Talent Management in Higher Education: Developing Emerging Leaders Within the Administration at Private Colleges and Universities

This research focused on identifying a series of successful practices relating to administrative talent management within the higher education setting. The field study included a thorough examination of seven small to mid-size private colleges and universities that have incorporated employee development strategies. These strategies were aimed at growing future leaders from within the organization in order to achieve continuity and support institutional priorities. Specifically, several focus areas were investigated including presidential vision, leadership commitment, talent management’s place among institutional priorities, program characteristics, and program evaluation. Among the commonalities that were gathered included support at the senior officer level who serve as advocates, mentors, and program facilitators, a strong connection between talent management and the institutions’ strategic plans, and a holistic approach to developing talent at all levels of the organizations. In addition, both coaching and opportunities for growth in the work environment were evident within several of the institutions. Also, academic leadership development was considered to be a part of the talent management strategy within three of the colleges and universities. The key differentiators included the incorporation of organizational and leadership competencies to provide focus toward the performance development process at two institutions, the implementation of a succession planning model at another institution, and the location of human resource generalists in departments across two of the institutions to identify learning opportunities for both individuals and work teams. Based on both the findings from the field study and the literature review, a comprehensive procedural model is introduced that serves to support human resource departments and higher education professionals, in general, who are looking to either begin or broaden their own talent management approach. However, despite the progress that has been made across several institutions noted throughout the research study, much more must be learned in terms of how the time and resources invested in talent management translates to institutional success. Advisor: James O‘Hanlon

What is higher education?

"The problems that exist in the world today cannot be solved by the level of thinking we were at when we created them." - Albert Einstein What is higher education? It is a key tool to our gaining the level of thinking Einstein describes - the level of thinking needed to solve the problems that exist in the world today. I am not saying higher education is the only thing that prepares people to think - far from it. But higher education, if it does what it is meant to do, prepares us with a solid base of skills to think critically and analytically to deal successfully with an ever-changing world. It instills in us the desire and ability to be lifelong learners, able to grow and participate as members of both local and global communities. Learning skills, critical analysis skills, skills that allow us to deal with and be successful in the ever-changing world around us are the skills higher education must provide.

African American and Teaching in Higher Education IS a Course on Race and Culture

Using theoretical applications, the authors present an overview of theories that highlight approaches for teaching culturally sensitive content, personal experiences as educator and colleague in a predominantly white college campus and strategies for addressing culturally insensitive experiences in and outside the classroom. Presenters focus on the recruitment and retention of people of color and stress the need for today's predominantly white institutions to become more knowledgeable, tolerant and sensitive about their environments in an effort to make them more accepting.

Promoting Higher Education: The Latino Achievement Mentoring Program (LAMP)

Statistics suggest that Latino youths are at risk for academic underachievement and withdrawal. Culturally sensitive approaches to supporting school achievement based on the needs of Latino youth and their families must be developed. In response to these needs, the Latino Research Initiative (LRI), a collaborative group with members from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) and the Hispanic Community Center (HCC) created the Latino Achievement Mentoring Program (LAMP). LAMP is a culturally appropriate mentoring program designed to promote school success and post-secondary opportunities for Latino youths. This program provides Latino youths with positive role models and information and guidance about academic life and future school success. Finally, because of the cultural significance of family members among many Latinos, LAMP activities are developed and implemented such that the mentees' family members are involved. This presentation will report the first-year activities of the initial mentor and men tee pairs, with particular emphasis on educational outreach and academic development of the program. Evaluation data will be presented for the first cohort of mentees, including academic information, teacher reports and self-measure findings. LAMP activities aimed at promoting academic success will also be presented. Finally, the experiences of the mentors will briefly be reported.

African American Student Access To and Completion Of Higher Education, 1960-1992: A Correspondence Theory Analysis

“This presentation utilizes correspondence theory to analyze African American undergraduate student access to and completion of higher education in the United States. Findings from this research are presented and policy recommendations affecting Black student enrollment and graduation are discussed.”