Mountain Scholar :: Browsing by Author "Davies, Timothy, advisor"

Browsing by Author "Davies, Timothy, advisor"

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Open Access
A grounded theory study of wellness and college and university leaders
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2009) Lorenz, Gregory F., author; Davies, Timothy, advisor
The projections for higher education indicate a large number of senior academic leadership posts being vacated in the future due to retirement of existing leaders. The gap in leadership positions lends itself to an increased importance for developing a pipeline of talent to fill these positions. The leadership lifestyle lived by academic leaders is one of fast pace, high responsibility, and little personal time. This lifestyle may be unattractive for potential leaders. Therefore, the creation of a climate that allows potential leaders to view academic leadership positions as desirable and achievable while allowing for personal wellness is necessary. This grounded theory study aimed to determine the meaning of wellness for academic leaders in higher education and better understand how they achieved or maintained wellness in their lives. 7 academic leaders were interviewed. The results yielded a grounded theory called wellness maturity with four supporting axial categories: intention, gauge of wellness, reflection, and adaptation. Sitting within the cultural backdrop of the academic leadership lifestyle, wellness maturity represents an optimal wellness destination with constant movement towards the unique destination for each individual. It is represented as a continuum with low wellness maturity on one end and high wellness maturity on the opposite end. Although it is important for individual leaders to have an understanding of what wellness means for themselves, it is more important for leaders to identify the importance of wellness in their lives. As the leader enters the wellness maturity continuum and moves towards the destination of wellness maturity, he or she engages in a process of self-reflection. Reflection occurs about one's place on the continuum and gauge of wellness. The result of this reflective process is adaptation to the personal and professional challenges associated with the leadership lifestyle. The results of this study have application for leaders seeking to maintain or achieve wellness within the context of a leadership lifestyle. The major contributions of this study are that it adds to the literature of wellness and particularly higher education leadership, and it offers greater insight into practical applications and considerations necessary for the achievement or maintenance of wellness.
Open Access
African-American women college and university presidents: their role, experiences, challenges and barriers
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2009) Woodard, Sophia J., author; Davies, Timothy, advisor
The purpose of this study was to examine four phenomena: role, experiences, challenges, and barriers of African-American women college and university presidents with a particular focus on the role based on the social conscious concept of "race upliftment" as espoused by Dr. W.E.B. DuBois and other African American scholars of the early 20th century. The review of literature suggests that there is a tendency to advocate for race upliftment primarily when leading an African-American institution or an Historically Black College and University (HBCU). As a qualitative phenomenological study, in-depth personal and telephone one to two hour interviews were conducted with eight African-America women college and university presidents of two and four-year institutions. Each interview was tape-recorded with the full permission of the president. A demographic questionnaire was completed by each president prior to conducting the interview. All eight recorded tapes were transcribed and the data analysis process involved six major steps based on Creswell (1994). The qualitative software HyperRESEARCH was used to assist in analyzing and coding the data, and in compiling the qualitative report. Reading and memoing were used for code and theme development, and a reflexive journal, member checking, clarifying research bias and peer review were used for validity and trustworthiness. The findings of this study revealed that role plays a significant component for these women and is categorized into several areas that include: (1) nurturer and protector of students; (2) fiscal manager; (3) values and skills practitioner; (4) spiritual practitioner and servant; and (5) communications expert. Their work in role directly impacts and influences how they view and serve in their role as leaders. In fact, these African-American women college and university presidents developed many of their concepts of role based on the multi-faceted experiences they encountered both on their journey to the presidency and in this journey. Many of their experiences encompassed their formative years of education and training/rearing in their homes and communities, the educational journeys they traveled through college and graduate school, as well as the varied professional encounters in academia prior to becoming presidents. The collective energy of these experiences were an exciting and foundational part of their leadership development and journeys to the presidency which were also consumed with challenges and barriers. These challenges and barriers were centered around five specific areas that comprised the challenges of leadership: (1) addressing and resolving fiscal insolvency; (2) personal challenges such as parenting roles and living apart from family members(children and husbands); (3) managing health and wellness; (4) gender, race and age disparity; and (5) professional challenges such as status quo issues, college-wide communication issues, dealing with alumni concerns and problems with overbearing board-of-trustee members. In essence, the role, experiences, challenges and barriers that emerged from the data (voices) of these African-American women college and university presidents comprise the journey they traveled in becoming and being president.
Open Access
Community college leaders' perceptions of personal implementation of emotional intelligence (EI) skills
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2011) Mazeh, Yousra Y., author; Davies, Timothy, advisor; Bannings, Jim, committee member; Kees, Nat, committee member; MacQuiddy, Susan, committee member
According to American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), community college leaders who are able to master the skills that are related to organizational strategies, resource management, communication, collaboration, and professionalism, are most likely to succeed. According to Goleman (1998), acquiring these technical skills is important to achieve the job, yet a leader still needs other skills to become complete. In order to become effective leaders, according to Goleman, a person has to acquire the abilities which help him/her contribute positively to groups and institutions and sustain a balanced relationship with others on a daily basis. For Goleman (1995), in order for a leader to acquire the stated abilities, a leader has to implement emotional intelligence (EI) skills which include: showing responsibility, handling stress, being aware of self- emotions and those of others, being able to understand others, and are optimistic. This phenomenological study examined the reflections, values, challenges, and skills of community college leaders who try to promote leadership quality development using qualitative research methods to explore community college leaders lived experiences. The phenomenon in this study was examined through data collected by interviews with nine leaders who had at least 5 years of leadership at community colleges, and have a PhD in community college leadership. Many leaders demonstrated the need to create an environment where competition, disagreement, and conflict, could be resolved in a better way. Data analysis included the detailed data from participants and produced two emergent themes: EI skills are not yet fully understood enough to be implemented, and community college leaders rely on other varied approaches and skills.
Open Access
Educational experiences: voices of incarcerated male youth
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) Singleton, Everett B., author; Davies, Timothy, advisor; Makela, Carole, committee member; Quick, Don, committee member; Hall, Bruce, committee member
Youth who experience academic failure are at a greater risk for evolvement in delinquency. Their perceptions regarding educational experiences could reveal some of their challenges or barriers to academic achievement. The purpose of this research project was to understand how incarcerated male youth perceive their educational experiences, and to understand the prevailing themes and commonalities in their stories. A phenomenological approach was used to describe the participants' educational and lived experiences. One all male juvenile correctional facility in a Southern state was selected for this case study research. The structure is designed to contain youth who have committed at least three or more felonies and remanded by the courts for treatment. Fifteen incarcerated youth, aged 18, were interviewed and provided knowledge and insight into the research questions. Each was assigned pseudonyms to preserve anonymity. Interviews were conducted face to face, recorded, and then transcribed. The themes that emerged from the interviews include: (1) conflicted interpersonal relationships; (2) educational disconnect; and (3) personal demons, all of which impacted their academic journey. Participants were also asked about their earliest educational outlook, as well as their future outlook, as it relates to short- and long-term goals. Their individual and collective responses painted a picture of the factors that led to their academic challenges, criminal behavior and incarceration. Results for this study indicated that some incarcerated youth make meaning of their educational experiences through a series of complex events, changes and circumstances occurring in their school and personal lives. Some of these relationships were positive iii connections that supported and propelled them forward, while conflicting relationships were damaging and often exposed them to unhealthy environments, substance abuse and criminal elements. Although their experiences varied, it was clear that failure was an ongoing occurrence throughout their academic journey. While for some, the educational disconnect was internal to the school environment; for others, disruptions in their home lives interfered with their ability to maintain regular attendance and remain focused on their studies. Issues with suspensions, expulsion, truancy, retention, academic failure, school violence, poverty and parental neglect seemed pervasive throughout their stories; and some shared feelings of inferiority due to their current academic shortcomings. Participants revealed personal demons that were defined as dark moments in their lives and had a direct or indirect impact on their academic journey. These were traumatic events, unforeseen and unexpected circumstances occurring in their family, school and community lives. They shared information regarding their earliest educational outlook, which for some seemed positive and provided an opportunity to grow academically and personally, while others experienced adversity and negative outcomes early on.
