Browsing by Subject "Faculty"

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Aspirational Meaning Making: A Qualitative Case Study of Education for Global Citizenship in U.S. Higher Education
(2023) Burden, Kathryn
In recent decades, Education for Global Citizenship (EfGC) has emerged as a prominent way to discuss internationalization and global learning efforts in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The concept of global citizenship is a controversial one though, and there is no consensus on a definition of global citizenship nor on EfGC. Much of the extant literature has focused on typologizing EfGC efforts or on assessing student learning outcomes or programs. This leaves a critical gap in understanding the crucial yet overlooked role university instructors play in HEI’s internationalization and global citizenship efforts.In this qualitative case study at one U.S. university, I focused on: (1) how university instructors made meaning around the concept of global citizenship; (2) how instructors believed they educated for global citizenship and how students perceived EfGC efforts; and (3) how educators felt motivated, enabled, or constrained in their pedagogical pursuits around global citizenship. To answer these questions and analyze how these understandings and educational practices are shaped by specific personal, contextual, and temporal factors, I propose a theory of aspirational meaning making and models of Ways of Understanding Global Citizenship and Ways of Educating for Global Citizenship based on instructors’ ways of knowing, being, doing, and aspiring. Findings from this research suggest that instructors’ understandings of global citizenship and ways of educating for global citizenship are deeply complex, context-specific, and far more dynamic and adaptable than has been acknowledged in previous studies. Taking place during a uniquely challenging time during the COVID-19 pandemic, findings from this study demonstrate how the ambiguous and adaptable nature of EfGC, combined with the contextual adaptations instructors made, allowed instructors to keep their educational efforts responsive and applicable to contemporary concerns. The findings of this research have important implications for theory, teaching and learning, and policy and practice. This research contributes to the fields of comparative and international education, higher education, and global citizenship education by addressing a gap in the literature on internationalization and global learning, specifically on how global citizenship and EfGC is understood and practiced by individuals in a particular temporal and situational context in a U.S. HEI.
Can increasing faculty professionalism raise instructional quality at a Chinese University?
(2013-12) Lindgren, Jeffrey
The purpose of this study was to determine if increasing faculty professionalism is a viable strategy for raising the quality of instruction at a Chinese university. In this study, increasing faculty professionalism refers to increases in regards to six areas of faculty work: academic freedom, work balance, governance, reward systems, salary, and professional development. A mixed-methods approach was used in this study. 30 faculty and 15 administrators were interviewed using a standardized open-ended approach and 27 faculty and 21 administrators responded to a questionnaire with 26 Likert-type questions. Study findings suggest that faculty and administrators at Guangdong X University agree that instructional quality needs to be raised. In addition, the findings suggest that faculty and administrators at Guangdong X University agree that increasing faculty professionalism may be an effective way to raise the quality of instruction at this university. Also, the findings suggest that this agreement between faculty and administrators at Guangdong X University may indicate an open policy window (Kingdon, 2003) for advancing the strategy of increasing faculty professionalism as a way to raise instructional quality. Finally, policy alternatives are suggested in view of Kingdon's (2003) model.
Connections, productivity and funding: an examination of the factors influencing scientists' perceptions on the market orientation of academic research
(2012-10) Ronning, Emily Anne
This study examines scientists' perceptions of the environment in which they do their work. Specifically, this study examines how academic and professional factors such as research productivity, funding levels for science, connections to industry, type of academic appointment, and funding sources influence scientists' perceptions of the market orientation of science. The findings are based on data from a survey of 5,000 researchers (1,703 respondents) at 100 public research universities in the United States. The analyses demonstrate that connections to industry, certain types of scholarly productivity, opinions about the processes for obtaining funding, and service in a national advisory capacity are significantly related to scientists' perceptions of the market orientation of academic research.
