ERIC Number: ED642162
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2021
Pages: 134
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 979-8-7806-1547-7
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Gathering around the Table: An Examination of Dining Service Employees' Perceptions and Roles in College Student Success Initiatives
Lynne C. Mazadoorian
ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, University of Georgia
As leaders at colleges and universities continue to review processes to help support students towards achievement of goals, scholars suggest they consider the organizational missions, structures, behaviors, values, and culture within their institutions as well as their institutional definitions and benchmarks for student success. They must ask: Are there any key units whose efforts and contributions are missing? Upon review of literature related to organizational efforts around student success, it became evident that there are a number of units, such as dining services, whose efforts are clearly absent. This single case study explores how dining fits into one institution's organizational approaches to student success. Research was designed to provide insights on the perceptions of community members within one campus unit with the goal of understanding both organizational and individual roles related to student success. This dissertation was informed by organizational theory to shed light on the larger institutional role and provide a framework for understanding individuals' perspectives. Data collection included interviews with 25 administrators and staff, document analysis, and observations. Upon analysis, three themes emerged. The first theme, "staying true to the expressed values: institutional alignment for student success," relates to ways the dining services unit has worked to incorporate the larger institutional mission and values into their own public-facing documents in order to communicate similar goals and values related to student success. The second theme, "developing organizational conditions for student success," relates to the various ways the dining services staff demonstrate shared values and practices that shape the culture of the unit and function to enhance student success. The third theme, "fostering student growth for success," captures participants' perceptions about how dining services may support students' growth and development as learners and emerging professionals. Findings suggest there is value in including dining services in institutional planning efforts around the student experience. Further, data suggest that when invited to the table, dining services can play an important and steady role in helping the university achieve its goals for student success. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Descriptors: Dining Facilities, Employees, Employee Attitudes, College Students, Academic Achievement, Food, Administrators, Staff Role, Institutional Mission, School Culture, Higher Education
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Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A