Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Presidential administrations'

This study examined the presidential leadership practices of high-performing community colleges. The purpose of this study was to better understand the intersection between leadership and high-performing community colleges in the context of a complex and challenging environment. To this end, the study examined the leadership styles of four community college presidents to determine how their leadership influences the performance of their institutions. The study included interviews of four community college presidents serving at colleges selected as winners or finalists of distinction of the Aspen Institute Community College Excellence Program. Four faculty presidents from the same colleges were also interviewed to determine their understanding of how the college president's leadership influences the performance of the institution. The researcher asked three questions related to presidential leadership and the high performance of the community college. 1) What is the relationship between leadership and high performance at community colleges? 2) What type of leadership styles and frameworks are utilized by presidents at high-performing community colleges? 3) What competencies, knowledge areas, and skills do presidents at high-performing community colleges display? The eight participants in this study were asked 12 open-ended questions pertaining to community college presidential leadership practices. Results from the studyprovide insight into the leadership of community college presidents and the high performance of their institution.

Moments of crisis, whether on the busy streets of major metropolitan cities or at small, intimate liberal arts campuses across the country, require adept management strategies, effective leadership, and prompt decision-making attributes. As it relates to small liberal arts colleges, their presidents’ ability to manage effectively, lead, inspire, and project confidence during moments of crisis is critical to the success of the communities they serve.

The critical question that this research project addresses is how crisis situations on liberal arts colleges are managed by presidents. This study explores the complexities of crisis management, presidential leadership, and decision-making attributes at three small liberal arts colleges and the responses during different crisis scenarios. The institutions in the study share characteristics in terms of their relative size, private nature, and liberal arts focus. Although the crises differ, the study investigates the preparation, actions during the crisis, and post-crisis review in order to understand crisis management by the leadership of small liberal arts colleges.

I consulted and examined the relevant literature regarding crisis management and presidential leadership; however, I identified a gap in the literature, specifically as it relates to crisis moments at small liberal arts institutions. I used a comparative case-study approach to analyze the three cases. The results highlight the complications I observed in discussing crisis scenarios at each location, the importance of communication strategies, the influence and value of a highly performing leadership team, and the importance of presidential leadership style.

Political processes, particularly democratic policies of the United States (U.S) presidents, have played significant role in investment strategies of Multinational Corporations (MNCs) since the 1970s. This study used quantitative multiple regression analysis to estimate the correlational relationships between the U.S. net foreign direct investment (FDI) and the presidential policies, real long-term interest rates, and the weighted dollar values from the period 1975 to 2011. The sample variables, including the net foreign direct investment, the real interest rates (30-year Treasury bond rates minus inflation rates), and the weighted value of the U.S. dollar with major industrial trading countries using 1973 as the constant year were collected from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis public databases and archival tables with numerical data. The presidential party politics (dummy variable) was suitable for determining the correlational impact on FDI in the United States in the observed period. The first major result in the study was that the political party of the president had significant correlational relationship with the U.S. net FDI in the observed period. U.S. political stability attracts foreign financial flows. Sound political policies drive foreign investments (Jakobsen and De Soysa, 2006). Moreover, there was a significant correlation relationship between real interest rates and U.S. net FDI at the five percent level. This result lends support to the Fisher effect which argues that investors are real interest rate conscious. However, there was no correlational relationship between the weighted value of the U.S. dollar and U.S. net FDI in the observed period. Finally, the combined influence of the presidential policies and the Federal Reserve policies (long-term interest rates) was statistically significant on the level of U.S. net foreign investments.

Colleges and universities not only have the opportunity, but also the responsibility, to shape globally-minded citizens. In January 2013, Under Secretary of Education, Martha Kanter, co-authored the lead article in Change: The Magazine of Higher Education, arguing that "knowledgeable, engaged, globally minded citizens hold the key to this country's shared democratic values, prosperity, and security" (Kanter & Schenider, 2013). This research examines the facets of internationalization on college campuses and the role of presidential leadership. Leaders who are committed to developing the next generation of globally-astute citizens have found ways to internationalize their campuses and promote global learning.

This multiple case study highlights the internationalization on five college campuses, which have been nationally recognized for their comprehensive approach. The findings include three primary levers that are used to internationalize: study abroad, recruitment of international students, and curriculum integration. The research focuses on the role of presidents and how they can advance or sustain internationalization, and it highlights the challenges. The leadership strategies employed by presidents are a particular focus of this study.

