Teachers\u27 Collective Bargaining: Its Occurrence and Impact on Wages, Employment, and Expenditures in States Without Collective Bargaining Legislation.

This study analyzed the extent of teachers\u27 unions activities in the eleven states without favorable collective bargaining legislation and the impact of collective bargaining agreements on teachers\u27 wages, employment rates, and per-pupil expenditures. Specifically, school districts were examined in the six states which authorize, but do not require collective bargaining, and the five states which have no legislative provisions concerning collective bargaining for teachers. School districts were examined if student enrollment exceeded 10,000. A two-phased methodology was used to address the research questions. Phase 1 was a qualitative study which utilized data from a survey of school superintendents in selected districts in order to obtain information concerning teacher labor relations. Survey instruments were distributed to 106 school superintendents of which 83 responded. Data from 82 districts were analyzed. Phase 2 was a quantitative study utilizing multiple regression techniques to examine the statistical relationship between teachers\u27 union activities and teachers\u27 wages, employment rates, and per-pupil expenditures within the school district. The results of the qualitative study indicate that teachers\u27 unions are actively engaged in collective bargaining with school boards even though school boards are not required to do so. Approximately thirty percent of the school districts were engaged in collective bargaining with the majority of collective bargaining contracts first being negotiated in the 1960s and 1970s. The rating by superintendents in districts without collective bargaining of teachers\u27 level of concern for four financial and five educational reform issues suggest that the demand for the services provided by teachers\u27 union exist in these districts. The empirical results of Phase 2 of the study indicate that collective bargaining significantly increases wages by approximately 9 percent compared to nonbargaining districts. The effect of a collective bargaining agreement on employment rates was estimated to be approximately 39 percent. The effect of collective bargaining on per-pupil expenditures was found to be less statistically significant and was estimated to be approximately 9 percent. The effect of endorsements of school board candidates by teachers\u27 unions, however, was statistically insignificant in the three equations

Counseling Usage Patterns and Resources Students Use for Psychological Distress

Mental health is a challenge that affects higher education. The problem for this study was that students at My Town College (a pseudonym) with psychological distress use the on-campus counseling center at a lower percentage than the national average for comparable colleges. The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate why My Town College students use their on-campus counseling center at a lower percentage than other comparable institutions and to learn where students seek help for psychological distress. Chickering’s 7 vectors of development served as the theoretical foundation for this study. A random sample of 1,500 students, over 18 years old, enrolled for the Fall 2019 semester were e-mailed a unique survey link. One hundred and sixty-five (11%) students completed the survey online. Data were analyzed using descriptive statsitics and Chi Square test. Descriptive analysis showed what resources students use and what considerations students find most important when deciding where to seek help. A chi-square test of independence was conducted to examine if there are associations between the given student characteristics and counseling center usage. The findings indicated that students are using various sources on and off-campus for many reasons. The findings also showed no association between gender, race/ethnicity, being a first-generation college student, or being an emerging adult and counseling center usage. The findings indicated that the counseling center is not attracting students, and different approaches may increase students’ usage of existing resources. This study may have positive social change implications by describing how students seek help for psychological distress, which could be used to improve services for students

Developing the 21st Century Musician: A Case Study of Applied Tuba and Euphonium Studio Models at American Universities

Musicians navigate an ever-changing career landscape that requires a strong set of ancillary skills in addition to their assumed musical mastery. A successful 21stcentury career, musical or beyond, demands versatility and command of skills that may include communication, innovation, adaptability, and higher order thinking skills. This document explores the applied professor’s role in introducing the aforementioned elements as well as musical versatility, critical thinking, and skills in collaboration, pedagogy, research, entrepreneurship, and business. Finally, it will examine how or even if the combination of these skills affects student success. The reader will find interviews with successful tuba and euphonium artists who have developed these co-curricular skills with the goal of determining which skills are most important, where they acquired these skills, and how/if they implement them into their pedagogy. As a corollary, I conducted a survey investigating the pedagogical models of the applied tuba and euphonium studios at major US universities. The data provides examples of current tuba and euphonium curricula, highlights the co-curricular skills being taught, and shows the various pedagogical implementation methodologies. Further, to show a functioning model, I conducted a case study of Dr. Joseph Skillen’s studio at Louisiana State University to illustrate a structured approach to the incorporation of co-curricular skills into an applied music curriculum

Modeling of the Veterinary Anesthetic Circuit

Anesthesia is used to sedate both humans and animals for surgery. In veterinary practice, breathing systems are often used to supply anesthetic gas to the patient. Occasionally, a large amount of pressure can build up in the breathing circuit. This high pressure, if unnoticed, can lead to fatal injury to the lungs of the veterinary patient. The maximum allowable pressure in the anesthetic circuit for small animals is 25 cmH2O or 2450 Pa. As such, it is necessary to monitor oxygen flow rate (ranging from 0.1-4 LPM), pressure, oxygen rate, anesthetic composition, among other variables during an operation. Currently, not all veterinary anesthesia machines are equipped with a reliable way of detecting and relieving gas when dangerous pressures are reached. This thesis aims to understand veterinary anesthesia circuits and pressure relief systems and to formulate a Simscape Fluids model with components representative of real anesthesia machine components. The model was used to simulate the response of two commercially-available safety devices, the EMD Valve and Reverse-PEEP Valve, attached to the anesthesia system under various operating conditions. It was found that the Reverse-PEEP Valve is more effective at preventing lung injury to veterinary patients

New Facilities

This research was sponsored by the National Science Foundation Grant NSF PHY 87-1440

Experimental Facilities Development

This research was sponsored by the National Science Foundation Grant NSF PHY 87-1440