Entry Into Nursing And Academic Nursing: Career Trajectories Of Nursing Faculty Members
(2013-11) Dickerson, Christopher
The United States is in a long term shortage of nurses affecting all areas of the profession, including academic nursing. The shortage of faculty members in nursing restricts entry of new nurses thus continuing the shortage profession-wide. If the broader shortage is to be addressed, the shortage of academic nurses needs to be examined. As part of this research, an integrated model of career choice and progression was proposed based on a landscape where each career is a mountain within the range of careers. Choice of career is often restricted due to social norms, not unlike travel and vision in a mountain setting. Career progression often involves educational attainment that, when consolidated in degrees or licenses, establishes floors, like mountain plateaus, where further attainment is not required. Finally, bridges from those plateaus allow individuals to changes careers and return without loss of rights due to the consolidated educational attainment. This model was the theoretical guide in a descriptive phenomenological study examining initial career choice and progression to academic practice in professors of nursing. Interviews were conducted with ten nursing faculty members at a large, Midwestern university teaching in programs leading to initial nursing licensure. The interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed for content analysis during which themes emerged detailing the career trajectory. Four overarching themes emerged, three containing additional subthemes. The initial pursuit of nursing, theme number one, found participants were typically late deciders in pursuing a career in nursing and had loose initial ties to the profession. Redirection and transitioning to nursing, theme two, contained several sub-themes including those discussing the influence of the participant's teachers, dissatisfaction with early nursing roles, and transitioning to academia. Continuing in academia, theme three, included thoughts on interacting with students, the desire to continue learning, and maintaining a clinical role. Finally, financial considerations, theme four, brought discussions of income differentials between academic and clinical nurses with equal education, non-academic support, and the costs of the necessary degrees. Important aspects of the theoretical model found validation in the results and appropriate recommendations for academic policy changes are made based on the results.
Factors influencing faculty participation in internationalization at the University of Minnesota's schools of nursing and public health: a case study
(2013-05) Beatty, Matthew R.
The internationalization of higher education is no longer a desirable academic ideal. Rather, it is an essential component for higher education. In the era of globalization, colleges and universities are deploying widespread initiatives to infuse a global dimension into their teaching, research and service functions. Faculty play an important role in advancing strategic international agendas, yet little work has been published around their involvement, benefits and rationales to support the internationalization of higher education. The purpose of this study is to examine factors influencing faculty participation in internationalization at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. In particular, the researcher studies the views of faculty members from the University of Minnesota's Schools of Nursing and Public Health. Factors identified during the literature review were included throughout the design of this study.Within the case study, a mixed methods sequential explanatory research design is conducted. The design includes an Internet survey and interviews. Responses to the survey are examined using descriptive and inferential analyses. Individual interviews are also conducted to seek elaboration and alignment from survey responses while revealing additional information.The findings indicate that the nature of faculty participation in internationalization varies between schools, gender and appointment types. For example, faculty members from the Schools of Nursing tend to participate in activities more closely associated with internationalizing the curriculum while faculty in the School of Public Health participate more readily in teaching and research activities occurring outside of the classroom. In addition, there are statistically significant differences in the nature of activities which male and female faculty members participate in with respect to internationalization. For example, a statistically significant higher proportion of males conduct research outside of the United States. Conversely, a statistically significant higher proportion of females teach courses that include strategies for students to improve their intercultural skills. Furthermore, tenured faculty members demonstrate a higher percentage of participation in 16 of the 18 internationalization activities when compared to non-tenured faculty. The willingness to participate in internationalization activities is influenced by factors relating to the University's commitment to internationalize, institutional leadership and organizational practices. Key organizational factors that support faculty participation in internationalization include hiring practices, opportunities to internationalize the curriculum and institutional partnerships. Personal and professional agendas also affect the participation of faculty to in internationalization. Overall, participants feel internationalization is a higher priority for the University than for their individual departments and divisions. Many participants report a desire to participate in internationalization activities, however, factors related to institutional planning, promotion and tenure policies, and insufficient resources restrict widespread participation among faculty. Furthermore, the lack of implicit roles and responsibilities cause uncertainty for faculty at the operational level. Results from the current study support the limited research previously conducted on faculty engagement and development in internationalization. Additionally, they emphasize the importance of effective institutional strategic planning to accomplish comprehensive internationalization. As institutions continue to expand their international reach, this case study carries important implications about institutional and individual factors affecting faculty participation in international activities. At the same time, the researcher presents practical suggestions to remove institutional barriers and improve organizational structures, with the goal of ultimately generating greater participation among faculty in internationalization.
Faculty Agency in a U.S.-Colombia University Development Partnership: Bending Toward Justice
(2017-06) Pekol, Amy
This dissertation explores faculty engagement at the crossroads of higher education and international development policy through a comparative case study of a U.S.-Colombia human rights university partnership. There is a tendency for ideologies, policies, and practices to flow from North to South in university development partnerships, which reinforces deeply entrenched hierarchies and structural inequalities within the global political economy. This study investigates the cumulative effect on faculty working within such partnerships. Faculty engagement is examined through interviews with faculty participants and international development specialists across five universities and two development agencies in the United States and Colombia. Interviewees reflect on faculty engagement at various stages—design, initiation, negotiation, collaboration, and conclusion—of a three-year partnership. A focus on faculty engagement—namely faculty agency perspectives and behaviors—across four dimensions—individual, institutional, partnership, and geopolitical—highlights multiple layers of influence and inequality within these partnerships. This study advances two key arguments. First, this study calls for greater attention to the role of professional capital —a product of human, social, and decisional capital—in perpetuating or overcoming inequalities within university development partnerships. Second, this study affirms the importance of empathy and the potential of individual participants to reduce and even reverse the power dynamics inherent within many North-South partnerships. Although university development partnerships do not occur on equal terrain, this study reveals opportunities for participants to make them a little more equitable and expand faculty agency in the process.
