Browsing by Author "Bray, Nathaniel J"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    Faculty Response to Change in Student Populations in Higher Education: a Qualitative Study
    (University of Alabama Libraries, 2023) Short, Rosanne; Holley, Karri A
    The purpose of this study was to understand faculty perspectives of institutional change. The context for the institutional change was a shift from a largely traditional student population with a focus on the liberal arts to a range of adult and non-traditional students seeking professional degrees. The three research questions which guided the study were: 1.How do changes in student demographics shape the faculty experience? 2.How do faculty understand and respond to change in academic rigor and content? 3.What institutional cultural changes do faculty perceive as a result of the changes in student population?This descriptive qualitative study was framed using stakeholder theory. Stakeholder theory suggests that a business or organization has an ethical obligation and duty to ensure that the organization's activities do not harm the stakeholders or employees. This research aimed to fill a gap in the literature on the faculty perceptions of changes in the student population and academic program rigor following changes in the education approach by higher education institutions. The emergent themes of this research included the changing ethos of higher education, the educational nonprofit mission, market demand of private nonprofit higher education institutions, and faculty responses to the mandated change in student recruitment focus.
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    Funding Trends, Politics, and Competing Agendas in Higher Education
    (University of Alabama Libraries, 2024) Williams, Chad; Bray, Nathaniel J
    The cost of higher education has become one of the most debatable topics in recent times. Elected officials, parents, current and prospective students are highly engaged participants in appraising the cost-to-benefit ratio of receiving a college education. Moreover, wavering investments and cutbacks in financial support have transferred greater costs to institutions and families, bringing forth financial adversity for institutions and college-bound families across the country. This study considers such factors and seeks to evaluate state spending differences, political sway, and budget implementation to stress how these elements contribute to strained university budgets and higher tuition costs. Enclosed in these factors is the significance of this analysis, which can be traced back to the simple conclusion that if institutions continue to operate under financial deficits and tuition costs continue to grow, obtaining a college degree becomes increasingly improbable for many pursuing better labor and quality of life opportunities in the future. In the span of three articles, this study uses a quantitative approach to identify mismatches in funding between states, political engagement, and execution of the state budget from 2011 to 2021. The first article canvased nationwide funding trends in state budgets that affect state funding for public institutions. This study further established that there are nationwide contrasts in funding that sabotage an institution's capacity to moderate tuition costs and manage campus financial plans. The second article examined political influence on state-level higher education funding under various constructs. This research showed that states tend to have higher funding percentages outside of election cycles, and partisan and bipartisan-led state governments exhibited no significant difference in higher education funding. The third article initiated inquiries into state budget items to assess spending patterns and conclude the degree to which financing those items hamper state funding efforts in higher education. These studies reveal that higher education is the least funded of state programs and unmask how state-level funding trends, politics, and other state-funded programs contribute to the current fiscal climate and challenges confronting institutions, students, and their families.
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    Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Black College Student Success
    (University of Alabama Libraries, 2023) Shropshire, Christopher L; Bray, Nathaniel J
    This study explored the supportive environment described at Historically Black Colleges and Universities ("HBCUs"), specifically what made the environment supportive, how the environment was experienced, how students were developed within the environment, and what elements of the environment did students believe were integral to their success. Participants affirmed four themes that described the supportive environment at HBCUs. These themes were a sense of home and family, culture of productivity, (black) identity formation, and character development. The sense of home created an environment where students felt safe, cared for, and protected. This safety created conditions where students' black identity could be fully explored and developed. Positive identity formation interacted with a culture of productivity facilitated by high expectations and high support, which enabled students to be successful, thus building confidence. Not only did the students indicate achieving success; but also, they developed habits that lead to success, primarily a strong work ethic coupled with an orientation towards high levels of professionalism and technical competence. All of which interacted with a sense of pride in oneself, and history coupled with a responsibility to honor those that have come before, while building a legacy for those who will come after. Environment, culture, and relationships embraced and developed black students' full identity, provided high expectation with support, and grounded black students in the significance and richness of their history and culture all contributed to the HBCU environment being supportive. This approach to educating black students serves as a competitive advantage, providing social capital that is used throughout their lives, contributing to their success.
