The purpose of this dissertation in practice was to explore the experiences of Gulf Coast State College faculty in the wake of Hurricane Michael, in an effort to better understand how both the storm and the institution's response shaped instruction and student success. The intent of this study was to determine if the policies and practices…

Florida's governor and legislature have mounted a multipronged assault on the intellectual autonomy of Florida's public colleges and universities. Florida is not alone, and Governor DeSantis' political success is already a model for other red-state governors to follow. Higher education leaders must find compelling ways to argue that the pursuit of…

A state college in the mid-Atlantic United States requires a music theory course for 4 of its undergraduate music programs. In the 6 years prior to this study, students had difficulty with the course, with many failing or withdrawing. Tinto's theory of student retention served as the foundation of the conceptual framework for this study, the…

State colleges in Florida are subjected to performance-based funding and must meet state-mandated performance measures to receive core funds each year. Efforts to improve student retention and completion rates are made not only by the leadership of the state colleges, but by the faculty members. The purpose of this single, holistic, qualitative…

Despite decades of research into the racial construct known as "whiteness" (e.g., Roediger, 1991; Frankenberg, 1993; Leonardo, 2002), as well as on white privilege and racism within predominantly white institutions (PWIs) (e.g., Harper & Hurtado, 2007), little research exists exploring the work of white faculty who confront racism in…

Curriculum reform is central to the aspirations of many developing countries as they strive to deliver a quality education to their citizens. In State Universities and Colleges in Region VI, with its remarkable achievement of a high literacy rate in a few decades, the next step is bringing its resources to bear on providing a quality education so…

Decreasing the number of students placed in developmental mathematics and addressing barriers that hinder student success in such courses are concerns at both the state and national levels. The present study sought to capture 89 developmental mathematics faculty perceptions of factors that contribute to students' placement and hinder student…

The Commission on Accreditation of Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) requires that graduates of physical therapist assistant programs demonstrate a commitment to social responsibility. Service-learning, a method of instruction in which students apply knowledge and skills learned in the classroom to a community need, can assist in the development…