Teaching diversity in North American higher education master's programs: curricula and rationales

Purpose This study aims to examine North American master's programs in higher education administration, leadership and student affairs; the extent to which these programs incorporate diversity coursework; and their reasons for doing so. Graduate programs must prepare practitioners who are able to work effectively with multiple groups of students, ameliorate persistence and graduation gaps, and create more socially just campuses.Design/methodology/approachUsing an open-ended questionnaire and document analysis, the authors analyzed the extent to which and why these master's programs incorporate courses and course material on diversity.FindingsExactly half of higher education leadership (50%) and a small majority of student affairs (52%) programs require some type of diversity course, while only 42% of higher education administration programs do so. Reported reasons for including such coursework include students' demand for such courses, the centrality of diversity to university missions and standards in the field.Research limitations/implicationsResearch on faculty perceptions regarding the need for diversity courses with a focus on interest convergence may be productive.Practical implicationsProgram directors should ensure that coursework on diversity is required, and that faculty teaching these courses are comfortable discussing these topics to prepare students to work with diverse groups in multiple contexts.Originality/valueThis study uses multiple methods (document analysis, open-ended questionnaire of program directors) to analyze programs and program design intentions. The authors use the critical race theory framework's tenet of interest convergence to understand program rationales.

Hidden

This chapter will explore the often-unspoken world of a Black men in higher education administration who identify as GBQQ (gay, bisexual, queer, or questioning) from the autoethnographic reflections of one Black gay man's personal and leadership experiences. This chapter will benefit an audience who seeks to dismantle or disrupt preexisting higher education social constructs that result in Black men who are GBQQ hiding from embodying their authentic selves in professional educational settings. It is written openly and honestly to encourage Black GBQQ men who hold professional roles in higher education spaces to resist the seduction of acceptance in order to un-learn and detach unrealistic patriarchic, heteronormative expectations of Black straightness and inclusion-based professional politics tethered to the higher education roles occupied by Black GBQQ men.

Examining Student Reported Interaction and Satisfaction in Higher Education Administration Graduate Seminar-Style Blended Courses

The purpose of this case study was to examine how a professional graduate program in higher education administration developed seminar-style courses in a blended format. Blended courses involved two extended in-person weekend sessions with synchronous online sessions, and other asynchronous coursework in between. This study explored the importance of interaction, student satisfaction, and motivation to student success. Data were collected through student surveys and faculty interviews from 11 courses within the same graduate degree program at a private, highly-selective research university from spring 2016 through spring 2018. Class size was the biggest factor relating to student interaction. This study also found synchronous online discussions had a greater impact than other learning activities and that satisfaction and interaction had a slight increase over time as students and instructors became more comfortable with the format.

“The Job Is Yours!” Deconstructing the Gender Gap in Higher Education

The underrepresentation of female Administrators in higher education is not decreasing even though education continues to be a field dominated by women. The overall percentage of women leading colleges and universities in the United States remains disproportionately low at 26%. This ambiguous case study examines whether or not the Higher Education Administration continues to perpetuate gender inequalities through simplistic and, often times, unconscious hiring and mentoring practices scaffolding upon good intentions.

Leadership Ethics in Higher Education Administration

This chapter begins with developing meaning of the word “ethics,” mainly related to rectitude, integrity, good, rely, trust, and congruent. Andragogy, defined as the art and science of helping facilitate the learning of adult individuals and organizations, is characterized as having six assumptions and eight elements, with five organizational dimensions. Peale suggests a trustworthy personal guidance censor system; Billington identifies seven characteristics of highly effective adult learning programs; McLagan asserts that time is needed to develop a system of ethical conduct; Bennis and Nanus provide a possible model of successful visionary leadership as that operates in organizations growing and flourishing economically in a “down economy.” The role of a university includes the lifelong learning needs of a total population being addressed. This chapter includes discussion of the development of the modified instructional perspectives inventory in its use in various organizations, assessing Henschke's scholarship and practice congruence, and listing its use in 30 doctoral dissertations. It concludes a story of how ethical administration conduct affected transformation of a brutal prison system into a humane one.

‘It Depends’: Technology Use by Parent and Family Educators in the United States

Using data from a national sample of parent and family educators in the US (n = 697), this comparative study examines professionals’ practices and technology-related attitudes, skill and workplace conditions. Overall, professionals report positive attitudes about the value of using technology in practice and view themselves as proficient. They most frequently use technologies like the email and document preparation software, and less frequently social media and even virtual reality. Workplace resources vary significantly, educators are not motivated by employer expectations and most report self-training as more valuable than formal sources. Mean comparisons by family educator type validate differences by context. Parenting educators, occasional family educators (e.g., teachers, counselors) and Family Life Educators vary from those in Higher Education/Administration. Those in Higher Education/Administration have more technology resources, report more positive attitudes, are more confident about their skills, and view formal technology training as useful. Conclusions suggest the need for the field of parent and family education to join other educational professions (e.g., licensed classroom teachers) to embrace technology use as a critical competency and advocate for the necessary resources in the preparation and ongoing service training of professionals.