Jaime Lester
George Mason University, Higher Education Program, Faculty Member
- Jaime Lester, Associate Professor of Higher Education, George Mason University. Lester holds a Ph.D. and M.Ed. in hig... moreJaime Lester, Associate Professor of Higher Education, George Mason University. Lester holds a Ph.D. and M.Ed. in higher education from the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California. Lester also holds a dual B.A. from the University of Michigan in English and Women’s studies. She has received numerous awards for her research and teaching to include the Barbara Townsend Emerging Scholar Award from the Council for the Study of Community Colleges in 2009 and the Mason Excellence in Teaching Award in 2013. She was also the Mason state council rising star nominee in 2011. Dr. Lester is the Editor of Community College Review and serves on the Editorial Board of Journal of Diversity in Higher Education and NASPA Journal About Women in Higher Education.
The overarching goal of her research program is to examine organizational change and leadership in higher education. This focus has led to examinations of non-positional leadership and tactics to promote local and institutional change and the role of individual identity in creating equitable workplaces in colleges and universities. Her more recent research on learning analytics and pedagogy in computer science is funded by the National Science Foundation (#1444789) and Google. The aim of this research is to create and promote new data-driven evidence to establish changes in pedagogy, instructional practice, and leadership decision-making.
Dr. Lester has over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles and other academic publications. Her work appears the Community College Review, Journal of Higher Education, Research in Higher Education, Community College Journal of Research and Practice, Liberal Education, Feminist Formations (formerly NMSA Journal), and NEA: Thought & Action. She also has five books on gendered perspectives in community colleges, family-friendly policies in higher education, ways to restructure higher education to promote collaboration, non-positional leadership, and workplace bullying. Her work is widely quoted in media outlets such as National Public Radio, New York Times, and the Chronicle of Higher Education.
Find me on twitter @ProfJaimeLesteredit
Enhancing Campus Capacity for Leadership contributes to the growing tradition of giving voice to grassroots leaders, offering a unique contribution by examining leadership on college campuses. In this vein, the book offers three main... more
Enhancing Campus Capacity for Leadership contributes to the growing tradition of giving voice to grassroots leaders, offering a unique contribution by examining leadership on college campuses. In this vein, the book offers three main arguments. First, grassroots leadership within institutional settings is different than grassroots leadership in the community, and the literature and scholarship from community organizing cannot be directly applied to educational leaders. Moreover, grassroots leaders within post-secondary institutions must adopt a slightly different approach than grassroots leaders in other institutional settings. Secondly, this book argues that grassroots leaders in institutional settings, particularly those with limited status, can face significant power struggles. While we like to believe that organizations are civil and humane, the stories in this book demonstrate a dark side with which we must reckon. A third contribution is this book's examination of the convergence of top-down and bottom-up leadership—from the perspective and direction of the bottom-up leaders. The text ends by further connecting these main arguments; examining the theoretical implications of them; making preliminary suggestions to leaders and scholars based on the authors' research; and proposing a related research agenda for the future.
This book provides needed guidance and advice for how colleges and universities can reorganize to foster more collaborative work. In a time of declining resources, financial challenges, changing demographics, and staff overturn,... more
This book provides needed guidance and advice for how colleges and universities can reorganize to foster more collaborative work. In a time of declining resources, financial challenges, changing demographics, and staff overturn, institutions are looking for ways to maximize their resources and still be effective. This book is based on a study of campuses that have been successful in recreating their environments to support collaborative work.
The impact of changing demographics in higher education, and the importance of family-friendly policies, is well documented. There is an urgent need to keep PhDs in the higher education sector, to recruit talented scholars into academia,... more
The impact of changing demographics in higher education, and the importance of family-friendly policies, is well documented. There is an urgent need to keep PhDs in the higher education sector, to recruit talented scholars into academia, and retain them over the course of their academic careers. The key is instituting policies to enable all constituencies to balance work and personal responsibilities.
This book covers the range of issues faced by all generations in academe, from PhD students, to the “sandwich generation” (those caring for children and aging parents simultaneously) through to older faculty and administrators. It addresses the causes for women faculty with children leaving the academy at a disproportionately higher rate than men, the conflicts women face between academic work and motherhood, and the difficulties they encounter in reentering the academy after having left the professoriate.
