This study reviews if the glass cliff phenomenon is occurring in U.S. higher education presidential hires. This topic is essential to review as U.S. higher education institutions are primarily presided over by male presidents. Female presidents do exist, but more often at more risky institutions. One reason for the lack of equity may be the glass…

Adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, have been shown to have an impact on an individual's mental, physical, and academic health. Specific individuals are more vulnerable to experiencing ACEs than others, and recognizing who these individuals are and when these experiences occur is critical in determining what supports were in place for at-risk…

Mental health struggles in college students have been steadily increasing in recent years. In an effort to slow the trend, scholars have searched for methods and tools to help students manage their mental health. One such tool that has shown to be correlated with less stress, anxiety, and symptoms associated with depression is mental toughness.…

This quantitative study sought to identify faculty perceptions about job satisfaction at one small, private university in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and the connection to intent to stay at the same institution. This study was a conceptual replication study, patterned off Rhone's 2010 doctoral dissertation study, "Faculty…

This multi-site case study explored the uncommonly discussed yet organic intersection between the study of crisis communication and the study of crisis leadership and in turn, what it means in the context of a college presidency. This study has a unique focus on women presidents at small, private colleges and the ways in which they communicate…

Sexual violence is a serious problem on college campuses, and research indicates that bystander intervention is one way to reduce rates of violence. This quantitative study analyzed survey data (N = 696) from a small, private, religiously affiliated university on the West Coast of the U.S. to explore the relationship between values and bystander…

This study examined how faculty and Resident Director (RD) staff collaborate with each other in a Faculty in Residence Program (FIR) at a mid-sized, urban, private, research university, located in the Northeast region of the United States. This study examined the experiences of these two distinct groups of participants, and ultimately how they…

Young adults are very socially active. During infectious disease outbreaks, their interpersonal interactions serve as a mode of viral transmission, especially to vulnerable populations such as the elderly and immunocompromised. A lack of compliance with recommended health behaviors among college students during the early months of the COVID-19…

Chapter 1 studies how the interaction of student information with constraints dictated by market design determines higher education choices and outcomes. I study strategic application incentives in imperfect implementations of centralized assignment mechanisms in higher education. I ask whether, in markets with both a central match for public…

The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the impact of an undergraduate short-term experiential learning nutrition course on influencing students' perceptions toward individuals experiencing poverty and food insecurity (FI). The Undergraduate Perception of Poverty Tracking Survey (UPPTS) was the tool used to measure perception. Student…

Higher Education is facing an increasingly competitive marketplace with high tuition prices, consumers are pushing back on rising tuition prices and choosing community and state colleges. A shortage in the traditional college age student population, has compounded the enrollment problem at small, private colleges. Most private colleges are…

This exploratory, mixed-methods study investigated the relationship between information literacy and critical thinking. The research question guiding the first portion of the study was: How do information literacy and critical thinking relate in undergraduate students conducting academic research? Using two standardized assessments, the study…

This single site case study investigated the phenomenon of narrowly missed on-time graduation (bachelor's degree completion within four years rather than five) among first-time, full-time undergraduate students at one private residential college in the Northeastern United States. Lengthening time to an undergraduate degree is a national trend; the…

This study investigated the perceptions and attitudes students have regarding their decision to participate or not as witnesses in a southwest United States private university gender-based violence adjudication process. The study also investigated whether there was a relationship between students' decisions to participate and their gender, age,…

The purpose of this study was to explore perceptions of safety, determine the factors that impacted student perceptions of campus safety, and to determine whether perceptions of campus safety had an impact on student engagement in campus and student activities. Campus safety and student engagement were analyzed through a literature review.…