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Colleges and universities have embraced distance education as a solution to meet challenges brought by demands for access, reduced state and federal funding, and strained institutional resources. Paralleling the growth of distance educational courses, programs, and enrollments, is the need to have increasing numbers of faculty delivering instruction to ensure continuity and quality of the education being delivered. The success for any distance education initiative relies on a critical and core resource, namely participating faculty who provide quality instruction. This study attempts to explore the individual behaviors of faculty by examining their attitudes toward the adoption and application of informational technologies within their institutional environment and academic profession, examine how these attitudes affect their participation in distance education courses, and determine the policy implications of these findings for higher education. (Contains 5 footnotes.)

The New Economy Research Grant Program awarded funding in 2003 for this study, the first of its type, to examine faculty use of technology and participation in distance education throughout the University of Hawai'i system. The use of technology in delivering education plays an important role in The New Economy by increasing educational access and presenting educational opportunities that offer increased flexibility regarding time, place, pace of study, and delivery of instructional content. This is a particularly vital concern in Hawai'i given the geographical dispersion of the population. The purpose of the study was to explore how faculty attitudes and use of informational technologies affect their participation in distance education delivery. The findings were to be used to generate recommendations for policy development and practice designed to expand educational opportunity throughout Hawai'i. The study included 4,534 individuals which consisted of all full- and part-time faculty from all colleges, divisions, professional schools, and programs comprising the 10-campus university system. In addition to the faculty, all system-wide lecturers and graduate assistants with instructional responsibilities for the fall 2003 academic semester were included. While faculty engage in using selective technologies, the findings of this study indicate that their participation or non-participation in distance education results from factors associated with their use of technology, their attitude toward technology and distance education, their ability to adopt an innovation, and the demographic variables of age, ethnicity, and institutional affiliation. Appended are: (1) Gender and Race/Ethnicity of Respondents by Campus Units; (2) Classification, Rank, and Appointment of Respondents by Campus Units; (3) Faculty Status, Tenure Status, Level of Instruction by Campus Units; (4) Allocation of Average Percentage of Time Spent on Activities; (5) Demographic Characteristics of Non-participants and Participants in Distance Education; (6) Level of Instruction, Campus Location, and Locus of Appointment of UH Participants and Non-participants in Distance Education; (7) Means and Standard Deviations of Technology and Distance Education Statements by Campus Units; and (8) Means and Standard Deviations of the Key Dimensional Constructs by Campus Units. (Contains 17 tables, 10 figures, and 16 footnotes.) [Funding for this study was provided by the New Economy Research Grant Program.]

Asserting that in order to determine the effectiveness of those in leadership positions accurately and fairly, an understanding of how individuals and groups of individuals construct their notions of effective leadership within complex organizations must be developed. This study sought to: (1) define and measure effective leadership empirically (in this case, the effectiveness of deans of colleges in one university) and (2) examine individual and group characteristics that may affect the perceptions of effective leadership within the academic organization. Faculty and staff were surveyed on several dimensions of their dean's leadership effectiveness: vision and goal setting, management of the unit, interpersonal relationships, communication skills, research/professional/community endeavors, quality of the unit's education, and support for institutional diversity. Demographic data on respondents and deans and structural variables of the academic units were also included in the analysis. Findings indicated that unit size and external dollars generated are positively related to perceptions of leadership effectiveness; that women are viewed as better leaders than men; and that the respondent's place in the organization affects his or her perception of the dean's leadership effectiveness. (Contains 67 references.) (EV)

This study developed an empirical construct for the term "morale," and applied the resulting structural model in an investigation of the impact of morale on administrators' reported intentions to leave their positions. The paper identifies three common sources of frustration in these administrators: the midlevel nature of their role; the lack of recognition for their contributions; and limited opportunity for career growth or advancement. It proposes a structural model of administrator intentions which includes morale as well as demographic and structural variables. A questionnaire covering these areas (as well as intent to leave, the dependent variable) was given to mid-level administrators (n=869) at a 10-campus university system. The morale component was comprised of three interrelated dimensions: institutional regard, mutual loyalty, and quality of work. The study found that perceptions of worklife and morale were individually held, as opposed to collective organizational perceptions; it also established the construct validity of the notion of "morale," and found that perceptions of organizational process (morale and worklife) explained the "intent" of midlevel administrators to leave their current position. Demographic and structural variables had only a limited effect on morale and intent to leave. (Contains 41 references.) (DB)

This study was conducted to identify the demographic, structural, and perceptual variables that predict the intent of administrative staff to stay or leave their current positions within their university. Survey questionnaires were distributed to all mid-level administrators within a ten-campus university system; the response rate was 70 percent (n=901). Discriminant analysis of the data indicated that: (1) administrators intending to leave had lower mean morale than those intending to stay; (2) people who felt stuck were more likely to intend to leave than intend to stay; (3) mid-level administrators intending to leave were more likely to work in student affairs divisions than in academic, business, or external affairs; (4) age and recognition of competence contributed moderately to predictions of who would stay or who would leave; (5) among demographic variables, only age and years of employment discriminated stayers from leavers, with older administrators being more likely to stay; (6) gender, race/ethnicity, and minority status did not predict leaving or staying behavior; (7) working at a research institution, as opposed to a community college or baccalaureate institution, was associated with intentions to leave the university; (8) perceptions regarding the opportunity for advancement, working conditions, recognition for competence, and morale clearly discriminated administrators intending to stay and those intending to leave. (Contains 29 references and 3 tables.) (MAB)