In examining the need for family-friendly policies, this book documents the “best practices” currently in use at institutions across the United States. Each chapter highlights practices and programs from a variety of institutions and institutional types that address the needs of a more inclusive family-friendly campus and offers suggestions to others who are implementing similar change on their campuses. These examples provide context so that readers no longer have to develop practices in isolation, and without evidence of their effectiveness.
The editors suggest that the most successful campuses are those that utilize a work-life systems framework to meet the needs of its employees. They also point to future growth trends, including expanding the focus from faculty and staff to incorporate all in the campus community
This book offers guidance to department chairs, deans, faculty, administrators, and graduate students on setting a family-friendly agenda, and models for implementation.
This book covers the range of issues faced by all generations in academe, from PhD students, to the “sandwich generation” (those caring for children and aging parents simultaneously) through to older faculty and administrators. It addresses the causes for women faculty with children leaving the academy at a disproportionately higher rate than men, the conflicts women face between academic work and motherhood, and the difficulties they encounter in reentering the academy after having left the professoriate.
In examining the need for family-friendly policies, this book documents the “best practices” currently in use at institutions across the United States. Each chapter highlights practices and programs from a variety of institutions and institutional types that address the needs of a more inclusive family-friendly campus and offers suggestions to others who are implementing similar change on their campuses. These examples provide context so that readers no longer have to develop practices in isolation, and without evidence of their effectiveness.
The editors suggest that the most successful campuses are those that utilize a work-life systems framework to meet the needs of its employees. They also point to future growth trends, including expanding the focus from faculty and staff to incorporate all in the campus community
This book offers guidance to department chairs, deans, faculty, administrators, and graduate students on setting a family-friendly agenda, and models for implementation.
This volume explores and begins to unravel the complexities of gender issues confronting men and women in two-year institutions. The authors address a wide range of questions that frame the current challenges facing community colleges,... more
This volume explores and begins to unravel the complexities of gender issues confronting men and women in two-year institutions. The authors address a wide range of questions that frame the current challenges facing community colleges, and provide thoughtful discussions of the gender-related experiences of female and male students, staff, faculty and administrators.
The chapters blend evidence from personal narratives and survey results and offer recommendations that will help community colleges across the board, from serving students struggling with identity issues to institutionalizing fairness in hiring and promotion.
Topics include
1. Community Colleges as Gender-Equitable Institutions
2. Factors Promoting Academic Success Among African American and White Male Community College Students
3. Masculinities Go to Community College: Understanding Male Identity Socialization and Gender Role Conflict
4. Broadening Female Participation in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics: Experiences at Community Colleges
5. Noninstructional Staff Perceptions of the College Climate
6. The Actors Behind the Curtain: Representation of Women Faculty in Community College Institutional Decision Making
7. Gendered Leadership: An Organizational Perspective
8. Work and Family Balance: How Community College Faculty Cope
9. Meeting the Challenge of Gender Equity in Community College Athletics
10. Strategizing for the Future
Gender-related conundrums lurk in every aspect of our society and culture, and higher education is no exception. Readers of this volume will come away with a better sense of how to assist those who teach, learn, and lead in our nation's democratic colleges.
The chapters blend evidence from personal narratives and survey results and offer recommendations that will help community colleges across the board, from serving students struggling with identity issues to institutionalizing fairness in hiring and promotion.
Topics include
1. Community Colleges as Gender-Equitable Institutions
2. Factors Promoting Academic Success Among African American and White Male Community College Students
3. Masculinities Go to Community College: Understanding Male Identity Socialization and Gender Role Conflict
4. Broadening Female Participation in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics: Experiences at Community Colleges
5. Noninstructional Staff Perceptions of the College Climate
6. The Actors Behind the Curtain: Representation of Women Faculty in Community College Institutional Decision Making
7. Gendered Leadership: An Organizational Perspective
8. Work and Family Balance: How Community College Faculty Cope
9. Meeting the Challenge of Gender Equity in Community College Athletics
10. Strategizing for the Future
Gender-related conundrums lurk in every aspect of our society and culture, and higher education is no exception. Readers of this volume will come away with a better sense of how to assist those who teach, learn, and lead in our nation's democratic colleges.
Although there are many educational transitions throughout life, moving grade levels and educational sectors—that is, the transition of transferring from a two-year to a four-year institution—is noted as one where students are found to... more
Although there are many educational transitions throughout life, moving grade levels and educational sectors—that is, the transition of transferring from a two-year to a four-year institution—is noted as one where students are found to experience the most difficulty. For this reason, this chapter focuses on the singular transition of transfer. Many transfer students take less linear paths, transferring back to a two-year institution from a four-year one, termed “reverse transfer” (Kajstura and Keim, 1992).
Abstract: This paper is an exploratory description of remedial coursetaking over several semesters. In attempting to characterize the introductory course classrooms of urban community colleges, it proposes a distinction between... more
Abstract: This paper is an exploratory description of remedial coursetaking over several semesters. In attempting to characterize the introductory course classrooms of urban community colleges, it proposes a distinction between fragmentary and full cohorts. Also proposed is a concept little examined in community colleges, the placement/course level match, the match between placement testing and the level of subsequent remedial course-taking.
ABSTRACT Using a weighted database of approximately 3,000 students, this study involves the tracing of the postsecondary history of 2,516 students who identified as Native Hawaiian, graduated from high school between 1993 and 1995, and... more
ABSTRACT Using a weighted database of approximately 3,000 students, this study involves the tracing of the postsecondary history of 2,516 students who identified as Native Hawaiian, graduated from high school between 1993 and 1995, and attended college. Virtually none of the students are 100% Hawaiian. Due to a long history of intermarriage, the Hawaiian race is almost entirely a mixture of Hawaiian and other races and ethnicities. However, all of the students identify with their Native Hawaiian ancestry.
Abstract: To help students through the difficult process of transfer, many institutions nationwide have developed Transfer Centers, physical locations where students can come to learn more about the transfer process. The mission of... more
Abstract: To help students through the difficult process of transfer, many institutions nationwide have developed Transfer Centers, physical locations where students can come to learn more about the transfer process. The mission of Transfer Centers is to promote and support community college students who are seeking to transfer to four-year institutions.
Abstract: Through their conversations with IDA practitioners across the country, the authors have identified 14 strategies for successfully partnering with postsecondary institutions.
Abstract This chapter explores the potential of social networking sites for increasing student engagement for distance education learners. The authors present a modified student engagement model with a focus on the integration of... more
Abstract This chapter explores the potential of social networking sites for increasing student engagement for distance education learners. The authors present a modified student engagement model with a focus on the integration of technology, specifically social networking sites for community college distance education learners. The chapter concludes with challenges and implications for integrating social networking sites in the classroom and on the college level.
Abstract This final chapter reviews strategies that community colleges can use to address issues of gender and create more equitable and pluralistic environments. It also discusses the need for research that examines the intersection... more
Abstract This final chapter reviews strategies that community colleges can use to address issues of gender and create more equitable and pluralistic environments. It also discusses the need for research that examines the intersection between social identities and community college mission, culture, and environment.
Abstract This article reports on a three year case study and interview project of a federal initiative to help low income students access college called individual development accounts (IDA). The study focused on partnership development... more
Abstract This article reports on a three year case study and interview project of a federal initiative to help low income students access college called individual development accounts (IDA). The study focused on partnership development between community agencies that offer IDAs and postsecondary institutions, examining challenges and facilitators. A set of challenges are identified as well as strategies for overcoming the obstacles.
Abstract: The education community offers a plethora of resources from which IDA practitioners can draw as they support their clients in asset-specific training. This paper presents an annotated list of internet resources on preparing for... more
Abstract: The education community offers a plethora of resources from which IDA practitioners can draw as they support their clients in asset-specific training. This paper presents an annotated list of internet resources on preparing for college. Most of these resources are for youth aspiring to go to college. The websites are broken down according to the following topics:(1) Benefits of going to college;(2) Classes to take in high school;(3) Tests;(4) Choosing a school/admissions process; and (5) Applying for financial aid.
Abstract: In this document the authors provide practitioners offering education Independent Development Accounts (IDAs) with information about whom to partner with in a postsecondary institution. The authors gained this information... more
Abstract: In this document the authors provide practitioners offering education Independent Development Accounts (IDAs) with information about whom to partner with in a postsecondary institution. The authors gained this information through interviews, focus groups, and case studies with higher education and IDA practitioners. College campuses can sometimes feel like miniature cities and the authors want to make their partnerships with them as smooth as possible.
A quick search in the Community College Journal of Research and Practice for Barbara Townsend's name produces 62 entries. A handful of those entries are the articles that Barbara has authored, but many more are articles that cite her... more
A quick search in the Community College Journal of Research and Practice for Barbara Townsend's name produces 62 entries. A handful of those entries are the articles that Barbara has authored, but many more are articles that cite her work. Another search on the Web of Science database that tracks citations in a specific set of peer-reviewed journals results in several dozen citations for work on transfer and other topics related to community colleges.
Grassroots movements at the institutional level come in waves based on broader national and international movement. For example, environmentalism could not have been an institutional movement with much success until recently. First, it... more
Grassroots movements at the institutional level come in waves based on broader national and international movement. For example, environmentalism could not have been an institutional movement with much success until recently. First, it needed to be articulated, as it was in the 1970s, and then become a societal concern, as it has more recently with global warming.
Abstract This study examined the nature, characteristics, and challenges of grassroots leadership teams and the role of these factors in promoting cognitive complexity in order to provide insight into collective forms of bottom-up change.... more
Abstract This study examined the nature, characteristics, and challenges of grassroots leadership teams and the role of these factors in promoting cognitive complexity in order to provide insight into collective forms of bottom-up change. The study is framed by the literature on leadership teams. Using interviews from a case study conducted at five higher education campuses, we explored two types of leadership teams (sense-making and problem-solving) across different initiatives.
One of the major hallmarks of postsecondary education is shared governance. As an organizational structure that promotes collegial government, shared governance is an integral part of decision making within postsecondary institutions; it... more
One of the major hallmarks of postsecondary education is shared governance. As an organizational structure that promotes collegial government, shared governance is an integral part of decision making within postsecondary institutions; it affords faculty a voice in academic decisions, such as curriculum, hiring and promotion, admissions, and student retention (American Association of University Professors, 1966). The involvement of faculty promotes inclusiveness and democracy within colleges and universities.
Abstract: In this paper, the authors reviewed frequently asked questions they encountered from higher education professionals about IDAs.
Higher education leaders, managers, human resource professionals, faculty, and staff increasingly face uncivil, bullying behaviors in academe. This can manifest itself as constant public humiliation by a new department chair, exclusion of... more
Higher education leaders, managers, human resource professionals, faculty, and staff increasingly face uncivil, bullying behaviors in academe. This can manifest itself as constant public humiliation by a new department chair, exclusion of a contingent faculty member, undermining of work performance by a supervisor, stalking by a staff member, or taunting. As higher education institutions continue to face budget issues and external pressure, the incidences of bullying are on the rise.
Higher education institutions, at their best, are environments in which individuals engage in respectful discourse in order to expand perspectives and further knowledge and learning within and beyond their communities. However, the... more
Higher education institutions, at their best, are environments in which individuals engage in respectful discourse in order to expand perspectives and further knowledge and learning within and beyond their communities. However, the nature, structure, and context of higher education, particularly the competition and confrontation inherent in the academy, can often work against this collegial ideal, fostering an environment in which bullying behavior can thrive.
In the Academic Community: A Manual for Change, Donald Hall puts forth a persuasive call to action, arguing that,“… unless we [the faculty] also explore the extent to which we are responsible for our own behaviors, attitudes, and life... more
In the Academic Community: A Manual for Change, Donald Hall puts forth a persuasive call to action, arguing that,“… unless we [the faculty] also explore the extent to which we are responsible for our own behaviors, attitudes, and life situations, we will often remain complicit within the very hierarchies and norms that oppress us”(p. 4).
The expansion of higher education has generated social inequities exemplified in the types of institutions that students from different social classes choose to attend. The aim of this book is to problematize the long-standing notion that... more
The expansion of higher education has generated social inequities exemplified in the types of institutions that students from different social classes choose to attend. The aim of this book is to problematize the long-standing notion that students choose college using a rational choice theory model and to draw attention to how social justice and equity are factors in college choice. Chapters 1 and 2 lay the foundation for this empirical study.
Abstract: This document provides resources to both begin and carry out the application process for an IDA grant. The authors offer some key advice to consider when applying for an IDA when in the education sector. They close with some... more
Abstract: This document provides resources to both begin and carry out the application process for an IDA grant. The authors offer some key advice to consider when applying for an IDA when in the education sector. They close with some challenges and ways to overcome them. The authors gained much of this information from an education organization's experience (the Foundation for Independent Higher Education-FIHE) which was the first education organization to apply for a grant.(Contains 2 footnotes.)
Higher education leaders, managers, human resource professionals, faculty, and staff increasingly face uncivil, bullying behaviors in academe. This can manifest itself as constant public humiliation by a new department chair, exclusion of... more
Higher education leaders, managers, human resource professionals, faculty, and staff increasingly face uncivil, bullying behaviors in academe. This can manifest itself as constant public humiliation by a new department chair, exclusion of a contingent faculty member, undermining of work performance by a supervisor, stalking by a staff member, or taunting. As higher education institutions continue to face budget issues and external pressure, the incidences of bullying are on the rise.
A major concern in academic leadership over the last few decades has been faculty professional development. The impending retirement of large numbers of faculty has created an environment in which new faculty are needed to fulfill... more
A major concern in academic leadership over the last few decades has been faculty professional development. The impending retirement of large numbers of faculty has created an environment in which new faculty are needed to fulfill leadership roles. The emphasis has been on leadership development programs that train faculty and support them as they pursue academic leadership roles.
The picture of gender equity in the faculty ranks at community colleges is murky. Community colleges are generally more inclusive to female faculty as compared to four-year institutions. Women represent 49 percent of fulltime and 50... more
The picture of gender equity in the faculty ranks at community colleges is murky. Community colleges are generally more inclusive to female faculty as compared to four-year institutions. Women represent 49 percent of fulltime and 50 percent of part-time community college faculty, a stark contrast to the low numbers of female faculty in four-year institutions (Cataldi, Fahimi, and Bradburn, 2005). Female faculty at community colleges also receive similar rates of compensation.
Like baseball, community colleges are an American invention. This article employs a baseball metaphor to analyze and to explain success of Latino students in the Los Angeles Community College District. Specifically, a sample of 5,000... more
Like baseball, community colleges are an American invention. This article employs a baseball metaphor to analyze and to explain success of Latino students in the Los Angeles Community College District. Specifically, a sample of 5,000 students were participants in the Transfer Game, where progress was measured by passing the courses specified by California's transfer readiness curriculum (IGETC). Transcript analysis was used to ascertain the proportion of Hispanic and non-Hispanic students passing IGETC modules.
ABSTRACT Career and technical education (CTE) with the purpose of training individuals in job-related skills has traditionally been segregated by gender. Women continue to dominate enrollments in health care, child care, education, and... more
ABSTRACT Career and technical education (CTE) with the purpose of training individuals in job-related skills has traditionally been segregated by gender. Women continue to dominate enrollments in health care, child care, education, and cosmetology, while men dominate in agriculture, construction, and materials production. Women CTE students also experience differential outcomes from enrollment and certificate completion.
Adrianna Kezar is associate professor at the University of Southern California in the higher education administration program. She has over 75 published articles, books, and chapters on the topics of leadership, governance, and change and... more
Adrianna Kezar is associate professor at the University of Southern California in the higher education administration program. She has over 75 published articles, books, and chapters on the topics of leadership, governance, and change and innovation. Her work has been featured in Journal of Higher Education, Review of Higher Education and Research in Higher Education.
The purpose of this qualitative study is to better understand how gender is constructed at a women's college. Specifically, the researchers use Judith Butler's (1990) work on performativity to frame how members of the campus community... more
The purpose of this qualitative study is to better understand how gender is constructed at a women's college. Specifically, the researchers use Judith Butler's (1990) work on performativity to frame how members of the campus community perceive transgender students are integrated into the college.
Faculty members who work directly to advance the institutional mission of teaching, learning, and at some institutions, research, represent the core human resource of higher education. They are the stewards of campus leadership and... more
Faculty members who work directly to advance the institutional mission of teaching, learning, and at some institutions, research, represent the core human resource of higher education. They are the stewards of campus leadership and decision making. While the faculty role has changed over time, leadership has remained critical to innovation in teaching, advances in knowledge, and alteration to many campus policies and practices. But as several recent publications attest, this leadership role is threatened by a number of current trends.
Abstract: The aim of this study is to examine faculty grassroots leadership in the context of faculty as managed professionals in capitalistic academic cultures. Faculty grassroots leadership may be one of the few ways they can exercise... more
Abstract: The aim of this study is to examine faculty grassroots leadership in the context of faculty as managed professionals in capitalistic academic cultures. Faculty grassroots leadership may be one of the few ways they can exercise agency and play a role in campus affairs given their shrinking role in formal decision-making process and leadership on some campuses.
Want to Make a Difference by Susan Komives, Nance Lucas, and Timothy R. McMahon is a welcomed update to their highly acclaimed first edition. In our globalized, Internet-driven, fast-paced world, new conceptualizations and frameworks of... more
Want to Make a Difference by Susan Komives, Nance Lucas, and Timothy R. McMahon is a welcomed update to their highly acclaimed first edition. In our globalized, Internet-driven, fast-paced world, new conceptualizations and frameworks of leadership are crucial to help students become effective leaders in higher education and beyond. Much of the leadership literature is focused on an individual, positional leader (eg, college president). The authors take a more interactive, nonpositional focus on leadership.
Despite the steady increase of women in faculty positions over the last few decades and the research on gender norms in the academy, what remains unclear is why many female faculty continue to conform to gender norms despite their... more
Despite the steady increase of women in faculty positions over the last few decades and the research on gender norms in the academy, what remains unclear is why many female faculty continue to conform to gender norms despite their acknowledgement of the discriminatory nature of these norms, their dissatisfaction performing the norms, and the lack of benefit in tenure and promotion.
Abstract This article reviews the promise of using positionality theory for expanding our knowledge of leadership. Based on a critique of leadership studies that have traditionally maintained a simplistic view of social identities... more
Abstract This article reviews the promise of using positionality theory for expanding our knowledge of leadership. Based on a critique of leadership studies that have traditionally maintained a simplistic view of social identities (particularly race and gender), the authors suggest that our understanding of leadership remains partial.
Abstract Course shopping, a widely practiced postsecondary enrollment behavior, has rarely been studied. Generally considered benign, the practice may not always prove beneficial. This study identified and named four different types of... more
Abstract Course shopping, a widely practiced postsecondary enrollment behavior, has rarely been studied. Generally considered benign, the practice may not always prove beneficial. This study identified and named four different types of course shopping behaviors. The research compared each of the four types, finding significant differences in GPA, successful course completion, gender, and course type.
Abstract Despite the acknowledgment of gender roles in the academy, little is known regarding the specific ways in which women faculty members manage those roles. This study applies impression-management theories and performativity to... more
Abstract Despite the acknowledgment of gender roles in the academy, little is known regarding the specific ways in which women faculty members manage those roles. This study applies impression-management theories and performativity to understand the specific ways in which women faculty intentionally or unintentionally alter their performances to align with gender roles.
This article describes a study of the tactics used by faculty and staff grassroots leaders at colleges and universities to create important changes that increase the capacity for leadership. The study identifies how academic and... more
This article describes a study of the tactics used by faculty and staff grassroots leaders at colleges and universities to create important changes that increase the capacity for leadership. The study identifies how academic and administrative staff, as employees within an academic culture, have access to grassroots leadership tactics that honor the norms, values and mission of the academy, while simultaneously challenging its enacted practices.
It is an unfortunate reality that not all students successfully navigate the path from urban community colleges to four-year institutions. Despite the apparent obstacles and odds, some students are successful. This article is the... more
It is an unfortunate reality that not all students successfully navigate the
path from urban community colleges to four-year institutions. Despite the
apparent obstacles and odds, some students are successful. This article is
the equivalent of reading a book by starting with the last chapter and then
reading the rest of the book to find out why the story ended as it did. It
begins with a group of students from a large study who actually transferred
and then goes back to their community college transcripts and other
files to try to determine why they were successful. The study verified the
ultimate importance of academic success while in the community college
for those aspiring to transfer. The most predictive factor for transfer
was taking courses prescribed in a transfer-focused community college
curriculum. Successful transfers enrolled and passed courses in transfer-
level English and mathematics as well as other courses. The study
highlights the importance of academic focus for those aspiring to transfer.
path from urban community colleges to four-year institutions. Despite the
apparent obstacles and odds, some students are successful. This article is
the equivalent of reading a book by starting with the last chapter and then
reading the rest of the book to find out why the story ended as it did. It
begins with a group of students from a large study who actually transferred
and then goes back to their community college transcripts and other
files to try to determine why they were successful. The study verified the
ultimate importance of academic success while in the community college
for those aspiring to transfer. The most predictive factor for transfer
was taking courses prescribed in a transfer-focused community college
curriculum. Successful transfers enrolled and passed courses in transfer-
level English and mathematics as well as other courses. The study
highlights the importance of academic focus for those aspiring to transfer.
