African American males in senior athletic administrative positions at NCAA Division I predominantly white institutions face several challenges and barriers while navigating their career paths. These challenges and barriers include a lack of inclusion and understanding, tokenism, inadequate support, macroaggressions, and societal and institutional…

Professional development and career advancement are essential elements of a satisfying experience as a working professional. The purpose of this study was to examine: (1) the effectiveness of methods of professional development for student affairs professionals, (2) factors influencing career advancement for student affairs professionals, (3) the…

Empirical research addressing factors impacting veterans' postsecondary completion is limited. This study examines the impact of civilian acculturation stress, college belongingness, vocational identity, and practical education satisfaction on the college commitment of undergraduate military veterans. Foundational theories, the Student Integration…

Public school leaders struggle to find teachers to fill the vacancies in America's classrooms. The teacher shortage crisis is a result of many overlapping causes which include the disparity in resources to attract potential teachers, a declining enrollment in teacher preparatory programs, a lack of teachers certified to teach critical shortage…

This study examined how faculty who teach in specialized undergraduate programs for autistic college students approach self-advocacy teaching. Test et al.'s (2005) conceptual framework of self-advocacy was used as a lens to investigate this topic. Through ten semi-structured interviews (faculty in specialized college autism programs), ten themes…

The study aimed to provide organizations with the information needed to develop and incorporate strategies and policies that would increase opportunities for advancement among African American women to the benefit of organizational performance and bottom lines while providing guidance to seeking top-level career advancement in higher education.…

Considerable research has focused on the experiences of first-generation college students (FGS) (Defreitas & Rinn, 2013; Lightweis, 2014; Martin, 2015; Morales, 2014; Swecker, Fifolt, & Searby, 2013), who are defined as students whose parents did not graduate with a bachelor's degree from college (DeFreitas & Rinn, 2013). With minimal…

The United States higher education institutions' mission is to support students' academic success and career development goals by preparing them to become globally competent citizens and workforce-ready graduates. With student workforce preparation at the core of their mission, there is concern that colleges and universities are not adequately…

This dissertation investigates work-based learning as a method to prepare students for agricultural careers through three interconnected studies. The first two studies investigate secondary education programs in the United States, while the third study explores postsecondary education in Rwanda. In Study 1, a philosophical research approach…

Asian American women who choose a career in student affairs within the field of higher education are severely underrepresented in both staff positions and top officer/administrator positions compared to White women and other women of color. As the Asian American college student population continues to rise and women make up the majority of…

In the wake of post-COVID-era anti-Asian hate, Asian American employees at a two-year community and technical college have been grappling with mental health challenges while steadfastly carrying out their responsibilities. The purpose of this study was help create a supportive system so Asian American employees could achieve their professional…

In recent years, the call to diversity law enforcement departments generated attention to the challenges of recruiting and retaining minorities. Understanding the perspectives of minority law enforcement officers' transitional phases from civilian to front-line enforcement responsibilities has not been fully assessed. The purpose of this study was…

In response to research pointing to a growing executive leadership crisis in community colleges (CCs), with too few strong candidates entering the leadership pipeline for the presidency, I focused this study on individuals already in that pipeline. My goal was to develop an understanding of their perceptions of their own roles in the pipeline and…

U.S. study abroad is a growing facet of U.S. higher education. Around the world, study, internship, and service programming are increasing for U.S.-degree-seeking students wanting to expand their educational experience with an overseas learning opportunity (Open Doors 2022, 2022). With the influx and diversification of student participation comes…

In this study, I applied Bem's (1981) gender schema theory, Eccles and Wigfield's (1995) expectancy-value theory, and Bandura's (1986) social cognitive theory to examine the underrepresentation of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) leadership. Additionally, I used Clark and Estes's (2008) gap analysis to identify the…