Tag: Goal 1: Prepare and Develop Leaders and Scholars

Center for Educational Leadership to Facilitate the Tennessee Rural Principal Network

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The Center for Educational Leadership, directed by Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Assistant Professor Practice Dr. Jim McIntyre, was just awarded a grant from the Kern Family Foundation to more explicitly integrate character development into all leadership programming over the next three years. The award will allow Dr. McIntyre and his team, in collaboration with the American Institutes for Research, to facilitate an intensive, yearlong collaborative professional learning experience for 54 rural school principals from across the state of Tennessee.

“The power of this network is the principals,” said McIntyre. “The participants will learn with and from each other and tackle tough issues around public education in the rural context. We plan to very intentionally build a professional support network for these remarkable school leaders that will help enhance and strengthen rural schooling across the state.”

The mission of the Kern Family Foundation is to empower the rising generation of Americans to build flourishing lives anchored in strong character, inspired by quality education, driven by an entrepreneurial mindset, and guided by the desire to create value for others. They focus on initiatives that have long-term, systemic impact,

For more information on the award, see this news release from the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences. For more information on the Center for Educational Leadership, click here.

HEAM PhD Candidate Steve Syoen’s Virtual Writing Retreats Create Global Community

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Steve Syoen

Steve Syoen, Organizer of Virtual Writing Retreats

How do extroverts and social learners cope with the loss of community during a pandemic, which only intensifies the oftentimes lonely dissertation stage?

Well, if you’re ELPS PhD candidate Steve Syoen, you don’t struggle with the loss of community, you just create a new one.

Syoen began organizing his Virtual Writing Retreats in the spring of 2020 after passing comps and entering the dissertation phase of his degree: “I do best with others around me pursuing similar goals. COVID-19 struck, they closed libraries on campus, and I started working from home. My other go-to used to be McDonald’s for free WiFi, but then restaurant dining rooms closed. I needed SOMETHING… so when your natural community isn’t available, I decided to make one.”

Syoen builds community with guided chat between writing sessions.

Most of Steve’s Virtual Writing Retreat attendees are “working folks” with full lives outside their PhD pursuits, so each event usually runs from 9:15am-3:30pm EST. Syoen describes what to expect: “We start with people getting settled in, we write for 75 or 90 minutes, we take 15 minute breaks (30 for lunch), and then we write more. Before each writing session starts, participants are offered an opportunity to either speak or chat their goals for the next work period into existence. At the end of a session, participants are invited to share what they accomplished. The goal is progress, and whether that is one paragraph, one article, or an entire chapter – we celebrate it all.” Between sessions, participants chat with questions guided by Syoen about everything from favorite snacks for focus to favorite productivity tools and writing implements. “I was able to complete my detailed outline for my section! This was terrific, Steve!” one attendee reports during a break.

The goal is progress, and whether that is one paragraph, one article, or an entire chapter – we celebrate it all.

Steve Syoen HEAM PhD Candidate and Organizer of global Virtual Writing Retreats

Since beginning his Virtual Writing Retreats, Syoen’s new community has gone global. “We have people from India, China, and the Netherlands who’ve joined each of the last two sessions. The person in India has asked me to help start coordinating these for her program so she can do them in her time zone (they are 8.5 hours ahead of us) instead of attending ours in Eastern time.”

Students interested in joining one Syoen’s Virtual Writing Retreats can either send him an email or stay in the know of future events by joining the Working Folks Guide to a PhD Facebook group.

ELPS News

New Works Explore Challenges and Future of Fraternities and Sororities

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ELPS Professor Patrick Biddix’s latest co-edited volumes explore conversations about the challenges and future of fraternities and sororities.

Book cover for "Foundations, Research, and Assessment of Fraternities and Sororities"Foundations, Research, and Assessment of Fraternities and Sororities (2019) features continuing conversations about the challenges facing fraternities and sororities on campuses across the country. Faculty, administrators, and alumni/ae will find inspiration as higher education scholars and practitioners that examine the past and future constructs of fraternity and sorority institutions. The volume opens with a historical section on the origins of fraternities and sororities, then moves to examine values, legal issues, and research before concluding with an overview of fraternity/sorority scholarship that includes profiles of large, national benchmark surveys.

“As higher education professionals seek to build leaders and programs that align with institutional values, this text provides thoughtful study and practical assessment of the fraternity and sorority experience.”

