New directions for community colleges

Publ. comme no 132, winter 2005 de la revue New directions for community collegesIndexBibliogr. à la fin des texte

New directions for community colleges

Publ. comme no 95, fall 1996 de la revue New directions for community collegesBibliogr. à la fin des textesIndex: p. 101-10

Impact of intercollegiate athletics in relationship to the prosocial behavior of giving or volunteering among alumni of NCAA Division II institutions

Each year, charitable giving to United States postsecondary education provides essential resources in maintaining America’s edge as one of the top higher education systems in the world. The importance of financial giving at the college and university level continues to grow on an annual basis as governmental support for higher education has declined over the last three decades. In response to the reduction in government support for higher education, institutions have increasingly turned to private donors, corporations and graduates to supplement this revenue loss. One of the largest sources of external financial contributions comes from alumni, which has led schools across the country to focus on better ways to build relationships with graduates. Studies focusing on charitable giving in higher education demonstrate a positive relationship between organizational identification with the propensity for alumni to give back to their alma mater. Research shows that engagement through organizational identification and satisfaction positively relates to giving and other prosocial behaviors. In addition, studies describe how big-time college athletics plays a part in creating a sense of community that transcends the participants of the sports, creating a campus culture that institutions rally around. At same time, interest in following college sports continues to increase, evidenced by the massive NCAA television contracts reaching billions of dollars. In higher education literature, research on intercollegiate athletic giving generally focuses on the relationship between winning athletic teams and gifts or on the motivations for donors to give specifically to athletics. Few studies investigate the indirect impact of college sports in providing an opportunity to become engaged with an institution, which leads to giving and other prosocial acts such as volunteering, attending events and serving in advisory roles. With the enormous interest in intercollegiate sports and the increasing need for higher education institutions to garner more external financial support, this study investigates the impact of intercollegiate athletics in relationship to prosocial behaviors among alumni. Additionally, the study focuses on a specific group of postsecondary institutions, examining schools at the NCAA Division II level, as current literature tends to study only schools at the NCAA Division I and III levels. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries

Perceptions of employment and use of part-time faculty among chief instructional officers at Southern Association of Colleges and schools-accredited public associate's colleges

Based on Yackee's (2000) study of the perceptions of chief instructional officers (CIOs) at community colleges accredited by North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA), this study identified, described, and compared the perceptions of CIOs at institutions accredited by Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACS-COC). The CIOs' perceptions regarding difficulty accreditation criteria for part-time faculty, challenges in implementing commonly cited good practices for employing and using part-time faculty, and reasons for employing part-time faculty were included. The population included CIOs from all SACS-COC-accredited associate's colleges. A questionnaire was adapted from Yackee's survey instrument for distribution using an online software program and was sent to all 256 chief instructional officers; 107 questionnaires were returned for a response rate of 42%. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The one-way ANOVA and Tukey's HSD test for multiple comparisons were used to analyze significant differences (p<.05) among the data. The findings were that (a) CIOs perceived meeting accreditation criteria as not difficult; (b) there were no statistically significant differences in the perceptions of difficulty in meeting SACS accreditation criteria among CIOs based on institutional location; (c) CIOs perceived implementing commonly cited practices for employing and utilizing part-time faculty as challenging across all types of associate's colleges; (d) Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines proved the most challenging for recruiting and hiring part-time faculty; and, (e) CIOs agreed that commonly cited reasons for employing part-time faculty influenced the decision to employ part-time faculty. The conclusions were that (a) no statistically significant differences existed in the perceptions regarding difficulty in meeting SACS accreditation criteria among CIOs at associate's colleges based on institutional size and location; (b) the practices that contribute to the effective employment and use of part-time faculty are typically the same practices that pose the greatest challenge to CIOs at SACS-accredited associate's colleges; (c) STEM disciplines pose the greatest challenge for recruiting and hiring part-time faculty across associate's colleges, regardless of location or size; and, (d) regardless of institutional type, CIOs at SACS-accredited associate's colleges agreed on the reasons for employing part-time faculty. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries

A national study of state tax appropriations for capital needs in public higher education

This study investigated the relationship of key issues related to capital and operating budget practices of state tax appropriations and policies at the state level, including new facilities construction, renovation, replacement and renewal which may exist between and among states by governance structure. Recognized "good practices" in capital planning and allocation processes and funding mechanisms recommended by experts were also examined. The data collection methodology employed by Derrick A. Manns for his FY1997 and FY2003 studies were used to allow for comparisons to FY2008 data collected by the researcher. The statewide governance typology developed by Aims McGuinness that distinguishes between governing and coordinating boards was used to see if tighter state control in the form of consolidated governing boards might equate to higher levels of good practices with regards to facilities in public higher education. Key findings include: (1) only half (18 out of 39) of responding states have a long range state master plan for facilities; (2) the majority of states do not conduct recommended periodic facilities audits; and (3) the total deferred maintenance has more than doubled from FY1997 to FY2008. Key conclusions include: (1) A major facilities information gap exists, with missing data at the federal and state levels; and (2) From FY1997 to FY2008, while the total US population grew by 36 million or 13.6%, and headcount enrollment in public higher education grew by 22.8%, state tax appropriations for public higher education operating budgets grew by only 21% and in the 18 states that provided data, state tax appropriations for capital budgets increased by 80%. However, this increase is tempered by the low initial amounts of capital appropriations, and the fact that no major federal investments in higher education facilities to spur matching state action to build up public higher education's physical infrastructure occurred, as did in the Baby Boom era (1965-73). While headcount enrollment increased by 2.5 million or 22.8%, no significant federal investments and only limited state investments in public higher education's physical infrastructure occurred. All-time record enrollment increases occurred simultaneously to an escalation of deferred maintenance. While state governance structures are stable over time, the practices and policies of capital budgeting are highly varied, and tighter state control in the form of consolidated governing boards does not necessarily equate to higher levels of good practices with regards to facilities in public higher education. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries