Presidential assistants are important and trusted staff members to the president and the campus community at large. Despite their importance, little is known about the day-to-day of their jobs and how they may help advance equity and social justice goals and priorities at the community college level. This chapter attempts to rectify this gap…

North Carolina has a long history of women in leadership positions and at the forefront of education. The women of North Carolina have been dedicated to the pursuit of equity in both leadership and education. This study provides in-depth experience of North Carolina Community College female presidents, understanding their involvement in being a…

In the last several decades, revenues for intercollegiate athletic programs in Power 5 Conferences have reached levels of corporate business. As these revenues have soared, criticism from the public has increased and "the most repeated complaint about college athletics is that it is a "business" or "commercial activity"…

As metaverse becomes one of the most popular buzzwords in technology, there is still a lack of support to integrate true metaverse learning experiences in massive open online courses (MOOCs). This article introduces a new framework of massive open metaverse courses (MOMCs) and its major enabling technologies, which add immersive and 3-D learning…

This study examines the critical role that marketing plays within the realms of public four-year higher education institutions (HEIs) in the United States, all through the lens of HEI presidents. The context is a higher education market that is rapidly evolving, stirred by fierce competition, shifting societal norms, the COVID-19 pandemic…

While extensive research explores student belonging in higher education, the experiences of faculty, staff, and administrators remain relatively unexamined. Employing case studies at three private, liberal arts colleges in the United States and semi-structured interviews with presidents as well as selected faculty, staff, administrators, this…

Women are underrepresented as college and university (school) presidents and currently hold about 30% of school presidencies. In 2014, the American Council on Education (ACE) launched an initiative to achieve gender parity among U.S. school presidencies by 2030. To support this initiative, Dr. Belle Wheelan, president of the Southern Association…

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore and describe the decision-making experiences of leaders at Midwestern colleges who engaged in strategic planning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Research was conducted using a qualitative phenomenological methodology and research design. Semi-structured interviews were conducted…

Tuition-driven higher education institutions are continually faced with financial and enrollment challenges and other associated challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This action research case study sought to provide a blueprint for private, non-profit higher education institutions to use as a guide in the presidential search process…

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, higher education leaders in America were navigating a notable shift in the trajectory of the field (Soliday & Lombardi, 2018). The COVID-19 pandemic added urgency to the challenges facing institutions of higher education. For this study, the researcher sought to add to the body of knowledge to better understand…

The three chapters of this dissertation use tools of applied microeconomics to study topics related to education and regulation. The first chapter, "Where Doctors Work," studies how openings and closures of medical schools in the United States have affected the geographical distribution of doctors. The principal contribution is the…

In March 2020, the United States faced the COVID-19 pandemic that had already crippled the rest of the world. COVID-19 impacted every aspect of our lives, including imposing an immense negative impact on higher educational institutions, most notably among Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). This case study focused on Zion Hill…

New and rising community college leaders follow their own path, with the help of mentoring, networking and leadership development opportunities. To become campus leaders in the first place, they have followed in the footsteps of others by learning from them, both informally through mentoring and networking, and more intentionally at gatherings…

Purpose: This paper aims to spark dialogue regarding what it takes to lead well as a university leader post-pandemic. While much has been written about the future challenges facing universities, not a lot has been written about the kind of moral courage that is required to lead them. There never has been a more important time for strong leadership…

With the decrease in enrollment and increase in cost over the past decade, private colleges and universities have experienced financial hurdles, requiring the need to raise private funds. The financial viability of these colleges and universities depends upon the ability of university presidents to raise money. However, challenges must be overcome…