-Kathryn Cavins-Tull, Texas Christian University Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs

Book cover for "Supporting Fraternities and Sororities in the Contemporary Era"Biddix’s second volume, Supporting Fraternities and Sororities in the Contemporary Era (2019), follows conversations and scholarship suggesting that not just change is necessary, but that there ought to be a fundamental reconceptualization of the fraternity and sorority construct.

“The authors’ focus on collaboration between campus based and Headquarters based fraternity and sorority professionals adds an important new perspective to the administration of fraternity and sorority affairs.”

Charles G. Eberly, PhD, Emeritus Professor of Counseling and Higher Education, Eastern Illinois University

Including summaries of national organizations from authentic, represented voices, chapters in Supporting Fraternities and Sororities in the Contemporary Era focus on solutions to support the fraternity and sorority experience and provide strategies and emerging explanations for the issues described in this text.

Both titles are available online via Myers Education Press.

Spotlight on Olga M. Welch

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EdD, Educational Administration and Supervision

Class of 1977

Dean Olga Welch speaks on teaching responsible citizenry in a 90.5 WESA Life of Learning Forum

Olga M. Welch is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Howard University and EdD graduate of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. After time as a Professor in the College of Education at UT, Dr. Welch accepted a position at Duquesne University where she went on to spend over a decade as Dean in the Duquesne University School of Education.

In an article co-authored with University of Tennessee Vice-Provost Emerita Carolyn Hodges, Welch remarks on the importance of balance in leadership: “Learning how to lead is also about learning how to balance the need for action with deliberative and deliberate approaches.”

“The real challenge for a new leader is to learn your context and not assume what worked in another context will work in a new one.”

Olga Welch, Dean Emeritus, Duquesne University

Author several publications, chapters, and books, most recently in 2011 the released of Turnaround Leadership: Deans of Color as Change Agents that focuses attention on deans as agents of change by presenting case studies of six deans of color. This volume’s emphasis on how particular leaders thought about and implemented change initiatives reflects Dr. Welch’s commitment to engaging in critical problem-solving as leaders. 

For more on Dr. Olga M. Welch:

 

About the Series

The ELPS Where are They Now? series inspires current and future students by spotlighting the career paths and accomplishments of graduates from the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. Continue your own leadership journey and learn more about our programs today.

Trends in Community College Course Material Costs and Their Impact on Student Success

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Community college students throughout Tennessee are taking fewer classes, avoiding certain majors, and not purchasing required materials due to their cost, according to the 2019 Tennessee Community College Student Course Materials Survey Report released by The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Postsecondary Education Research Center (PERC). This survey, the first to specifically survey Tennessee community college students’ experiences, illustrates the impact that high course material costs have on students’ academic decisions and ability to progress toward graduation.

“The state of Tennessee is a national frontrunner in resolving barriers related to the cost of tuition, but the issues students experience due to the oftentimes high cost of course materials indicate that simply enrolling students is not enough,” said Elizabeth Spica, Principal Researcher working in partnership with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Postsecondary Education Research Center. “We not only want students to enroll, but also to succeed and earn the degrees and credentials that will help them be more successful in life. The negative points of impact evident in this research report indicate we have more work to do.”

The report results could help inform educational leaders and policymakers further develop recommendations and initiatives for increasing the affordability of required course materials and, as a result, the overall affordability of college. According to the report students spent an average of $119.18 per course on required materials in the Fall 2019 semester, and while they relied most heavily on campus bookstores, they also frequently turned to online services like Amazon and Chegg to purchase and rent materials.

“It is our hope that this report will help illuminate the struggles that students face related to the unanticipated costs incurred after enrolling in a postsecondary program,” said Spica. “Course material costs represent a great proportion of the investment beyond tuition, and by addressing this challenge, Tennessee will pave the way for students to more easily realize the opportunities that come with successful completion of a higher education degree.”

In a partnership with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Postsecondary Education Research Center, the Tennessee Board of Regents Office of Policy and Strategy, and Offices of Institutional Research at 12 participating community college campuses, the 2019 Tennessee Community College Student Course Materials Survey was completed by almost 2,000 students across the state, half of which intended to transfer to a four-year institution upon completion of their current program. The survey asked students about their spending, purchase behaviors, and points of impact for course material costs on academic decisions and their ability to progress to graduation. The survey also addressed the extent to which required materials were being used in the classroom.