A study of the perceptions of Western trained Korean faculty regarding the implications of their cross-cultural training for their careers in academe was done. Personal interviews were conducted with 27 Western-trained faculty members now teaching at 3 private research universities in Seoul, Korea. Principles inherent in the naturalistic inquiry paradigm guided the interviews. Individuals were selected to provide representation across disciplinary fields, academic rank and gender. Research focused on faculty members': (1) experiences as foreign graduate students and their socialization to the professoriate; and (2) perceptions of the impact of their cross-cultural training on their academic careers. Analysis found that most had abbreviated relationships with graduate faculty and advisors from their Western graduate training, most experienced a tension between Westernized expectations which place a value on research versus the Asian institution's emphasis on teaching, and all felt a strong sense of obligation to their current institutions. Overall, the study found that scholars who train in one culture with a defined set of norms and perform in another with its own set of norms serve multiple masters. Included are 16 references. (JB)

A study was done to explore the perceptions of senior and junior faculty women regarding the barriers to success experienced early in their academic careers. The study population was drawn from a colleague pairing program at a major urban research university in the western United States and consisted of 22 junior faculty in tenure track positions matched with tenured senior faculty. A factor analysis of data from responses to surveys administered before the pairs met and after two semesters when the pairing program ended revealed three areas of concern: roles and responsibilities, a sense of belonging, and personal security. Further examination found significant differences between the senior and junior women's perceptions before and after the program on all three factors, namely that the perception of the importance of the factors decreased during the program for both junior and senior women. Also, junior women perceived most barriers as less problematic than their senior counterparts anticipated. The findings suggest important directions for programmatic efforts to retain and advance women as well as areas of needed research. Included are 4 tables and 27 references. (JB)

Reviews recent literature on the quality of worklife on college and university campuses and offers a framework that conceptualizes these studies in three groups: those that describe and explore differences in the quality of worklife, those that determine the impact of worklife on attitudes, and those that attempt to explain behavioral outcomes. Discusses the implications of this work for practice and policy on college campuses. (EV)

Position change of administrators at a large, public research university was studied during 1983-1985. Attention was directed to: the organizational configuration of administrative positions and position vacancies; the effect of personnel policies and practices regarding internal and external appointments, position creation, and sponsorship on the rate of position change; and the effect of personnel policies and practices on the representation of women, men, and minorities. Organizational configuration was operationally defined as the distribution of administrative and professional positions and position vacancies by administrative levels. For sponsored positions, candidates were identified prior to vacancy posting. Data on position vacancies and personnel records for 823 administrative position vacancies filled by internal candidates were assessed. Findings include: half of the top administrative positions were filled with external candidates; the majority of internally-filled positions were not open to competition; the proportion of sponsored positions increased with administrative level; and white men were overrepresented at the high administrative levels, while white women and minorities were overrepresented at the low levels. (SW)

The literature on mid-level administrators in higher education has identified a number of factors that may affect their attitudes and performance, either positively or negatively. To a large degree, individual perceptions concerning recognition, discrimination, external relations, and mobility explain morale. Institutions can address these issues to enhance administrator morale. (MSE)

A study explored the perceptions of 13 female Korean professors in 3 Korean universities concerning the careers of Korean academic women. Analysis focused on the experience of Western-trained women in securing faculty positions in Korean universities, workload and responsibilities of women faculty, and impact of personal lives and social roles on professional achievement and satisfaction. (Author/MSE)

Examines how institutional practices, disciplinary and programmatic idiosyncracies, and personal characteristics influence the success of women in graduate education. Profiles demographic realities, causes and consequences of gender differences, personal struggles, and ways to address disparate policies. Argues that efforts on all levels are needed to eliminate the barriers that women encounter. (RJM)

A study investigated factors that college faculty perceive as barriers to their academic success within their institutions, focusing on those that distinguish between faculty who leave the institution and those who stay. Issues specific to women and to racial and ethnic minorities are considered. (MSE)

Junior women faculty (n=22) were paired with senior women colleagues as part of a mentoring initiative in a faculty development program. Participant perceptions before and after the program were analyzed for implications in three areas: roles and responsibilities, sense of fit, and personal security. (Author/MSE)

Despite general agreement that women and racial/ethnic minority faculty have qualitatively different experiences than white male colleagues, the literature reveals dichotomized research focus on organizational structure vs. individual experience. A study identified organizational, professional, and personal barriers to tenure and retention and analyzes differences in personal experience of them. (Author/MSE)

A study explored the relative importance of three explanations for gender stratification in college administrative employment by modeling their separate and cumulative effects on increase in status, responsibility, and salary achieved with promotion. Findings indicate gender has a substantial negative impact on women's attainment, and the impact increases over time. (Author/MSE)

Based on a review of recent literature, demographic patterns and trends of female and minority college faculty are outlined and faculty perceptions of their experiences in academe are described. Three propositions concerning incentives, rewards, and college climate are offered for institutions striving to enhance and support a diverse faculty. (MSE)

Interviews with 27 Korean university faculty members who had been graduate students abroad investigated their experiences as foreign graduate students, socialization to the professoriate, and attitudes about preparation for academic careers. Two themes emerged: (1) Westernized expectations concerning teaching and research, and (2) emphasis placed on service to the university and nation. (Author/MSE)

A study investigated perceived barriers to tenure and retention among 229 faculty (probationary, newly tenured, and leaving the institution) at 1 public research university and to determine differences between men and women. Issues identified by junior faculty led to suggestions for program and policy initiatives to enhance likelihood of faculty success. (MSE)

Presents conceptual framework for understanding mentoring based upon the evolving capacity for interdependence that undergirds human development. Applies Kegan's developmental framework to mentoring relationships between academic women and explores their potential for enabling a mutual capacity for interdependence. (NB)