The Relationship of Leadership Characteristics of Academic Deans in Seventh-day Adventist Colleges and Universities to their Performance Levels as Perceived by Educational Administrators and Faculties

Problem. The research literature in educational administration describes few studies directed toward identifying the relationship of specific characteristics of administrators to their performance levels. Yet such research would be useful in providing information relevant to the educational preparation and selection- of administrators and of value to practicing administrators. The purpose of this study was to Identify the relationship of the leadership characteristics of academic deans in Seventh-day Adventist colleges and universities to their performance levels. Method. Six research hypotheses were formulated for determining the relationship between the deans\u27 performance levels and their leadership characteristics and for testing the differences between selected groups of deans with regards to leadership character­istics and performance. Eight North American and sixteen overseas institutions participated in the study. The deans\u27 leadership characteristics were rated by 196 respondents including subordinates of the dean and randomly selected departmental chairpersons and/or faculty members. Their performance was evaluated by 209 respondents in­cluding superordinates, peers, and randomly selected departmental chairpersons and/or faculty members. Two instruments were used in the study. The Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire— Form XII (LBDQ) developed at Ohio State University was used to assess twelve leadership character­ istics of the deans. The researcher prepared the Academic Dean\u27s Functions Questionnaire (ADFQ) to determine the expected functions of the dean at each institution and to evaluate the dean\u27s per­formance of each expected function. Spearman\u27s coefficient of rank correlation rho (p) was used to determine the relationship of the deans\u27 ranking by median scores on the ADFQ to their ranking by median scores on each characteristic of the LBDQ. The mean scores on the LBDQ were examined for significant differences between the following groups of deans: (1)the upper third in performance versus the lower third, (2) the upper half of the North American deans in performance versus the upper half of the overseas deans, and (3) the recently appointed deans versus those who had served for one year or longer in their present positions. Factor analysis was used to reduce the twelve character­ istics of the LBDQ to two dimensions of leadership and varimax rotation was performed to determine the loadings of each characteristic on these factors. Results. The following eight characteristics listed in the order of the strength of the relationship were significantly related to the deans\u27 performance levels: Predictive Accuracy, Demand Reconciliation, Initiating Structure, Role Assumption, Persuasiveness, Superior Orientation, Integration,and Consideration. There were significant differences in the mean scores of high and low performance deans on all of these same characteristics except Superior Orientation. Recently appointed deans exhibited significantly more of the characteristic Role Assumption than did deans with one or more years of experience in their present position. When factor analysis and varimax rotation were performed on the subscales of the LBDO. eight leadership characteristics loaded on an institutional-oriented factor and four loaded on a person-oriented factor. Conclusions. The findings of the study support the following conclusions 1. The leadership characteristics of deans have a bearing upon the effectiveness with which they perform their functions. 2. High- and low-performance deans exhibit significant differences in leadership behavior. 3. The leadership behavior of deans demonstrates the two-dimensional theories that view leadership as consisting of system- oriented and person-oriented dimensions. The deans in this study were strongly system-oriented. The close relationship between the deans\u27 leadership characteristics and their performance levels has important implications for the educational preparation, selection, and practice of academic deans

Pennsylvanian Stratigraphy in the Southern Wasatch Mountains, Utah

The area under consideration has a dimension of 8 miles east-west and 4 miles north-south, and includes the canyons of Spring Creek and Hobble Creek, Utah County, Utah. These streams flow off the west flank of a southern portion of the Wasatch Range, and have cut canyons to a depth of over 3,000 feet, exposing sections of upper Paleozoic sediments. Pennsylvanian rocks in the vicinity of the southern Wasatch Mountains have received little attention from stratigraphers. In this paper an attempt is made to describe the sequence of Pennsylvanian rocks in the region

Hemodynamic Profiles Before and After Surgery in Bicuspid Aortic Valve Disease—A Systematic Review of the Literature

Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) disease presents a unique management challenge both pre- and post-operatively. 4D flow MRI offers multiple tools for the assessment of the thoracic aorta in aortic valve disease. In particular, its assessment of flow patterns and wall shear stress have led to new understandings around the mechanisms of aneurysm development in BAV disease. Novel parameters have now been developed that have the potential to predict pathological aortic dilatation and may help to risk stratify BAV patients in future. This systematic review analyses the current 4D flow MRI literature after aortic valve and/or ascending aortic replacement in bicuspid aortic valve disease. 4D flow MRI has also identified distinct challenges posed by this cohort at the time of valve replacement compared to standard management of tri-leaflet disorders, and may help tailor the type and timing of replacement. Eccentric pathological flow patterns seen after bioprosthetic valve implantation, but not with mechanical prostheses, might be an important future consideration in intervention planning. 4D flow MRI also has promising potential in supporting the development of artificial valve prostheses and aortic conduits with more physiological flow patterns

Nuclear spins, magnetic moments and quadrupole moments of Cu isotopes from N = 28 to N = 46: probes for core polarization effects

Measurements of the ground-state nuclear spins, magnetic and quadrupole moments of the copper isotopes from 61Cu up to 75Cu are reported. The experiments were performed at the ISOLDE facility, using the technique of collinear laser spectroscopy. The trend in the magnetic moments between the N=28 and N=50 shell closures is reasonably reproduced by large-scale shell-model calculations starting from a 56Ni core. The quadrupole moments reveal a strong polarization of the underlying Ni core when the neutron shell is opened, which is however strongly reduced at N=40 due to the parity change between the $pf$ and $g$ orbits. No enhanced core polarization is seen beyond N=40. Deviations between measured and calculated moments are attributed to the softness of the 56Ni core and weakening of the Z=28 and N=28 shell gaps.Comment: 13 pagers, 19 figures, accepted by Physical Review

Decay-assisted collinear resonance ionization spectroscopy: Application to neutron-deficient francium

This paper reports on the hyperfine-structure and radioactive-decay studies of the neutron-deficient francium isotopes $^{202-206}$Fr performed with the Collinear Resonance Ionization Spectroscopy (CRIS) experiment at the ISOLDE facility, CERN. The high resolution innate to collinear laser spectroscopy is combined with the high efficiency of ion detection to provide a highly-sensitive technique to probe the hyperfine structure of exotic isotopes. The technique of decay-assisted laser spectroscopy is presented, whereby the isomeric ion beam is deflected to a decay spectroscopy station for alpha-decay tagging of the hyperfine components. Here, we present the first hyperfine-structure measurements of the neutron-deficient francium isotopes $^{202-206}$Fr, in addition to the identification of the low-lying states of $^{202,204}$Fr performed at the CRIS experiment.Comment: Accepted for publication with Physical Review