Evaluation and Decision Making in Higher Education

Posselt, Julie R.

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-11743-6_8-1

Cited by 28 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 153 publications

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“…More recently, institutions have turned inward with an eye toward their own processes, investigating the extent to which hiring practices, policies, and paradigms inhibit hiring equity. This is reflected in the proliferating faculty hiring research (Liera, 2019(Liera, , 2020O'Meara et al, 2020;Posselt et al, 2020;Rivera, 2017;Sensoy & DiAngelo, 2017;White-Lewis, 2020;Wright & Vanderford, 2017) and practice (Becker, 2016;Flaherty, 2017;Gasman, 2016).…”

Section: Conclusion/recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Before the AD: How Departments Generate Hiring Priorities that Support or Avert Faculty Diversity

White-Lewis

2021

Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education

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Background/Context Although academic departments have more tools to advance faculty diversity than ever before, many still downplay their own responsibility throughout the hiring process. This results in a cycle of apathy that activates once searches are already under way, and structural change is out of reach. Yet few studies empirically outline what structural change entails so that departments can play a more active role in improving search processes before hiring begins. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study This study materializes the underlying mechanics of academic hiring by describing the process of departmental hiring priorities, and identifies how adjusting them can create the optimal conditions for supporting faculty diversity. Population/Participants/Subjects Participants were 23 academic personnel spanning four academic departments, including deans, department chairs, equity administrators, and faculty search committee members. Research Design This qualitative study uses a blend of multiple case study and grounded theory designs. The multiple case study method guided the site, case, participant selection, and data collection procedures. Grounded theory was employed primarily in the data coding and analysis phases. Data Collection and Analysis Data were collected from an institutional site fictitiously named Northfield University, a research-intensive four-year university located in the western region of the United States. Four departments were selected as case studies based on convenience sampling from four broader divisions: social sciences, life sciences, humanities, and physical sciences. Twenty-three participants spanning multiple positions and departments participated in a total of 31 semistructured interviews. These data were initially coded and analyzed using the constant comparative method and then further analyzed using cross-case analysis. Findings/Results Findings reveal the primary determinants of departmental hiring priorities that bred subfield conservatism, or the hesitancy to expand the department in new and different hiring directions based on resource constraint and subfield reproduction. This was a realistic yet troubling organizational response that inhibited opportunities for diversity before searches even began. Results also document the steps that departments took to thwart subfield conservatism in order to more aptly attract and elevate racially minoritized candidates. Conclusions/Recommendations This study highlights the untapped potential that hiring priorities hold for advancing faculty diversity. Department chairs and deans are uniquely positioned to implement initiatives that rearrange the structural conditions of faculty hiring that empower faculty to create equity-oriented positions beyond traditional departmental boundaries.

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Section: Conclusion/recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Before the AD: How Departments Generate Hiring Priorities that Support or Avert Faculty Diversity

White-Lewis

2021

Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education

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“…In addition to furthering theoretical understandings of policy diffusion and innovation in higher education and how these theories may relate to the spread of enforcement as part of the implementation process, the findings from this study have implications for policy makers and students. Federal policy making and regulation has become increasingly politicized, and promises to deregulate the for-profit market have become part of the DeVos and Trump agendas (Posselt et al, 2017). The role of state policy makers in safeguarding students from predatory colleges will likely grow in importance over upcoming years.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The current debate over regulations in the for-profit market has become increasingly heated, especially given the reauthorization of the HEA (Posselt, Venegas, Ward, Hernandez, & DePaola, 2017). As the market has grown in size and import, scholars have dedicated resources to understanding FPCUs and their students.…”

Section: For-profit Colleges: Regulation and Student Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Accompanying this wave of scholarship has been vigorous debate regarding the role of regulation in safeguarding taxpayer dollars and students. Specifically, the public and legislators have deliberated about the utility of the recently passed 2016 Gainful Employment Rule, as well as previous regulations like the 90/10 rule (Posselt et al, 2017). Evidence regarding the efficacy of such regulations is limited (Ward, 2017).…”

Section: For-profit Colleges: Regulation and Student Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Regulatory Enforcement as Policy: Exploring Factors Related to State Lawsuits Against For-Profit Colleges

Ward

Tierney

2017

American Behavioral Scientist

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Regulatory enforcement is a policy decision in itself. Given the current federal commitment to deregulate the for-profit college market, state regulations will likely become increasingly important. This study examines the factors contributing to the enforcement of state-level proprietary college regulations. Using event history analysis, the authors test diffusion and innovation theories as potential explanations for patterns of enforcement. The findings suggest that geographic diffusion plays an important role in state lawsuits against for-profit colleges, although the specific mechanisms of diffusion may differ across regions. Moreover, loan repayment rates of for-profit students appear to contribute to the likelihood of a lawsuit being filed as states may seek to intervene when objective metrics suggest that students and state economic interests seem to be harmed. The article also suggests that market factors may play an influential role in state governments enforcing regulations on for-profit colleges.

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“…Secretary Betsy DeVos is seeking to upend federally funded and managed programs that improve access to quality higher education for a broad range of students. Under DeVos, regulation of for-profit markets, federal student aid programs, and even data access has come under fire (Posselt, Venegas, Ward, Hernandez, & DePaola, 2017). During this period of uncertainty, the role that state governments play in access to higher education has become increasingly important.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of State Policy in Ensuring Access, Achievement, and Attainment in Education

Ward

Tierney

2017

American Behavioral Scientist

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This volume focuses on the importance of state policy for ensuring equity in postsecondary access, achievement, and attainment. America has a federalist system of education that gives states significant autonomy in their governance of schools, colleges, and universities. This system has created significant variation across states; variation that provides opportunities for state governments to learn from one another. This volume underscores the importance of context and uses differentiation across state lines to highlight the roles internal and external factors play in policy development and issues pertaining to postsecondary access, achievement, and attainment. This collection of papers includes a diverse set of theoretical and methodological approaches to address a range of topics that makes clear the scope and importance of a multitude of state policies. This volume will serve as a source of new information regarding state policies that will be useful for policymakers and researchers alike. It is also suggests important new avenues for research that focus on theoretical and methodological considerations as well as topical areas including funding, accountability, transparency, and policy framing.

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Evaluation and Decision Making in Higher Education

Cited by 28 publications

References 153 publications

Before the AD: How Departments Generate Hiring Priorities that Support or Avert Faculty Diversity

Before the AD: How Departments Generate Hiring Priorities that Support or Avert Faculty Diversity

Regulatory Enforcement as Policy: Exploring Factors Related to State Lawsuits Against For-Profit Colleges

The Role of State Policy in Ensuring Access, Achievement, and Attainment in Education

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