Open Access
Emotional leadership: a phenomenological examination of emotions for Leadership Academy alumni
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014) Longhurst, Terri, author; Davies, Timothy, advisor; Kuk, Linda, committee member; Anderson, Sharon, committee member; Hall, Bruce, committee member
The act of leadership impacts leaders. With the increased acceptance of emotion, specifically emotional intelligence, in the workplace leaders interact and encounter more emotions than ever before. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to better understand how leaders, who have completed a State Leadership Academy, describe and interpret their emotion as leaders in their professional role. The emotional experiences of ten (10) Academy alumni were explored. Data were collected through individual in-depth, open ended interviews. Data were analyzed by using the major phenomenological research processes of Epoche, transcendental-phenomenological reduction, and imaginative variation. Three themes emerged from the data (a) sacrifice, (b) service, and (c) state. For participants, sacrifice was part of their role; making decisions is challenging, nonetheless they saw the peace and joy in this aspect of leadership. Participants were committed to serving their clients through hard work, being humble, and practicing reflection. Last, the participants were passionate about their organizations, communities, the Academy and the state. This study provided a glimpse into the emotional experiences of the participants; showed that participants have emotional experiences; and it showed that they do not always have a method to process these emotions. For many of the participants, the Academy provided that method of processing. Continuing to study the emotional experiences for deeper understanding on the impact will help expand the emotional lexicon of leaders and of leadership.
Open Access
How students experience their Christian faith in the public high school: a narrative study
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Moreno-Knittel, Bernadine Marie, author; Anderson, Sharon, advisor; Davies, Timothy, advisor; Makela, Carole, committee member; Poplin, Mary, committee member; Swaim, Randall, committee member
This study was a result of professional experience working with Christian students in a public high school and how they integrated their Christian faith into the academic, social/emotional, and career domains identified in the American School Counseling Association (ASCA) model. In addition the researcher's personal reflection about her Christian worldview influenced her professionally and personally as well as enabled her to gain knowledge and understanding of her beliefs and values. With narrative inquiry it is imperative that the researcher possesses the same background knowledge in order to fully understand the experiences of the interviewees and in return write their story with fidelity by keeping their voice central to the research. In the school counseling literature spirituality is considered important and worthy of exploration; however, researchers encourage school counselors to view it as "meaning making" rather than in a religious context. That said, counselors are encouraged to incorporate spirituality into a Comprehensive School Counseling Program as long as religion is kept separate. The researcher chose narrative inquiry to share the stories of four Christian students' experiences in a public high school. These students share their Christian upbringing and how a variety of micro-systems including family, church, youth camps and other religious activities, and peers influenced their faith. The students share how they integrated their faith into the classroom; relationships with faculty, peers, boyfriend or girlfriend; extracurricular activities; decision making; and coping. In addition three of the four students shared their experiences transitioning into higher education. Their individual stories are presented in letter format with a composite interpretation of the four stories. The researcher shares her findings with three audiences including the research community, professional colleagues, and the students' parents. The researcher's hope is these audiences will listen to these four students' experiences related to their Christian walk in a public high school and gain an understanding and appreciation for their Christian worldview. Equally important is that readers engage in personal reflection of their own worldview and how this impacts how they work and relate to the students they teach, counsel, and or raise.
