study works to construct narratives to explore the practice of leadership at Miami and how these students interact with this conceptual structure. After discussing the theoretical basis of this study, common themes and ideas expressed by participants are identified and analyzed. Finally, this paper will make recommendations to the Office of Student Affairs and other University partners in order to help improve the experiences of students in the CHANGE community and across campus. Many of these suggestions target methods for clarification, intentional programming, and ideas to help build student buy-in. This study provides an in-depth analysis of the current programs and ways in which leadership development at Miami might be enhanced.

Committee: Richard Nault PhD (Advisor); Jennifer Buckley (Committee Member); Andrew Beckett PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Higher Education