Learning Resources

Abstract: The University of Houston-Victoria’s (UHV) approach to addressing salary equity, which has been successfully implemented for a decade, employs a methodology that derives salary targets by field, rank, and seniority from the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR) national salary survey. Based primarily on a model developed (and still employed) at Frostburg State University and published in the Journal of Higher Education in the fall of 1996, this approach could also work for similar institutions in search of a proven model.

Abstract: This article critiques the diversity crises model of diversity planning in higher education and presents a decentralized diversity planning model. The model is based on interviews with the nation’s leading diversity officers, a review of the literature and the authors own experiences leading diversity change initiatives in higher education. The model proposes three-year cycles of diversity planning and implementation to achieve secondary or deep organizational change. Ten action phases are offered to help senior leadership, institutional planning professionals, diversity officers, and others, to establish a strategic diversity planning and implementation process that is multifaceted, dynamic, coordinated, and evolving.

Abstract: Smart change is a simple yet powerful means to help administrators, faculty, staff, and stakeholders better understand the issues surrounding change initiatives at their institutions. A comparison of three approaches to change: routine, strategic, and transformative provides the foundation for improved planning by focusing on the targeted change environment. This framework provides an approach to increasing planning effectiveness through the understanding of how change affects problem solving, planning focus, change mechanisms, leadership and corresponding core competencies, overall engagement, and accountability. Institutions need to cast off “control” as their main guidance system and begin to practice a broader understanding of change.

Abstract: What is the capacity of online programs? Can these types of programs enroll more students than their face-to-face counterparts or not? This article looks at research on achieving cost-efficiencies through online learning, identifies the parts of an online program that can be changed to increase enrollments, and discusses whether a program’s capacity can be conceptualized as limited, static, elastic, or infinite. Misconceptions that plague thinking about capacity issues are identified and a process for calculating program capacity is outlined.

Abstract: This paper presents an innovative approach to attracting and retaining faculty members from underrepresented populations at Appalachian State University (ASU). The need for, and benefits of, faculty diversity in academia is presented. The challenges in recruiting and retaining faculty from diverse backgrounds are discussed. The Faculty Fellows Program has been designed at ASU in order to overcome some of these challenges. This program is funded through the Provost’s office and is part of other university-wide efforts to increase on-campus diversity. We present a detailed description of the program in terms of recruiting and retention strategies and conclude with some data on the program’s progress and impact to date. The authors wish to thank Linda K. Robinson, associate vice chancellor for equity, diversity, and compliance at Appalachian State University for her contribution to the completion of this manuscript.

Abstract: The higher education literature continues to highlight difficulties with efforts to implement and sustain institutional effectiveness activities. This article describes an implementation effectiveness model from the field of organizational management and applies it to the implementation of institutional effectiveness initiatives in higher education. As a predictive or evaluative tool regarding implementation success, the model can assist administrators, faculty and staff in developing targeted approaches to institutional effectiveness work within any institution of higher education. The authors share their experiences at the University of New England, illustrating the importance of key variables in the model.