Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2015, Educational Studies

Organizational mindfulness is a construct drawn from the literature on high reliability organizations (HRO), such as nuclear power plants and aircraft carriers. These are organizations where the slightest instability can lead to disaster. However, the principles of organizational mindfulness are suitable for any organization that seeks stability. In this study, organizational mindfulness is applied to higher education institutions; specifically, it is applied in shared governance contexts at colleges and universities. Disputes involving shared governance, especially between faculty members and administrators, often create serious instabilities on campuses. This study provides new insights on how organizational mindfulness may address this particular problem in higher education. In particular, two research questions were posed. First, is there a relationship between institutional type and one's role within an institution with perceptions of organizational mindfulness? Second, how do faculty members and administrators perceive organizational mindfulness in shared governance at their institutions? A sequential two-stage, mixed-methods research designed was employed. Faculty members and administrators at a liberal arts college and a research university were surveyed to answer the research questions. Then, a document analysis of governance-related materials from each institution was conducted. Finally, interviews of twelve faculty members and administrators were conducted. Generally, the type of institution or one's role within it did not influence perceptions of organizational mindfulness. Faculty members and administrators shared mostly positive comments about shared governance and organizational mindfulness at their institutions. This was a mixed-methods study with a small sample. Hence, more robust quantitative and qualitative research on organizational mindfulness in higher education is proposed. Additional research on institutional (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Tatiana Suspitsyna (Advisor); Bruce Kimball (Committee Member); Terrell Strayhorn (Committee Member); William Brantley (Committee Member) Subjects: Higher Education; Higher Education Administration

Master of Fine Arts, The Ohio State University, 2013, Industrial, Interior Visual Communication Design

This thesis examines how design can inform the services offered by a graduate student governance organization at a major university. The research applies the Experience Cycle model (Evenson and Dubberly, 2008) and emerging service design thinking methods to develop a series of service experience lifecycle maps illustrating the interactive components, both tangible and intangible, of student council services. The main research question is “How can university student governance bodies utilize a service design framework to propose more transformational student experiences?” A transformation of student experience focuses on a graduate student journey where students can concentrate on their primary function and less on finding the resources that will help enable their research and writing. Additionally, a transformational student experience can extend from the confines of graduate school into the professional world by providing the necessary skills needed for employment after graduation. Each of these key components places importance on understanding developmental service spaces in order to provide services that are more relevant and responsive to the needs of graduate students and other core stakeholders at the case study organization. The research applies the Experience Cycle model (Evenson and Dubberly, 2008) and emerging service design thinking methods to develop a series of service experience lifecycle maps illustrating the interactive components, both tangible and intangible, of student council services. The methods for data collection include survey, interview, observation, and two participatory workshops with graduate students, Council Delegates, university administrators, and the faculty advisors of the organization. The main investigation focuses on the rudimentary stages of graduate student development, that is, their choices to attend graduate school and why they chose a particular institution, the pressure points resulting from their decisions, areas of (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Peter Chan (Committee Chair); Elizabeth Sanders (Committee Member); Brian Stone (Committee Member) Subjects: Design

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2008, Educational Policy and Leadership

Since at least 1989, over seventy faculties or faculty senates have voted no-confidence in their academic presidents. Although these votes are symbolic, as only an institution's governing board can remove a president, they nonetheless bring paralysis to the campus community. What, then, are the sources of these votes of no-confidence?Data suggest that most of these votes are held because faculty members believe that shared governance principles have been violated. This study examines this phenomenon at three institutions – Baylor University, Texas A and M University at Kingsville, and Goddard College – through case studies. This examination uses literature on university governance and organizational culture to explore shared governance, its sanctity in higher education, and how the notion of shared governance is rooted in academic culture. Because shared governance problems are indicative of organizational conflict, conflict management literature is used to help identify ways that these problems can be addressed. By understanding the sources of no-confidence votes against presidents, colleges and universities can attempt to stop them from occurring. The practical benefits are profound; the campus community can heal and participants can truly fix institutional issues in a productive manner.

Committee: Tatiana Suspitsyna (Advisor); Ada Demb (Committee Member) Subjects: Higher Education

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2010, Leadership Studies

With declining state support, increased financial need on the part of the fastest growing demographic sections of the population, and public policy that discourages major increases in tuition for public higher education, the only logical source of additional finances for public colleges and universities is increased private funding through philanthropic contributions. The purpose of the present study was to examine what motivated individuals to make major gifts of $25,000 or more to the Bowling Green State University (BGSU) Building Dreams Centennial Campaign, and to identify the characteristics of these donors. Data were collected from the Building Dreams Campaign Survey, which was sent to all 310 individuals who gave $25,000 or more. A total of 58% of those contacted responded to the survey. The survey solicited feedback on the size of the campaign gift, motivations for making the gift, and demographic data such as household income, geographic location of home, whether or not the individual was an alumnus, length of time he or she had been a donor to BGSU, gender, and age. To determine whether each participant had served on a volunteer board at BGSU, and if so, which one(s), information was obtained through the Office of Alumni and Development database, which is the database of record for university board service. The first research question asked: Does the amount of the major gift differ by age, geographic region, and gender? The results showed that there is a significant difference by age, with donors in the 70-79 years of age category giving the most, and also by gender, with men giving more than women. There was not a statistical significance in giving by geographic region. The second research question asked: Does the amount of major gift differ by the presence of motivational factors? Respondents were given 20 different possible motivational factors and were allowed to choose as many of them as they wished. Only one of these factors was significantly related (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Patrick Pauken (Advisor); Rachel Vannatta Reinhart (Committee Member); Carolyn Palmer (Committee Member); Ernest Savage (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Education History; Higher Education

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), University of Dayton, 2012, Educational Leadership

This study examined attitudes of administrators, faculty, and students regarding student newspapers on Ohio's public university campuses; how student newspapers on the university campuses are governed, whether jurisdiction lies in administration, faculty, or student oversight; the extent to which problems occur between Ohio public university administrators and student journalists on the university campuses, including litigation; and examined anticipated changes in the current student newspaper governance structure and policies related to the student newspapers on the campuses. At its heart, this study focused on freedom of the press as it relates to student newspapers on public university campuses in Ohio.

Committee: Charles J. Russo J.D., Ed.D. (Committee Chair); Carolyn S. Ridenour Ed.D. (Committee Member); C. Daniel Raisch Ph.D. (Committee Member); James D. Robinson Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Leadership; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration; Journalism; Mass Communications; Mass Media