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2012-04
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Faculty’s Perceptions on Shared Governance at Pepperdine University April 2012
Pepperdine University chose shared governance processes and evidence based decision
making as themes for their ten year WASC review. In the CPR document, we stated
that we would "...discover the contextual issues related to why some faculty members
believe they lack authority for decisions on academic matters and experience a lack
of autonomy in academic life." In the spring of 2012 the Office of Institutional
Effectiveness along with the University Faculty Committee adopted a survey from
USC’s Center for Higher Education Policy Analysis. In this research brief the findings
from this survey will be presented and a comparison from the Tierney and Minor 2003
study will be discussed to help explain the findings.
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2012-01
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Seaver 2010-11 Retention Shows Significant Improvement January 2012
Seaver retained 93% of its first year Fall 2010 entering class, the highest first
year retention rate to date. Higher retention rates mean significant cost-savings
for Pepperdine, improvement in student success, and attainment of the University
Mission. The literature points to factors such as student quality and the development
of a "sense of belonging" as key factors behind student retention. In the case of
Seaver College, we know of at least two factors that may have impacted the higher
retention rates in 2011: (1) student quality and fit; and (2) proactive advising
strategies that included administrative follow-up of unregistered students during
the registration period.
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2011-08
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Faculty Climate and Job Satisfaction 2010-2011 August 2011
The experience among Pepperdine undergraduate faculty is better than at other institutions,
specifically in the areas of satisfaction and climate (salary, benefits, job security;
sense of belonging among fellow faculty; satisfaction from the work itself; and
overall satisfaction). Moreover, differences in Pepperdine faculty (graduate and
undergraduate) experience across subgroups help to highlight other areas that could
benefit the overall climate by focusing on microclimates.
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2011-07
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Tuition, Value, and Affordability at Pepperdine July 2011
According to the to the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 the Department
of Education is required to compile four lists of the highest and lowest tuition
and net price of all colleges and universities receiving federal financial aid and
post them on its College Navigator Web site. This is part of the ongoing accountability
for higher education and legislative pressure for colleges to curb the sharp tuition
spikes year after year. Pepperdine did not appear on any of the four lists. This
Brief examines how Pepperdine compares to the lists as well as other issues related
to affordability and value.
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2011-04
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Getting to Know Pepperdine’s Fall 2010 First-Year Law Students April 2011
Fall 2010 Pepperdine first year law students are highly confident about their various
academic and non-academic attributes. They measure well in terms of pluralistic
orientation and habits of mind. The primary reasons many chose Pepperdine are its
academic prestige and its commitment to an ethics-oriented curriculum. Pepperdine
can best serve these students in terms of developing their habits of mind, ethics,
spiritual growth, and supporting them with financial aid.
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2011-03
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Exploring Spiritual Growth at Seaver College March 2011
Spirituality in higher education continues to evolve as an important dialogue related
to student development (Astin, Astin, & Lindholm, 2010; Chickering, Dalton, & Stam,
2006). The benefits for students range from academic to psychological, and universities
with a variety of missions are taking interest. Seaver College at Pepperdine has
a particular interest in this topic because of the Christian mission of the university.
To explore this idea further, a qualitative study was developed to advance understanding
about what may help or hinder spiritual growth, as well as to get a sense of what
students expect and experience when coming to Seaver College. The key questions
for the study were: 1) To what degree is there congruence between expectations and
reality when it comes to spiritual growth at Seaver? 2) What components of the learning
environment make the most important contributions to spiritual growth?
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2011-02
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University Education and Future Employment Trends February 2011
In January 2000, the proportion of unemployed workers in the United States was 4.0
percent and in January 2011 it was 9.4 percent. During that same period of time,
college tuition at private universities increased an average of 25 percent. Although
an undergraduate degree at a liberal arts college is traditionally not thought of
as "job training" per se, it is estimated that 37.6 percent of the new jobs created
in 2012 will require a bachelor’s degree or higher. Given the current economic climate,
the rapid increase of tuition, and public unease with the volatile combination of
these two trends, it is important for colleges and universities to design curricular
options that are aligned with future employment opportunities. This brief explores
projected trends that will impact that market for employment.
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2011-01
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Enhancing Student Persistence at Seaver College January 2011
Satisfied students are successful students. Studies reveal that persistence can
be enhanced by improving student satisfaction in terms of sense of belonging, satisfaction
with coursework and academic performance. Students belonging to minority groups
(in terms of race/ethnicity and religion), as well as transferees, need more institutional
support in terms of sense of belonging and academic performance. Pepperdine can
enhance students’ sense of belonging by increasing student-faculty interaction,
student involvement and enriching educational activities. Satisfaction with coursework
can be increased with student-faculty interaction, improving instruction quality,
and application of classroom learning to "real life." And finally, academic performance
can be enhanced by ensuring better faculty feedback on students' classroom performance.
