This dissertation explores the institutionalization of sustainability studies within undergraduate programs in the United States, investigating its implications for interdisciplinary structure, faculty expertise, and curriculum focus. It specifically examines how sustainability studies differentiates itself from the established field of…

This case study examines Makerere University through the lens of U.S. land-grant ideal and normative domains in order to provide a deeper understanding of global higher education. A case study uses multiple types of data to create a holistic perspective. As well as interviewing Makerere stakeholders representing diverse sectors, numerous documents…

This dissertation studies two distinct but equally essential industries: higher education and water utilities. In the context of higher education, I investigate the impact of subsidies on equilibrium prices and quality levels. For water utilities, I explore the differences between public and private providers in terms of productivity and…

Educational reforms have a tendency to fade or divert in unproductive ways. To disrupt this cycle and understand why unwanted practices persist and new ones distort, the supports that sustain practices need to be considered. In this study, I use action research to examine the supports of institutionalized patterns of practice within the classroom…

This quantitative research study builds on existing theoretical concepts of human capital management, expectancy theory, and psychological contracts to show that utilization of employer-sponsored tuition benefits (ESTB) by higher education employees directly correlates to increased employee tenure and retention. ESTB utilization over a 10-year…

Since the end of the 19th century, musical theater has thrived and continued to grow as a prominent American artform. Though musical theater has roots in classical style singing, it quickly capitalized on the inclusion of contemporary music trends, notation, orchestration, and themes. Because of its influence from contemporary styles, musical…

Within the last decade, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) has made a call to action, asking educators to engage in effective teaching of mathematics which includes having classrooms rich in mathematical discourse (NCTM, 2014). In this nine-week dissertation study, three mathematics graduate student instructors (GSIs) teaching…

Higher education and workforce systems have reformed over the last decade. These reforms are in response to an evolving economy, irregular political environment, a damaging pandemic, and declining enrollment in postsecondary education, and are an attempt to better prepare employees for new occupations and increased competition for students. One…

This study sought to examine the state of media literacy in higher education across the United States. More specifically, this study aimed to describe various working models of media literacy within college and university minors, specialization/concentrations, and certificate offerings at the undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education…

This dissertation presents three separate essays. The first two essays explore the gender wage gap and its dynamics in urban China from 1995 to 2018. The first chapter decomposes the gender wage gap based on the observed wage for workers with a precise measure of the hourly wages. The first chapter examines the observed average gender wage gap in…

Common elements amongst all educational institutions are varying processes of selecting educational materials ("Choosing Blindly Instructional Materials", 2016). Whether they be textbooks, curriculum, access to internet-based platforms or other ancillary materials every educational institution participates in some manner of cyclic…

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to determine faculty instructional technology use at the EUCOE, as well as faculty and student perceptions of that use on student learning. Researchers also looked for differences between graduate and undergraduate faculty, as well as differences between faculty who taught remote courses and those who…

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to determine faculty instructional technology use at the EUCOE, as well as faculty and student perceptions of that use on student learning. Researchers also looked for differences between graduate and undergraduate faculty, as well as differences between faculty who taught remote courses and those who…

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to determine faculty instructional technology use at the EUCOE, as well as faculty and student perceptions of that use on student learning. Researchers also looked for differences between graduate and undergraduate faculty, as well as differences between faculty who taught remote courses and those who…

Dance as an academic endeavor has held a place in higher education since 1926. From its beginnings as a major of study under a department of physical education, dance in academia moved into departments of fine arts and flourished as an expressive art form in the mid to late 20th century. In the 1990s, dance in K12 education similarly moved from…