Download the Press Release by clicking here, and for additional information and to view a full copy of the report, visit perc.utk.edu/reports/.

 

About PERC: The mission of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Postsecondary Education Research Center (PERC) is to identify, conduct, and coordinate research on initiatives and ideas designed to enhance higher education at the institutional, state, and national levels to enhance policy and practice.

College Students Change the World Forum

2020 College Students Change the World Forum

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The inaugural College Students Change the World Forum, sponsored by the Leadership Studies program within the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies (ELPS), will take place March 7, 2020 from 1:00-6:30pm in Strong Hall.

The Forum brings together high school and college students for networking, visioning, critical thinking, and oral communication exercises that help students see themselves as leaders within their communities and promote the ability for students to make positive, responsible contributions.

“We hope this opportunity will give Knoxville students a glimpse into how college and leadership studies can help them be better student citizens, as well as inspire these students to make their own impact on their world,” said Dr. Karen Boyd, Associate Professor of Practice and ELPS Director of Undergraduate Education. The highlight of this event will be a keynote from Dr. Theotis Robinson, Jr., with the remainder of the afternoon including connection activities, project presentations from current Leadership Studies students, and a facilitated Deliberative Dialogue about leadership challenges.

You can view the event flyer below. Click the flyer to download a PDF copy that includes the full event schedule.

 

Spica Presents Policy Analysis at 2019 Open Education Conference

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Elizabeth Spica, doctoral student in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies interning with UT’s Postsecondary Education Research Center, presented research exploring Open Educational Resources (OER) and state-level policies at the 16th annual Open Education Conference in Phoenix, Arizona.

Elizabeth Spica presents poster at OpenEd 2019

Elizabeth Spica, ELPS doctoral student

Open Educational Resources (OER) have been shown to positively impact issues related to student access and success, from course material affordability to course completion and enrollment intensity (Fischer, et al, 2015; Hilton, 2018). Despite  progress over the past decade, faculty still consistently report the effort required to find readily available, high-quality materials to be a barrier to the use and adoption of OER (Barker, et al, 2018; Braddlee, 2018; Jhangiani, et al, 2016; Seaman and Seaman, 2017).

While almost half the states in the United States have considered or adopted legislation to support the development and use of OER, little research has elucidated the practical impact of state-level policies on contributions from faculty at institutions within those respective states. Spica’s research, entitled Open Educational Resources (OER) and State-Level Policies: A Network Analysis, examined the relationship between state-level policies and OER contributions from faculty at institutions within those respective states. Results from the data analyzed showed that faculty affiliated with institutions in states with existing textbook affordability and/or OER policies contributed significantly more OER than faculty affiliated with institutions in states without existing policies.

You can view and download the poster by clicking this link.

CSP Practicum Site Visits

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This October, College Student Personnel (CSP) students, faculty, and practitioner-educators will visit multiple colleges and universities in Georgia to learn about student affairs and higher education at distinct institutional types. Site visits include the University of West Georgia, Georgia Institute of Technology (GA Tech), and Emory University.

These practicum visits are one of many program activities that combine peer-to-peer learning and professional socialization to provide graduates with practical experiences that are grounded in research and theory. Since the beginning of the College Student Personnel program over seventy years ago, more than 650 students have graduated and progressed to various roles in higher education and related services.

For more information on the University of Tennessee College Student Personnel program, visit https://elpsclone.flywheelsites.com/csp/.

PERC Examines UTK Student Debt

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In the age of the student loan crisis, The University of Tennessee Knoxville has been a leader in helping students minimize and manage the debt they accrue while pursuing degrees. In 2017, for instance, UTK’s proportion of graduates in debt fell not only below the state average, but 15% below the national average as well. 

These and other findings were just released by UT’s Postsecondary Education Research Center from Data Science and Engineering PhD student and PERC Graduate Research Assistant Kriss Gabourel. Gabourel’s report, entitled “Student debt profile: A brief look at a decade of graduates from UT Knoxville” was also presented at the July 2019 Tennessee Association for Institutional Research (TENNAIR) Conference in Franklin, TN.

You can click here to view the report summary. The next phase of analysis is anticipated to include income data for those same graduates, which will provide deeper insight into the relationship between student debt and earnings for graduates at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.