Open Access
How teachers experience change: a phenomenological case study of a district-wide curricular reform
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014) Schreiner, Sherry Lynn, author; Davies, Timothy, advisor; Anderson, Sharon, committee member; Miller, Jeffrey, committee member; Hegeman, Diane, committee member
The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to better understand how teachers experienced the implementation of a guaranteed and viable curriculum. Interpretative phenomenology within a single case study was used to explore the experiences of the teachers as they moved through this significant reform. Thirteen teachers were interviewed and the findings were analyzed according to Van Kaam's method. The key findings are presented in the form of three continua: GVCIA: I like it...but; Leadership: From empowering to demoralizing; and Attitudes toward change: A grand adventure through don't they trust me. Although most teachers understood the need for unifying the curriculum and appreciated the content, they were also concerned with specific aspects of the implementation, including the speed of the implementation, the lack of resources to support the change, and losing the "art" of teaching. How each specific building-level leader presented the implementation made a difference in the attitudes of the participants towards acceptance. The essence of their experience was hearts in the game. The shadow of hearts in the game was loss of passion and loss of efficacy. Hearts in the game means teachers were able to adjust and adapt to the new curriculum by daily remembering their mission for teaching. Leaders who trusted them to be professionals, honored what they had done in the past, and allowed some flexibility within the curriculum helped keep hearts in the game. Although the focus of this study was the experiences of the teachers as they adopted the GVCIA, one factor that appeared to affect the implementation was the fact that many other changes were happening at the same time.
Open Access
Navigating the bumps in the road: a narrative inquiry into the lives of low-income, non-traditional African American women community college students
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2008) Douglas, Adrian Henderson, author; Davies, Timothy, advisor
The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to examine the lives of four women to see how they made sense of their socioeconomic backgrounds, past educational experiences, and educational journeys. The women were asked questions pertaining to their experiences surrounding socioeconomic status (SES) and education to determine what role these factors and habitus played in their decisions to enroll in higher education. Interpretive analysis allowed the researcher to see how participants attributed meanings to their experiences. No less than three in-depth interviews were conducted with each woman. All of the women were low-income, African American, single mothers who attend or attended community college. Their ages ranged from 26 to 53 years of age. The findings provided a greater understanding of what has taken place in the women's lives. Regarding SES, the women reflected on their childhood SES, their woes with welfare, and their view of education as the key to a new life. The findings surrounding education revealed dramatic changes in the women including increased self-worth and greater social awareness. The women are using education to reclaim their power, and create educational legacies for their children. Habitus and its various components make up a large part of who these women are. Thus habitus plays a tremendous role in the educational journeys of these women. Cultural capital consisted of their foundations. Social capital comprised their relationships. Human capital included their investments in education and economic capital covered their financial situations. Each area affected these women's educational journeys in some way, be it positively or negatively. The findings further addressed the women's educational foundations, personal responsibility, and the way they faced societal injustices to explain how this brought them to the decision to enroll in higher education. Living through poverty, racism, and discrimination helped these women realize that they needed to make changes in their lives. Each believed education was the key to a new life, so each chose to enroll in higher education. This study has implications for social service departments, K-12 school districts, community colleges, and other low-income, non-traditional African American women.
Open Access
Paul Mills Ireland III: portrait of a soldier
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Dolan, John P., author; Anderson, Sharon, advisor; Davies, Timothy, advisor; Hall, Bruce, committee member; Quick, Don, committee member
This dissertation explores the life and identity of Paul Mills Ireland, III. The qualitative study was conducted using the portraiture approach and was further developed by incorporating the holistic content approach of analysis in narrative research. This fifth generation soldier was the product of a strong military lineage, most of whom were senior military officers serving as career professionals. Despite early road blocks and personal struggles, Paul established his own military career and defined success on his own terms. A decorated Green Beret and Vietnam Veteran, Paul explored life, returned to his roots, and experienced struggles with his personal health, moral choices, and tragic loss. Regardless of his problems or the mistakes he made, Paul was almost universally loved and admired. He continued to serve his country, reaching the rank of Sergeant Major in the Army. With his health failing him, Paul refused to retire. In November, 2006, he died while on active duty.
