Students at the Table

This chapter explores the benefits of involving students in institutional decision making. The authors describe an action research project conducted at a public institution that involved a working group of students, faculty, and administrators researching and cocreating solutions to develop a more inclusive and equitable environment for learning and student development. The university gained direct insight from the students' viewpoints, and students earned course credit while gaining skills in research methods, leadership, communication, negotiation, and writing. The collaborative, cocurricular experience resulted in the development of a center for cross-cultural engagement on campus. The authors also discuss considerations for this model. Institutions must demonstrate a firm commitment to addressing the issues they investigate by providing sufficient resources and recognizing the labor inherent in the transformative leadership of the community members who work to create institutional change.

COVID-19, Distance Learning and the Digital Divide: A Case of Higher Education in the United States and Pakistan

This multiple case study describes the experiences of students, faculty and administrators with distance learning during this pandemic in the context of a Midwestern University in United States and an elitist University in Lahore, Pakistan. The participants were invited to talk about their experiences through a Zoom interview. Data were analyzed thematically and the findings revealed that the issue of the digital divide was as much as problem in higher education as in K-12. Digital divide in Pakistan is far greater due to lack of investment in educational technology. The paper ends with acknowledging the potential limitations and making recommendations for leadership and teaching practice.

Black Women’s Resiliency in Community College Leadership

Black women leaders in higher education face a double bind of gender and racial disparity and biases within the education workforce and their institutions. The literature does not fully articulate Black women's considerations when pursuing community college presidencies and the strategies they use to overcome the hurdles and discrimination they encounter. This research expands the literature by using critical race and Black feminist thought as theoretical frameworks to examine the ascension and succession of eight Black women leading community colleges and how they circumvented barriers associated with the male-dominated position. Findings reveal how three elements of resiliency—emotional intelligence, authenticity, and agility—contest and challenge the oppressive nature of White male privilege in gendered organizations. This newfound perspective has implications for the recruitment, retention, and persistence of faculty and administrators, leadership development programs, and succession planning at community colleges across the United States.

Publication Benchmarking Data Based on Faculty Promoted at Institutions Ranked 200+

Although publication benchmarking studies for accounting faculty have been completed for highly ranked research institutions, there is not comparable data for the hundreds of smaller, less high profile, and less resource rich accounting programs. This study provides data for institutions that rank 200+ in the BYU accounting rankings. We take a sample of 50 institutions from this population to develop publication benchmarking for promotion to associate professor. We also provide insights on the timing of publications relative to promotion dates and compare these results to previous benchmarking studies. These results are useful for faculty at these institutions to inform their research efforts and to inform promotion and other decisions for faculty and administrators.

Institutional responses to the COVID-19 pandemic: Faculty and administrator experiences

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic required shifts in operations for institutions of higher education everywhere. Faculty and administrators were asked to adapt to meet the needs of students. We conducted a qualitative content analysis to understand institutional responses and examine the experiences of faculty and administrators during the COVID-19 pandemic through the lens of chaos theory. Institutional responses to the pandemic varied. Participants identified supports and resources deemed helpful, as well as those found to be inadequate or unwanted. We also found that the pandemic resulted in some positive outcomes for faculty and administrators, which led to growth in teaching and self-care. Implications for strategic planning and future directions for research are explored.

Clark Tibbitts Award and Hiram J. Friedsam Mentorship Award Lectures

The Clark Tibbitts Award lecture will feature an address by Debra Dobbs, PhD, FGSA in memory of the 2021 award recipient, Kathryn Hyer, PhD, FGSA. AGHE's Clark Tibbitts Award was established in 1980 and named for an architect of the field of gerontological education. The award is given each year to an individual or organization that has made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of gerontology and geriatrics education. The Hiram J. Friedsam Award lecture will feature an address by the 2021 award recipient, Pamela Elfenbein, MSW, PhD, FAGHE, HS-BCP. Hiram J. Friedsam was the professor, co-founder, and director of the Center for Studies in Aging and dean of the School of Community Service at the University of Northern Texas. Dr. Friedsam was an outstanding teacher, researcher, colleague, and mentor to students, faculty, and administrators, as well as a past president of AGHE. The purpose of this award is to recognize those who emulate Dr. Friedsam's excellence in mentorship.

From First to First: Black, Indigenous, and People of Color First-Generation Faculty and Administrator Narratives of Intersectional Marginality and Mattering as Communal Praxis

While the education of first-generation students (FGS) has garnered the attention of scholars, educators, and policy makers, there is limited dialogue on how first-generation faculty and administrators (FGF/A)—that is, first-generation students who went on to become faculty and/or administrators—experience higher education and are engaged in enhancing equity, inclusion, and justice. Intersectional approaches, which illuminate the nexus of race, gender, and class in education, are necessary for appreciating the complexity of FGF/A experiences and liberatory practices taking shape in higher education. Narrative analysis examining nine Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) FGF/A oral histories reveal how stories of mattering and intersectional marginality are sites of communal praxis that aim to dislodge systems of power, including racism, classism, and patriarchy. This praxis involves validating the complexity of students’ academic and social lives and engaging vulnerability. The discussion encourages reflection of how communal praxis can be cultivated toward transforming the linked conditions of faculty and students.

Program evaluation practices and the training of PhD students in STEM

Purpose Program evaluation stands as an evidence-based process that would allow institutions to document and improve the quality of graduate programs and determine how to respond to growing calls for aligning training models to economic realities. This paper aims to present the current state of evaluation in research-based doctoral programs in STEM fields. Design/methodology/approach To highlight the recent evaluative processes, the authors restricted the initial literature search to papers published in English between 2008 and 2019. As the authors were motivated by the shift at NIH, this review focuses on STEM programs, though papers on broader evaluation efforts were included as long as STEM-specific results could be identified. In total, 137 papers were included in the final review. Findings Only nine papers presented an evaluation of a full program. Instead, papers focused on evaluating individual components of a graduate program, testing small interventions or examining existing national data sets. The review did not find any documents that focused on the continual monitoring of training quality. Originality/value This review can serve as a resource, encourage transparency and provide motivation for faculty and administrators to gather and use assessment data to improve training models. By understanding how existing evaluations are conducted and implemented, administrators can apply evidence-based methodologies to ensure the highest quality training to best prepare students.