Faculty Member Engagement in the Context of Internationalization at Home at the University of Iceland: A Collective Case Study
(2018-05) Dinger, Casey
Internationalization at Home (IaH) has been promoted as means to increase international and intercultural education on the home campus. Considering Iceland’s recent increases in immigration, such education is crucial not only for students and members of the academic community, but also for the populations in greater Iceland. This study examines faculty members’ engagement in the practices of IaH at the University of Iceland. Employing a collective case study methodology, this investigation includes multiple streams of data including interviews, documents, photographs and observation to understand the specific practices of IaH and subsequent development that stems from the participants’ engagement. A portrait of adult learning constructed from a variety of learning theories and concepts is used in interpreting growth from practices of IaH. Key findings indicate that participants understand IaH as a project of integrating cultural diversity in the campus community and that their role in IaH centers around fostering awareness of diversity through practices of teaching, research, building and maintaining networks and connecting with Icelandic society. Additionally, participants learn through this engagement, particularly through critical reflection, dialectical thinking and authenticity in teaching. This growth develops a more transformative internationalization for themselves and their institution. The findings are useful in understanding how IaH is enacted and has implications for supporting internationalization of faculty at the University of Iceland.
Faculty Perceptions of conflict with administrators: An analysis of the Associations between the nature of conflict and positive and negative outcomes
(2013-06) Hancks, Meredith
This study examines the perceptions of faculty members regarding conflict experiences with administrators. It is driven by the question, To what extent are faculty perceptions of positive and negative outcomes of faculty-administrator conflict associated with domain, nature and disciplinary context of the conflict, where domain refers to the administrative or academic area of the conflict situation and nature refers to whether the conflict is task-based or interpersonal. The analysis is based on quantitative study of survey results. The results indicate that task nature of conflicts has greater association than relationship nature with positive and negative outcomes of conflict. These findings suggest that working to remedy task-related conflicts in these domains might improve the outcomes of conflict experiences between faculty and administrators.
Faculty perceptions of success in cross-border university-to-university partnerships.
(2012-05) Wilson, Elisabeth Anne
In international development the strategy of cross-border university-to-university partnerships is drawing more attention. Funders such as U.S. Agency for International Development are offering large amounts of financial support for the development of university partnerships, networks, and consortiums. Despite the money that is going into university partnerships and networks, there is only limited research on whether this strategy is effective. This study was conducted at Makerere University, the oldest university in East Africa. Makerere has been engaged with international partners in scores of partnerships, making it an ideal setting to look for perspective on the process and impact of university partnerships. Interviews were conducted with 38 faculty members and content analysis tied what faculty said back to a four-stage model based on literature on partnership development. The first stage of the model focuses on initiation, particularly leadership and motivation. The second stage looks at negotiation of context, the depth of understanding that partners have of where the partnership is based, including organizational structures and the physical and cultural environment. Trust in implementation is the third stage and the final stage is how faculty members evaluate the success of partnerships at their conclusion. In addition to testing the adequacy of the model, this study sought to identify distinctions between partnerships that were internally funded and those that were externally funded. For the most part, the model proved to be a useful tool to represent the process of partnership. However, there were nuances identified, including the large degree to which faculty are motivated by individual benefits; internal challenges at the university that hinder partnership development and impact; informal faculty mentorship that happens during partnerships; and reinforcement of dependence on external funding. These findings were used to offer revisions to the original partnership development model. In this study, all the partnerships that were described were externally funded; the faculty members who were interviewed provided no examples of successful, internally funded partnerships. Implications that the university participates in only externally funded partnerships may indicate that the partnership strategy does not hold promise for future sustainability.