Community colleges have provided an entree into higher education for many women. Yet, women faculty perceive the overall climate of community colleges as ‘‘chilly.’’ To deconstruct the interpersonal dynamics that may lead to perceptions... more
Community colleges have provided an entree into higher education for
many women. Yet, women faculty perceive the overall climate of community
colleges as ‘‘chilly.’’ To deconstruct the interpersonal dynamics that
may lead to perceptions of a chilly climate, this study examines the
prevalence of workplace bullying among and between community college
faulty. The purpose is to understand the nature of harassment, the ways
in which women define and respond to it, and the importance of contextual
factors in the prevalence. Workplace bullying is a form of interpersonal
aggression that has implications for how individuals perceive the
organizational climate, job productivity, and job satisfaction. Findings
from this study indicate that workplace bullying among faculty includes
many subtle practices characterized by informal and formal use of power,
faculty workplace bullying is affected by several enabling structures
specific to the context, and victims typically respond with avoidance. This
study has implications for harassment policies, faculty involvement in
institutional governance, and the gendered nature of interpersonal
dynamics.
many women. Yet, women faculty perceive the overall climate of community
colleges as ‘‘chilly.’’ To deconstruct the interpersonal dynamics that
may lead to perceptions of a chilly climate, this study examines the
prevalence of workplace bullying among and between community college
faulty. The purpose is to understand the nature of harassment, the ways
in which women define and respond to it, and the importance of contextual
factors in the prevalence. Workplace bullying is a form of interpersonal
aggression that has implications for how individuals perceive the
organizational climate, job productivity, and job satisfaction. Findings
from this study indicate that workplace bullying among faculty includes
many subtle practices characterized by informal and formal use of power,
faculty workplace bullying is affected by several enabling structures
specific to the context, and victims typically respond with avoidance. This
study has implications for harassment policies, faculty involvement in
institutional governance, and the gendered nature of interpersonal
dynamics.
On college campuses today, women from a variety of generations—baby boomers, generation Xers, and nexters—come together to work, learn, and lead. Women of different generations were born and raised under different social, economic, and... more
On college campuses today, women from a variety of
generations—baby boomers, generation Xers, and nexters—come
together to work, learn, and lead. Women of different generations
were born and raised under different social, economic, and political
conditions; approach feminism in a different ways; and have
experienced more or less overt forms of discrimination. Not only is
there minimal research that provides a description of the impact
of generational differences on organizational functioning, little
information exists to help women faculty and staff as leaders to
more deeply understand and navigate these important differences.
The purpose of this article is to illuminate generational differences
and similarities between women leaders on college campuses and
illustrate the potential impact of these generational differences on
leadership practices. This article concludes with specific strategies of
how postsecondary institutions can create more cross generational
dialogues, which may help improve campus leadership and
functioning.
generations—baby boomers, generation Xers, and nexters—come
together to work, learn, and lead. Women of different generations
were born and raised under different social, economic, and political
conditions; approach feminism in a different ways; and have
experienced more or less overt forms of discrimination. Not only is
there minimal research that provides a description of the impact
of generational differences on organizational functioning, little
information exists to help women faculty and staff as leaders to
more deeply understand and navigate these important differences.
The purpose of this article is to illuminate generational differences
and similarities between women leaders on college campuses and
illustrate the potential impact of these generational differences on
leadership practices. This article concludes with specific strategies of
how postsecondary institutions can create more cross generational
dialogues, which may help improve campus leadership and
functioning.
A review of the articles in this issue highlights how gender as a lens, construct, and identity shapes each current issue within the community college. Using the articles in this issue as a basis, this final article provides a series of... more
A review of the articles in this issue highlights how gender as a lens, construct, and identity shapes each current issue within the community college. Using the articles in this issue as a basis, this final article provides a series of recommendations for researchers and practitioners who are interested in identifying causes, methods, and practices for creating more democratic and pluralistic environments.