Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to capture challenges faced and lessons learned when implementing Lean in higher education. Design/methodology/approach – During 2010-2014, faculty, staff, and administration from three community colleges and four four-year universities attended Educational Lean workshops. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the administrators who originally sought the training opportunity or their designee who coordinated Lean events. Findings – The paper provides insights from seven colleges and universities who have experience with implementing Lean in higher education. Organizational and personal elements are identified and discussed along with seven critical reflection questions to consider before implementing Lean. Research limitations/implications – Further research is needed to understand the role of the senior leadership team when implementing Lean as a continuous improvement strategy. This research provides some insight, but is limited to the factors identified by the seven institutions. Practical implications – The findings of this study can be used to assist higher education institutions considering a Lean initiative. Critical reflection questions include: Who will oversee the Lean initiative? How will human and financial resources be allocated? When and how will professional development opportunities be offered for senior leaders, facilitators, and employees? How will facilitators continue to develop their skills? How will projects be selected? How will Lean thinking be introduced into academic departments? Originality/value – This provides original research in the area of implementing Lean in higher education and its concurrent challenges.

This paper offers some insights into the anxieties graduate students bring into the classroom about academic or technical writing. In this qualitative study, a focus group of graduate students was utilized to describe the specific negative feelings, attitudes and experiences held about writing. Findings suggest that students were able to identify three main reasons or causes of writing anxiety: (1) lack of confidence in writing ability (2) lack of time to devote to writing activities and (3) lack of skills in utilizing scholarly resources. Participants also suggest that colleges and universities take more proactive steps in implementing strategies early in the matriculation process to support graduate students in acquiring writing competency. This exploration suggests that there is still much to be learned from graduate students about what colleges and universities can do to improve writing literacy, help graduate students acquire writing self-efficacy and create a culture of writing expectations.

Background: Leadership growth during short-term study abroad programs remain of critical interest to educators. No research exists on how a strengths-based study abroad curriculum influences resilience growth for working adult graduate students. Purpose: This exploratory study sought to examine how utilizing a strengths-based curriculum contributes to the development of resilience in graduate students during a study abroad program. Methodology/Approach: An online, open-ended survey was distributed to 11 students who participated in a 2018 graduate study abroad program to New Zealand. Responses were analyzed to identify themes by faculty-organized and student-organized activities. Findings/Conclusions: A strengths-based curriculum contributed to the perceived growth of resilience during a study abroad program by providing opportunities to manage, adjust, and overcome challenges. All 11 respondents perceived growth in resilience when planning and implementing the student-organized activities, whereas 9 of the 11 students reported resilience growth within the faculty-organized activities. Implications: Graduate study abroad programs provide a rich environment in which to experience growth in resilience through peer engagement and reflection. The strengths-based curriculum establishes a common language in which to discuss challenges and reflect on experiences.

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