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    Nontraditional African-American Students' College Choice and Adult Transition At an HBCU: a Descriptive Qualitative Study
    (University of Alabama Libraries, 2023) Carmichael, Barry; Bray, Nathaniel J
    This research study was a qualitative descriptive design to understand the college choice selection of nontraditional African-American students and experiences related to the adult transitional processes of college enrollment. The guiding framework was Iloh's enhanced Hossler-Gallagher model of the decision-making process used for college choice selection as it applied to nontraditional students and the 4S model of the Schlossberg transition theory. The problem was that as the nontraditional student population continued to increase within educational institutions, it was imperative to understand the rationale for college enrollment decisions and the transitional experiences of this student population. The researcher focused on the perspectives of African American nontraditional students attending a historically Black college or university. Participants included 27 African-American students who attended a private liberal arts HBCU in central Alabama. The 10 male and 17 female African American participants were interviewed using 11 interview questions to gain an understanding of their lived experiences. This research study added value to the body of knowledge of services and offerings of educational institutions serving this population at HBCUs and for all institutions with nontraditional students in general. The issues that influenced the college choice of nontraditional African-American students who enrolled in an HBCU were what worked best for their schedule and most easily allowed them to continue to meet their obligations to children, family, and work. Other factors, such as the college being reputable and one offering a degree plan in their major, were also required. The fact that the college was an HBCU was important to some; the opportunity to learn about African American history and culture was especially exciting, but this was not the determining factor for others. Some participants believed their transition could have been better with some key concerns addressed by the college, specifically for nontraditional students. Many concerns could be addressed with more communication and programs directly for nontraditional students. Overall, most student participants attending this HBCU felt that they were receiving a good education that allowed them to pursue their goal of providing a better life for themselves and their families. Keywords: African American; college choice, college transition, HBCU, nontraditional student
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    The Role of Letters of Recommendation in Perpetuating Or Challenging the Social Stratification of American Secondary Schools: a Quantitative Analysis of Admission Officer Assessments in Highly Selective College Admission
    (University of Alabama Libraries, 2023) Butt, Mark; Bray, Nathaniel J
    Admission into highly selective institutions can provide a pathway to upward income mobility for low-resource students. However, disparities in the admission process due to growing wealth inequality in America can complicate the work of admission officers. To account for this, highly selective institutions often use an individualized holistic review (IHR) process that considers multiple factors, including letters of recommendation (LOR), to assess student achievement and opportunity. However, the subjective nature of LOR and ambiguous assessment criteria can create challenges for students from low-resource backgrounds, as admission officers may not adequately consider the context of the recommendation.This quantitative research study examined the relationship between internal admission officer assessments of LOR and contextual variables beyond student control, such as school type, size, and the College Board Landscape Indices. Statistical methods, including ANOVA, Two-Way ANOVA, Chi-Square, multiple linear regression, and logistic regression, were employed, controlling for standard measures of academic readiness. Data were collected from one highly selective research university, analyzing over 95,000 applicants to understand the influence of school context variables on admission officers' assessments of LOR. Findings revealed that LOR assessments were higher for students from greater contextual challenge levels when controlling for measures of academic readiness. Simultaneously, findings showed higher mean recommendation assessments for students at private and smaller schools with similar control variables. Findings also showed that the LOR assessment by admission officers had a statistically significant relationship with the final admission outcome. This analysis highlights LOR's complex and complicated nature and has significant implications for admission officer training on IHR at highly selective institutions. It also highlights the role of contextual variables and their relationship with LOR in the highly selective admission process. By developing more equitable and effective assessment practices that consider the context of LOR, admission officers can better identify and support qualified candidates from all socioeconomic backgrounds.