Faculty research productivity at Assumption University Thailand
(2014-10) Pornsalnuwat, Pavinee
The purpose of this study is to determine the factors associated with faculty's perceptions of their roles as researchers at a Thai private university, Assumption (AU). In recent decades there has been a dramatic increase in the size of Thailand's higher education sector reflecting both the trends of massification and privatization. One of Thailand's leading private universities is Assumption with a new world-class campus located in Bang Na near the new Bangkok international airport.The university is Thailand's first international university and grew out of Assumption College (an elite private Catholic P-12 school) and ABAC (a highly successful business college and university). The institution has a long tradition of attracting top students and offering them a quality education that prepares them well to join the elite in business, government, and academic sectors. Despite the rapid growth of Thai higher education, Thai universities do not fare well in international ranking systems. The major reason is the lack of research productivity of Thai faculty in higher education. It is a key assumption of this dissertation that effective research and development contribute to national productivity and competitiveness.In this research the methodology is case study research and there is the use of triangulated qualitative research methods including extensive document analysis and interviews with diverse stakeholders such as AU administrators and faculty. Also interviewed are national and international experts knowledgeable to the Thai higher education landscape. A total of individuals were interviewed with a 100% response rate. Overall, it is found that research productivity is highly skewed with a small number of faculty actively engaged in research, while the majority are much less active or inactive. A tetrahedron model is used to reflect the four key factors found to influence the productivity of faculty, namely, 1) motivation and incentives, 2) resources, 3) skills, and 4) Thai politics and culture. Various suggestions are presented to enhance research productivity at AU such as the development of a long-term plan to give greater priority and resources to research. The plan would include activities such as special training and grant development workshops, mentoring, hiring outstanding faculty with proven research records, and the promotion of research collaboration with international scholars. The "triple helix model" is also presented reflecting the need for much greater cooperation among the business, government, and academic sectors in conducting and impactful and innovative research.The data presented in this dissertation indicate that Thailand in general and AU in particular are not realizing their R & D potential. This places Thailand at risk in terms of what has been termed the middle income trap (Gill & Kharas, 2007). Thus, as many countries such as Japan and Korea developed industrial policies, Thailand critically needs a national research policy to foster excellence in research, particulary quality applied research which will enhance Thailand's national competitivenss and facilitate its escaping the middle income trap. The designation of nine institutions as research universities is a step in the right direction. Assumption University, a private institution and Thailand's first international university, with its strong Catholic heritage of ethics and teaching and its new world-class campus, has also the potential to strengthen its research profile to enhance even more the quality of its teaching and learning environment. For that goal to become a reality, AU must give higher priority to creating a favorable academic research climate with increased funding and incentives for doing useful impactful research.
From covert to overt interpersonal conflict: an exploration of the role of cognitive processes used by faculty in liberal arts colleges.
(2012-06) Holey, Linka Mary
Life within the academy is depicted frequently in literature, film, and theater as a series of relationship issues involving students, faculty, and administrators. These fictional stories present life as a series of interpersonal conflicts, leaving a sense of dissonance that is unsettling. One wonders how or whether the key actors are using their highly developed intellects. This study addresses the research question: What roles do cognitive processes play in covert and overt interpersonal conflicts between faculty members at private, liberal arts colleges? To answer this question, I derive a conceptual framework from five stage-theories of conflict. I then identify nine cognitive processes from the perspectives of the individual reaction, the social interaction, and the organizational influence. I describe the role these cognitive processes play in overt and covert conflicts between faculty and identify similarities and differences. This qualitative study is based on semi-structured interviews with 16 deans of liberal arts and professional schools within five, small, private colleges distributed across the United States of America. Each dean provided two cases of faculty-to-faculty conflict (one overt and one covert) that occurred within the previous three years. I analyzed the 32 cases of faculty-to-faculty conflicts by identifying themes and subthemes, creating cross-case displays, and arraying the data on meta-matrices. Cognitive dissonance formed the basis for both covert and overt conflicts with social inference creating a spark to ignite public displays of conflict. The perception of self interest and an evaluation of fairness were processes used in all types of conflicts. A perception of inequity was distinctive to cases of overt conflict. The faculty's assessment of congruence with departmental norms and culture and the institutional mission and values was not a strong influence in either type of conflict. Three basic conditions that influenced individual reactions to conflict situations included change in usual work expectations, strong emotion, and personality traits.
Interview with Elizabeth (Bettina) Blake
(University of Minnesota, 2001-03-26) Blake, Elizabeth; Pflaum, Ann M.
Ann Pflaum interviews Elizabeth (Bettina) Blake, former chief academic officer of the Morris campus.
Interview with Josie Johnson
(University of Minnesota, 1999-08-03) Johnson, Josie R.; Pflaum, Ann M.
Ann Pflaum interviews the Honorable Josie Johnson, a former Regent of the University, former senior officer in Central Administration and a former instructor and former fellow in the College of Education.
Interview with Karen Hoyle
(University of Minnesota, 1995-05-24) Hoyle, Karen Nelson; Chambers, Clarke A.
Clarke A. Chambers interviews Karen Nelson Hoyle, librarian for the Children's Literature Research Collections and the Kerlan Collection.