The analysis found that multiple leadership perspectives (or frames) are engaged to advance internationalization. Leadership strategies were found to be consistent with those frames identified in the scholarly work of Bolman and Deal (2008), which values multi-frame leadership approaches, including structural, human resource, political, and symbolic. The study also found that, depending on the history of international education at the institution and the personal and professional characteristics of the president, one or more dominant approaches can be used to sustain and elevate an existing international agenda. Those tools that need to be leveraged include an understanding of institutional history and culture, a mission and a strategic plan that prioritize international education, and an organizational infrastructure that supports a comprehensive approach. The ability to advance internationalization and integrate all the disparate parts depends on an institutional narrative, leadership lifestyle, and the effective use of human and financial resources. The analysis found that presidential leadership is an important factor in making internationalization part of the institutional ethos.

This study examines the relationship between political branding and political participation in the 2012 U.S. presidential election and argues for a consumer-oriented polity to reinvigorate what it means to participate in elections and democracy in the United States in the 21^st century. Political branding is positioned at the nexus of political marketing, political consumerism, and political participation. A theoretical framework was developed employing political branding to research its effects on the election. A national survey of 1,398 American adults was conducted to measure political brand recognition, modes of participation, and attitudes toward candidates Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. Findings show young people ages 18-34 participated at higher rates across new and social media modes than people age 35 and older. There is a statistically significant relationship of moderate strength between political brand recognition and political participation, suggesting that strong political branding may encourage participation. Findings also show the Obama brand was stronger than the Romney brand, exhibiting greater social, cultural, and emotional connotations reflected in material and immaterial brand markers and built through time that manifest as political brand equity. The study concludes political branding is a democratizing principle, making the political process more accessible and relevant to average citizens, especially young people.

This study examines presidential response to human-induced crises on public university campuses. The goal of the research was to understand specifically what actions and behaviors leaders in crisis take; what kinds of teams they assemble and the ways those teams function; how the leaders communicate--both to their teams and their institutional communities; and the ways their actions, behaviors and communications are understood by stakeholders of the campus.

A review of current literature on crises in higher education supports the research, and aided in the formulation of the four sets of research questions. Specifically, the compilation of research in crisis and crisis management; the role of the president in higher education; leadership and communication in crisis; and sensemaking and social cognition theory highlighted several gaps in understanding about leader behavior in crisis. The research questions, therefore, were structured to explore presidential actions and behaviors, teams and team function, intentional messaging and communication, and stakeholder perceptions in crisis.

Presidents at three large, public, research universities were the focus of the case studies. The findings emerged out of site visits to the campuses, personal interviews and review of historical documents and media coverage. While the leaders and the crises differed at each site, several common themes surfaced and the study revealed some important revelations and implications for both the literature and leaders in practice today. For instance, the findings demonstrated the significance of active, engaged leadership in crisis, highlighted the roles teams play in helping leaders to manage and resolve crises, and exposed the ways trust—both of the sort leaders bring to crisis and the kind they afford others with whom they work—influences leader actions and stakeholder perceptions. Ultimately, the research elicited a list of guidelines that presidents--as well as those who hire, support, or work with presidents—might consider as they prepare for and encounter crisis.

Academic presidential transitions have increased in recent years. The average tenure for a college president in 2012 was seven years, down from eight and a half years in 2006. A presidential transition introduces radical change in the academic institution. Such radical change affects the organizational perception, and thus organizational behavior, within the employees. This study explored the institutional response to presidential transition and examined the existence of a relationship between employee job satisfaction and employee affective commitment. Job satisfaction is a variable that is measured for general organizational perception, an antecedent and determinant of organizational commitment. Affective commitment is a variable that is measured for organizational commitment, an antecedent of organizational retention. The stratified random sample for this research study was obtained from faith-based, non-profit academic institutions accredited with The Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE). Three institutions participated in the research study. The sample population for the study was n = 73; the sample size for the study was n = 26. The participants responded to an online survey consisting of demographic questions, the Survey of Perceived Organizational Support (SPOS) items, and the Three-Component Model Employee Commitment Survey (TCM ECS). The data analysis consisted of descriptive statistics, cross-tabulation, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and the Pearson’s product-moment correlation coefficient (r). The cross-tabulation evidenced that positional majority was congruent with institutional majority throughout all eight items on the SPOS and all eight items on the TCM ECS ACS. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) failed to show a statistical significance between organizational position (staff, faculty, administrators) and job satisfaction, F (2, 23) = 1.034, p = .372 > α = .05, and affective commitment, F (2, 22) = 1.050, p = .367 > α = .05. The ANOVA test concluded that the organizational perception of the radical change of presidential transition was perceived and felt the same across the institution. The Pearson coefficient identified a strong, positive relationship between job satisfaction and affective commitment. During seasons of organizational change, organizational retention efforts indicate a need for steps to address the job satisfaction of employees.