Open Access
Relationship between adjunct and full-time faculty teaching at a for-profit university
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2009) Strom Kays, Sarah A., author; Kuk, Linda, advisor; Davies, Timothy, advisor
This qualitative case study explored the workplace relationships of adjunct and full-time faculty teaching at a for-profit university. The study was conducted at one campus of Segway University. Faculty in this study included men and women and represented different academic departments. All full-time faculty participants had experience teaching as adjunct faculty members. The adjunct faculty in this study all possessed industry-related experience. Findings from this study included an understanding of the perceived relationships and an identification of workplace tensions and competition between the two faculty groups. Administrators and faculty can use the results of this study to improve their workplace relationships by identifying the factors contributing to workplace tension and competition.
Open Access
Service learning as civic pedagogy: a narrative inquiry exploring the community college student experience
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Robinder, Keith E., author; Davies, Timothy, advisor; Hall, Bruce, committee member; Kuk, Linda, committee member; Santos Laanan, Frankie, committee member
In Democracy and Education, Dewey (1916) proposed that a primary role of higher education should be to renew and strengthen students' commitment to active civic life. More recently Campus Compact, a consortium of college and university presidents committed to community service, challenged higher education to "re-examine its public purposes and its commitments to the democratic ideal... to become engaged, through actions and teaching, with its communities" (National Campus Compact, 2007, p. 2). Many authors have called for higher education to renew the democratic mission of higher education (Colby, Ehrlich, Beaumont & Stephens, 2003; Franco, 2005; Hodge, Lewis, Kramer & Hughes, 2001). Community colleges were founded to bring the ideals associated with democratic purposes of higher education to a more inclusive, locally defined community (Cohen & Brawer, 2008). Service learning has been identified as an effective teaching strategy to achieve the goal of civic engagement for community college students (Prentice & Robinson, 2007; Prentice, 2011). The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to explore the stories of how community college students experience academic service learning. Seven students who completed academic service learning assignments at a comprehensive community college shared their personal stories, service learning experiences, and reflections on their experiences. The content and context of the students' narratives were analyzed to explore the connections between participating in service learning and developing a commitment to active citizenship and leadership for the common good. Holistic content analysis of the narrative data created rich and compelling stories. The students' stories demonstrated that service learning is a transformational educational practice that engages students fully in the educational process and validates their lived experiences. Service learning involves students in meaningful, empowering experiences that build their capacity to lead productive and purposeful lives. By providing educational opportunities that empower and transform students, community colleges build cultural capital, increase human potential in local communities and promote the civic habits of an inclusive, democratic society that Dewey envisioned. My findings and analyses reveal that service learning is an effective civic pedagogy, particularly when instructors utilize rigorous reflection assignments that challenge students to consider their roles beyond the classroom as citizens and leaders. The student's stories also illuminate the impact of the open access mission on both students and communities, and exemplify the power that community colleges have to transform the lives of students.
Open Access
The lived experience of applied science graduates who complete the applied baccalaureate
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Kujawa, Tricia A., author; Davies, Timothy, advisor; Carlson, Laurie, committee member; Hall, Bruce, committee member; Kaminski, Karen, committee member
The enrollment and transfer behaviors of college students are diverse. As a result college students travel various pathways to the baccalaureate degree. The purpose of this qualitative study was to better understand the lived experience of students who entered higher education through an associate of applied science (AAS) program and then continued in higher education to earn a bachelor of applied science (BAS) degree. To explore this phenomenon, eight participants completed two in-depth interviews regarding their lived experience as students on this educational pathway. Five structures emerged from the data to frame the participants' experiences on the AAS to BAS pathway: disengagement, doubt, knowledge of something different, significant relationships, and transformation. These five structures interacted in discrete ways to characterize the participants' experiences as pushing through disillusionment related to education, the profession, and self. The participants' moving through three dimensions of disillusionment along the pathway formed the meaning and the essence of the phenomenon, dogged determinism. Dogged determinism denotes the willful attitude assumed by the participants as they pushed through their illusions. Dogged determinism explains how the direction chosen when the participants encountered their illusions was the most probable option for the participants, at that particular time, and under that set of circumstances.