Interview with William B. Stewart and Ida B. Stewart
(University of Minnesota, 2001-03-26) Stewart, William B.; Stewart, Ida B.; Pflaum, Ann M.
Ann Pflaum interviews William B. Stewart and Ida B. Stewart about the Minority Student Program at the University of Minnesota Morris campus.
Letter to the University President from University Professors endorsing Strategic Positioning
(2005-04-08) Andow, David; Barany, George; Bates, Frank; Bernlohr, David; Candler, Graham; Clayton, Tom; Crick, Nicki; Edwards, R. Lawrence; Foufoula-Georgiou, Efi; Freeman, John; Gunnar, Megan; Hu, Wei-Shou; Iacono, William; James, Richard; Jenkins, Marc; Legge, Gordon; Lodge, Tim; Masten, Ann; Olive, Keith; Phillips, Ronald; Pui, David; Pusey, Ann; Reich, Peter; Sadowsky, Michael; Schmidt, Lanny; Shekhar, Shashi; Sullivan, John; Tolman, William; Tranquillo, Robert T; Young, Nevin
Members of faculty with hearing impairments in academia: what are their needs?
(2011-11) Roufs, Kathleen S.
Seventeen percent of adults in the United States suffer from some degree of hearing loss, and this impairment can pose considerable personal, professional, social, and psychological challenges, often, to people reluctant to seek help (Hearing Loss Association, 2011). Post-secondary faculty members with hearing loss are among us, and most of them navigate their professional lives silently. Support for hearing loss is easily accessible for students on our campuses, but there is an apparent gap in knowledge about and utilization of support and services for faculty members with hearing loss. This study examines the barriers to full participation in the academy for faculty members with hearing impairments. This exploratory, descriptive study, framed in the minority model and the social model of disability, investigates the marginalization, isolation, coping mechanisms, and needs of faculty members with hearing loss at a public research university. An email invitation to participate in the study was sent to 3,104 faculty members with teaching responsibilities, employed sixty-six percent time, or more. The invitation asked the participants to think about their hearing and how it affects teaching in the classroom, participation in departmental discussions, interactions with students and colleagues, and interactions at professional and social events. The invitation included the following questions: Do you have to concentrate more intensely to follow conversations? Do telephone conversations become more problematic because of your hearing? Do background noises interfere with your hearing? Do you find yourself asking ―Pardon me?‖ in and out of the classroom more frequently? Is it becoming more difficult to hear in the classroom or at departmental meetings and social gatherings? If the recipients answered ―yes‖ to any of the questions, they were encouraged to continue with the inquiry; a link was provided to the web-based survey. The survey consisted of 39 questions about hearing loss, relationships with colleagues and administrators, knowledge of accommodations and services, budgets from which accommodations are paid, and if, how, and when that knowledge is communicated. Of the 144 faculty members who began, 84 completed the survey. The results are based on the 84 completed surveys. The respondents were mature professionally and chronologically. Sixty-seven percent of the respondents who disclosed their ages were 46 years of age or older and 74 percent of those who disclosed their ranks were either associate, full, endowed, or Regents professors. Seventy-five percent of the respondents said their hearing losses were either mild or moderate (on a four point scale: minimal, mild, moderate, or profound). Two percent of the respondents identified with Disability Services. Ninety-eight percent of the respondents said that resources for faculty members with hearing loss were not discussed at any departmental orientations or meetings. The quantitative and qualitative comments of faculty members suggest that acoustics in classrooms and meeting rooms are problematic for many. Other results, based on the responses of faculty members with hearing impairments, identify some of the system wide changes that would benefit faculty members with hearing loss – including more frequent discussions about hearing loss at college and department levels, more knowledge about support and resources to accommodate hearing loss, class and meeting rooms with better acoustics, and more choices in telephone systems. The results suggest that administrators need to be coached about how to discuss hearing loss, support, accommodations, and budgets. The study also found that hearing colleagues need to better understand the experiences and the challenges of their peers who have hearing impairments. The study concludes with recommendations that will help all faculty members, especially those with hearing loss, maximize their engagement in the academy.
Minutes: Board of Regents Meeting and Regents Committee Meetings: April 10-11, 1980
(University of Minnesota, 1980) University of Minnesota Board of Regents
Minutes: Board of Regents Meeting and Regents Committee Meetings: April 11-12, 1985
(University of Minnesota, 1985) University of Minnesota Board of Regents
Minutes: Board of Regents Meeting and Regents Committee Meetings: April 12-13, 1984
(University of Minnesota, 1984) University of Minnesota Board of Regents

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