Recent empirical research and literature in higher educational leadership posited a sharp increase in the vacancies of college and university presidencies in the near future. To complicate this problem further, the literature also indicated a significant shortfall in the number of qualified candidates to fill this leadership vacuum. The purpose of this research study was to consider the X factors for presidential leadership of member institutions of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) compared to the presidents of public universities and other private colleges in the U.S. The primary research question sought to understand the characteristics and differences of the presidents of CCCU member institutions compared to the presidents of public universities and other private colleges, and focused on seven facets of college and university presidents including: (a) demographics; (b) career paths; (c) educational background; (d) search and hiring processes; (e) duties; (f) characteristics of long-serving presidents; and (g) job satisfaction. The dataset provided by the American Council on Education's The American College President 2012 research study was used to determine if statistically significant differences exist between the presidents of CCCU member institutions and the presidents of public and other private colleges and universities. The results from this research study indicated there were statistically significant differences between the presidents of CCCU member institutions compared to the presidents of public universities and other private colleges with regard to demographics, career paths, search and hiring processes, duties and characteristics of long-serving presidents.

Senior Academic Leaders’ Involvement in and Interpretation of the Presidential Transition Process at Private, Selective, Nonprofit Colleges and Universities: Analyzed Through an Organizational Decision-Making Framework This study described, interpreted, and analyzed the way in which senior academic leaders were involved in the presidential transition process at private, selective, nonprofit colleges and universities. This topic was important to study because senior academic leaders’ interpretations of organizational decision-making provides insight into the way colleges and universities deal with tension between academic values and economic forces.

The study addressed one research question: What is the role of senior academic leaders (i.e., provost or vice president for academic affairs) in the various phases of the presidential transition process at private, selective, nonprofit colleges and universities? There was one analytical question: How did the senior academic leaders describe the decision-making process during the various phases of the presidential transition process?

There is a lack of empirical research about presidential transition processes in higher education. This study, therefore, relied heavily on research from other discourses and narratives of practitioners. It connected literature about leadership transitions and the academic presidency in order to examine how the transition process can support a newly appointed president. This study was conducted using a basic interpretive design consistent with a constructivist research paradigm. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with 19 senior academic leaders from 19 different institutions.

The data were coded and analyzed to identify 10 themes consistent with the literature reviewed. The 19 participants described their experiences in three phases (reflection, selection, and onboarding) of the presidential transition process. Participants reported being involved in the reflection phase of the process by leading and participating in planning processes. They reported serving as advocates for the academic program during the selection phase. The study also found that the role of senior academic leaders during the onboarding phase was to facilitate the development of relationships. The analysis was interpreted through the analytic framework of organizational decision-making. The study produced four findings, which indicated why decision-making processes were and were not present, identified tension between academic and market values during the transition, and showed how the transition process may affect a presidency. Recommendations were provided for practice and further research.

The following thesis is dedicated to the investigation of the comparative gender discourse of two of the current South American female Presidents: Michelle Bachelet, the first woman elected President in Chile for a four year term, in 2006 and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, the first woman elected President in Argentina also for a four year term, but in 2007. Using secondary sources and critical discourse analysis, the study attempts to characterize their agenda on gender both before and after their election campaigns. Recognizing that a candidate must balance between many actors, as one of the principles of social constructivism runs, the essay presents a short history of the feminist movement in both countries and the current state that the movement finds itself in, either institutionalized or absorbed and fragmented by party politics. The conclusions that the study arrives to are that, of the two subjects, the one who has presented a more concrete and convincing stand on gender thanks to her political views, the space created for feminism by her coalition and the climate of her country, is Michelle Bachelet.