One of the challenges faced by Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) has been frequent turnover in crucial executive leadership positions. As of 2022, there were 99 HBCUs; two-year and four-year private and public institutions (NCES, 2024). In the fall of 2023, at least 18% of the HBCUs in the country were without a permanent…

School superintendents make many decisions throughout their careers in an attempt to educate students. Many people, both inside and outside of education try to influence the decisions made by superintendents. Many of these influences are political in nature. This study looks at the history and levels of political influence in education, identifies…

Science, engineering, technology, and mathematics (STEM) classes are required for families in the United States. Due to this requirement, there have been more STEM focused schools present in the educational landscape. Traditionally a high school offering, middle schools are now developing more focused STEM curricula, opening STEM campuses, and…

Aphasia, language disorder after acquired brain injury, is a chronic condition negatively impacting functional communication and quality of life. More than two million individuals in the United States have aphasia and the most common cause of aphasia is stroke. Further understanding of post-stroke aphasia will ultimately allow for development of…

This qualitative descriptive study sought to form a foundation for emergency response plan research. The intent was to gather descriptive descriptions from higher education administrators regarding how they communicated and implemented emergency response plans adjusted over the past decade due to the Presidential Preparedness Directive 8. Concern…

In everyday interaction interlocutors use pragmatic co-speech gestures to cooperatively construct conversation. Shrugs, one of the most common pragmatic gestures, communicate a remarkable array of seemingly unrelated or even contradictory meanings--agreement and disagreement, ignorance and obviousness, interest and disinterest, among others.…

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) technologies for children with complex communication needs (CCN) can improve communication skills, increase autonomy, promote social closeness, and enhance meaningful participation in a variety of social contexts. However, access to AAC technologies is insufficient. Successful use of AAC…

Several factors determine a school's success. The school-within-a-school model has gained popularity as an intervention that supports schools. This study focuses on teachers' perceptions of this model, which can offer valuable insights into the school's overall health. By understanding the perspectives of staff, school leaders can gain a better…

The idea that sustainable buildings can be used as teaching tools for both formal and informal environmental education and sustainable building education (SBE) has gained attention in both research and practice. Evidence bases from existing studies show that buildings can engage their users in sustainability themes through architectural design,…

Compassion satisfaction (CS) and compassion fatigue (CF) are well-documented phenomena within healthcare, representing the positive emotions derived from aiding others and the emotional strain of caring for those in distress (Figley, 1995; Stamm, 2010). This research addresses a gap literature regarding CS and CF in higher education, particularly…

This study attempts to understand the perception of a specific group of stakeholders, front-line staff, by their response to the communication received during an enterprise resource system (ERP) implementation process. This study also aims to identify how communications contributed to resistance or acceptance of the enterprise system once the ERP…

The U.S. schooling system has a long history of failed reforms that lead to schools consistently perpetuating society's inequities. Rigid organizational structure, built purposely to sustain the life of the institution (as if it, and not the children, were the thing whose life mattered), ensures that even the most well-intentioned transformative…

This qualitative content analysis study explored how women of color in college presidencies in the United States exhibit their leadership style and values in their publicly available leadership communications. Public leadership communication includes, but is not limited to, speeches, announcements, website materials, articles, and public…

The purpose of this study was to better understand the role burnout plays in turnover intention and job dissatisfaction among marketing and communications employees in intercollegiate athletics. A secondary aim was to identify to what extent were job requirements, compensation, and expectations of administrators and coaches driving burnout in…

This applied dissertation was designed to analyze the effect Melodic Based Communication Therapy has on minimally verbal children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, particularly tact responses and their generalization in the natural environment. MBCT is a replicable protocol for pairing melodies with target words to elicit speech in children…