Open Access
The lived experience of community college academic deans who have taken a non traditional pathway
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2008) Curé, Nancy, author; Davies, Timothy, advisor
This qualitative study examined the lived experiences of community college academic deans who have taken a non traditional pathway to the position. Data were collected and analyzed from interviews of eleven academic deans who entered the community college through a non traditional pathway. Non traditional pathway was defined as no time spent as a full time or part time faculty member or any other position in education. The goal of the study was to describe the structure of the phenomenon of being a non traditional dean entering and working in a community college environment. The deans' stories of transition to the community college included the reasons why the deans came to the community college, their motivators, their values and self confidence, the strategies they used to gain acceptance and fit in, and the recognition that their pathway was non traditional which made them unique in the community college. The structure of the phenomenon is a story of altruism and entrepreneurism, credibility and acceptance, assimilation and adaptation, and replication. The essence of the phenomenon is a story of paradoxes balancing the traditional beliefs and values of educators, the business perspective and values of the deans, and the alignment of those values and beliefs to accept those from a non traditional pathway. The deans were motivated to come to the community college by their desire to give back and their need for challenge and risk taking. Before they transitioned, they recognized the need to establish credibility through the appropriate academic credential, teaching experience, and identifying the interchangeability of their skills. As they assimilated into the culture, the deans were surprised by the culture of education, identified the gaps in their skills, and identified strategies to fill those gaps. They also identified the need for establishing and maintaining good relationships. The deans reflected on the skills and abilities needed to be an academic dean. Finally, the deans reflected on the community college as a closed system and whether or not their non traditional pathway could be replicated.
Open Access
The lived experience of rural community college applied science engineering technology graduates
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Beals, David, author; Davies, Timothy, advisor; Hall, Bruce, committee member; Quick, Don, committee member; Foley, Jeff, committee member
Society is proliferated with devices that have been designed, developed, and constructed to enhance everyday life emphasizing the importance of the engineering profession. But the number of students pursuing the engineering technology field continues to decline. The purpose of this interpretive phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of graduates who navigated through and completed an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree in Engineering Technology from a rural community college and then transitioned into the engineering workforce. To explore this phenomenon, participants completed in-depth interviews. The structures that emerged from the interviews and described how the participants experienced their journey were Perception and Experiences of Engineering Technology, Captivation of Engineering Technology, Significant Influences and Relationships, Value of an Associate of Applied Science degree in Engineering Technology, and Transition to the Workforce. These structures interweaved to create the textural structural synthesis of transformation. As their transformations occurred graduates were able to refine the direction of their engineering educational journey giving way to the essence of this study the unexpected journey. The findings of this study can help faculty develop and implement strategies to gain and keep perspective students interested in engineering programs. The findings can also help academic advisers guide students seamlessly through their education to a career.
Open Access
The lived experience of stay-at-home dads: a narrative inquiry
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Drake, Matthew B., author; Davies, Timothy, advisor; Hall, Bruce, committee member; Makela, Carole, committee member; Winokur, Marc, committee member
Research on stay-at-home dads (SAHDs) has not kept pace with the increase in the trend and is lacking the in-depth description of their lived experience. The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to describe and thereby better understand the lived experience of SAHDs and how they make meaning within the role. Narrative inquiry works to restory the stories of the participants by gathering data, analyzing it, searching for themes, and rewriting it in a sequence that makes sense. In this study, in order to fully examine the lived experience of SAHDs, I encompassed a constructivist paradigm, which allowed for the evolution of the meaning and process. I realize that my participation altered the reality of the experience and that the stories that I present only captured brief moments of time; however, I drew heavily upon my therapeutic and clinical backgrounds to create a warm and compassionate environment which guided the way for an inductive exploration into each dad's lived experience. I primarily used unstructured interviews that focused more on Rogerian therapeutic principles than direct Socratic questioning; however, I maintained boundaries which provided focus, shape, and scope. These unstructured interviews provided the space for the participants to talk freely and openly as I obtained very rich quotations from each dad which I have presented within the narratives. By including these excerpts, often in their entirety, I maintain the integrity of the process, meaning making, and authenticity of each individual story. This narrative inquiry contains the lived experience of four SAHDs, ending with my own account. Each dad's narrative is presented individually, uniquely, and told in its entirety followed by my holistic content analysis which explores the themes of both the inner and outer world of each dad as embodied by his past, present, and possibility of the future. By doing so, this study gave voice to the SAHD experience and opened doors for future research and understanding. The individual and cumulative effects of the narratives have provided avenues for understanding for readers to make their personal meaning of the lived experience of SAHDs. I have also provided recommendations for clinicians who are working with SAHDs or their families. I conclude with my journey through this qualitative inquiry and a brief letter to SAHDs.
