The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore graduate student senates in higher education institutions to have a better understanding of their history, role, functions, power, influence, and effectiveness in addressing the needs of graduate students. The theoretical framework for this study draws on concepts from political science and…

This action research project centers the narratives of women and nonbinary students of color as they navigate leadership roles within student government at Ivy League institutions. The overarching aim of the project is to develop an understanding of the barriers to participation for women and nonbinary students of color and collaboratively…

This study explored the experiences of 18 undergraduate Black women who hold elected student leadership positions from 15 private and public historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) from around the country. For the purposes of this study, elected student leaders were defined as students who ran for offices and were elected into those…

Within institutions of higher education, shared governance is an essential component to a healthy functionality. Among the many stakeholders at these institutions, students are the largest in number and hold primacy. Participation in student governance establishes a sense of shared ownership over their communities while also providing a unique…

With recent literature documenting the benefits of diversifying senior leadership teams (Madsen, 2015) and leadership development a desired outcome of the higher education experience (Komives et al., 2013), understanding ways to increase the pipeline of diverse leaders merits research attention. The findings of this qualitative study regarding the…

The purpose of this interpretative phenomenological analysis study was to explore how undergraduate student government participants at a state university in California engage in decision-making in their official roles. This study focused on an auxiliary student government organization called Associated Students located at one of the twenty-three…

The purpose of this study was to understand and perceive how student leaders, and specifically student body presidents, navigated social power and used influence with institutional leaders in the higher education decision-making environment to achieve the goals and objectives of their presidencies. The foundational texts of higher education…

In 2015, The Education Trust released "The Pell Partnership: Ensuring a Shared Responsibility for Low-Income Student Success." This analysis of over 1,000 public and private institutions revealed that while Pell grant recipients graduate at rates averaging 14 percentage points lower than non-Pell eligible students, many institutions do…

In recent years in the United States, women have been outpacing men on important college outcomes such as grade point average and degree attainment. While women have made strides in the last few decades, there are still important areas of higher education in which women are significantly underrepresented. In student government, women are vastly…

This document analysis synthesized student learning outcomes (SLOs) and assessment methods from a sample of 36 student government associations in the California Community College system. Student learning outcomes were grouped according to "governance, ethical and civic behavior", and "experiential learning functions." Using…

The purpose of this mixed methods study is to examine the effects of student council involvement on academic performance and on school climate and culture. The quantitative research examines the impact between middle and high school students' involvement in student council and their grade point average. In addition, the quantitative research…

The student bodies of colleges and universities, particularly those in large metropolitan areas, have been diversifying steadily, and that has prompted attention to ensure that faculties and staff are similarly diverse. Especially important groups of staff to consider are student affairs professionals as well as those in the most visible…

The purpose of this study is to examine the professional standards and competencies that California community college student government advisors perceive as important, their confidence level in those professional standards and competencies and the role that they believe professional organizations can play in developing those skills. This study…

The purpose of this historical case study dissertation is to discover the story of Dr. Katharine Rea in her role as dean of women and later faculty member in the higher education and student personnel program at the University of Mississippi. As the dean of women in the 1960s Rea was responsible for the well-being and quality of the educational…

The purpose of this study was to describe the leadership development process of former student leaders at Snow College. More specifically, the study focused on understanding how, when, and where leadership development took place in their "lived experience" within the student government at Snow College (Van Manen, 1998). Examining the lived…