Open Access
The presidents' perspective of the rural community colleges' role in economic development: a grounded theory approach
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2011) Bigelow, Susan L., author; Kaminski, Karen, advisor; Davies, Timothy, advisor; Venneberg, Donald, committee member; Shields, Martin, committee member
Some colleges have embraced an economic development role in order to benefit the economy in the community and the region both directly and indirectly. In order for rural communities to benefit from the community college in a significant way, the college leadership must adopt an economic development agenda. The dual processes of developing a commitment to rural communities and learning economic development skills as a college president or in preparation to serve as a college president are not well studied and represent a gap in the literature. The purpose of this qualitative study was to construct a substantive theory with a core category and related categories that provides an explanation for how presidents of tribal colleges and community colleges in rural areas come to understand economic development and how they act on that understanding. The general research question was "what is going on here" with presidents at the intersection of tribal and community colleges and their rural communities in the area of economic development. The single situation grounded theory was constructed from interviews with eight presidents and referrals from two experts. The presidents led tribal and community colleges that have been members of the Rural Community College Alliance, were "associates" or "tribal" colleges, and were located in communities of less than 50,000. RCCA member colleges considered for this study were small and medium enrollment community colleges in rural serving areas and tribal colleges located in rural areas. The theory's core category was embracing the economic development role which means adopting as a guiding principle doing what was required to make a lasting and measurable impact on the community and its economy. Critical to the contextual framework categories was the pronounced rural bias, affinity for tribal or community colleges, and personal humility of the presidents. The causal categories of motivated by personal values, understanding the economic development role, and motivated by the environment worked together in a process and led to embracing the economic development role. After embracing this role, the presidents acknowledged taking economic development actions or taking them on more robustly. Six high level groups of economic development actions led by these presidents were: developing leaders and leadership capacity; thinking and acting regionally; coordinating closely with industry in workforce development; being present throughout the service area; welcoming the community to the college facilities; and promoting healthy communities. It is possible this study will add to the field of leadership training for community college leaders and a better understanding of leadership in a rural setting. This theory may be useful to presidents who are asked to take on an economic development role, those who wish to hire a president who embraces this role, and professional associations that hope to mentor current and future presidents for tribal and community colleges in rural areas.
Open Access
Trespassing barriers: researching the experiences of Latina immigrants in a community college bilingual early childhood program
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Volkers, Erica, author; Davies, Timothy, advisor; Aragon, Antonette, committee member; Banning, James, committee member; Valdez, Norberto, committee member
There has been much debate on the politics and pedagogies of bilingual education in K-12 schools, but conspicuously absent in this debate are institutions of higher education. English-only ideologies are deeply embedded and rarely questioned in U.S. institutions of higher education, which predominantly require English language proficiency to access college-level coursework. Working within the intersections of critical race theory and participatory research, I engaged Latina immigrant students participating in a community college bilingual early childhood degree program as "research collaborators" in examining the influences of this program on their lives. Their stories, shared in a community narrative, reveal how this program opened the door to college access and empowered them as students, mothers, professionals, and advocates. In my discussion of our findings I highlight the capital Latina immigrant students bring to their academic journey, critique the English-only pathway to college, and underscore the importance of creating spaces for the voices of these students to be heard. Documenting our research journey, I also provide an analysis of the challenges and rewards of engaging students from a traditionally marginalized population as research collaborators.

Browsing by Author "Davies, Timothy, advisor"

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