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2010-11
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Exploring the Influence of Student Affairs on Three Student Learning Outcomes
November 2010
The influence of a faculty or staff member is intricately connected, yet distinct
from the impact of a course or a program. The difference is related to the impact
of individual relationships on the college experience and learning outcomes. Research
in higher education has demonstrated the degrees to which students are influenced
by their peers, faculty, and a variety of other sources (Astin, 1977, 1984, 1993,
1996; Pacarella & Terenzini 2005; Kuh & Hu, 2001). However, there is little research
to indicate the influence of a growing sector of professionals that is focused on
student development: student affairs (Love, 1995). The purpose of this study is
to review the literature around student engagement and the influence of student
affairs professionals, and to evaluate empirically the level of impact these professionals
have at Seaver College. The results of this study indicate that student affairs
professionals have a statistically significant impact on two of the three learning
outcomes studied: humanitarianism/civic engagement and intrapersonal development/spiritual
awareness.
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2010-09
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Do College Rankings Matter? September 2010
Pepperdine rankings improved to 53 this year from 58 last year. The improvement
came mainly from Pepperdine's actual graduation rate outperforming its predicted
graduation rate, and from changes in the USN&WR ranking methodology. The new methodology
now includes reputational assessments from high school counselors, who gave Pepperdine
a 4.1 (out of a maximum of 5.0) reputation score. The purpose of this brief is to
answer the question, "do rankings matter?" The answer lies in the methodology, and
the degree to which the method includes categories that actually reflect educational
quality.
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2010-09
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Seaver Faculty and Student Engagement September 2010
This article discusses student engagement from the point of view of faculty, and
complements our June 2010 Research Brief on "The Seaver Student Experience". In
Spring 2009, Seaver faculty participated in the Faculty Survey of Student Engagement
(FSSE). The FSSE complements the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), which
were both designed by the Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research.
The survey garnered a response rate of 44%. The objectives of this brief are the
following: (a) to compare, across different divisions, the level of importance given
by faculty to various enriching educational experiences, and (b) to determine how
Seaver faculty workload affects student-faculty interaction
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2010-06
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The Seaver Student Experience: Identifying Strengths & Areas of Concern
June 2010
In Spring 2009, over 1,000 of Pepperdine University’s first-year and senior Seaver
students participated in the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). The NSSE
covered topics on various learning activities linked to student success in college.
This study identifies strengths and areas of concern for Pepperdine through comparisons
with peer groups, and with Pepperdine itself over time. Once areas of concern were
identified, this study spliced the data per gender and race/ethnicity to determine
which pockets within the sample suffer more than the rest.
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2010-03
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Tenure Rate March 2010
The rate at which colleges and universities grant tenure to professors is typically
an indication of a balance between being selective and being honest and reliable
about expectations and sustainability for faculty lines. While rates of tenure are
often not calculated, some universities have a low rate of 35% (an indication that
they are utilizing tenure track professors without openings to complete to tenure
process) while others are close to 100% (an indication that there may not be a selection
process). This brief explains Pepperdine’s rate of tenure and the importance of
tracking this indicator in the future.
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2010-03
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Campus Climate for Diversity: Part III - Faculty Survey March 2010
Pepperdine University aims to foster an environment that embraces and supports the
dignity of the human person through a Christian education. To evaluate how the University
is doing in terms of this particular goal, a campus climate for diversity self-study
process was created. In order to measure progress, the University designed a survey
to evaluate how campus climate on diversity is perceived by students, faculty and
staff. This particular brief discusses faculty perceptions on campus climate on
diversity.
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2010-02
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Campus Climate for Diversity: Part II - Staff Survey February 2010
Pepperdine University aims to foster an environment that embraces and supports the
dignity of the human person through a Christian education. To evaluate how the University
is doing in terms of this particular goal, a campus climate for diversity self-study
process was created. In order to measure progress, the University designed a survey
to evaluate how campus climate on diversity is perceived by students, faculty and
staff. This particular brief discusses staff perceptions on campus climate on diversity.
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2010-01
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Campus Climate for Diversity: Part I - Student Survey January 2010
Pepperdine University aims to foster an environment that embraces and supports the
dignity of the human person through a Christian education. To evaluate how the University
is doing in terms of this particular goal, a campus climate for diversity self-study
process was created. In order to measure progress, the University designed a survey
to evaluate how campus climate on diversity is perceived by students, faculty and
staff. This particular brief discusses student perceptions on campus climate on
diversity.
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2010-01
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Spirituality and Religion at Church of Christ Universities January 2010
In 2004 and 2007, the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) at UCLA conducted
a study of College Student Beliefs and Values (CSBV). The longitudinal study yielded
significant findings that advance our understanding of spirituality in higher education.
Given the efforts of Church of Christ Universities to recruit students from Churches
of Christ, this brief is a simple comparison analysis of Church of Christ students
who attended non-religious universities vs. Church of Christ universities. The study
also observed all students who attended Church of Christ universities as a composite
group. Summaries of the religious measures are adapted from the language of the
HERI research team and then applied to this exploration of Church of Christ students
and universities.
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2009-11
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The Enrollment Capacity of Seaver College November 2009
The objective of this study was to assess the enrollment capacity of Pepperdine
University’s Seaver College. The answer depends on the capacity of the university
to carry out its Mission and ensure the best for its students. The capacity of the
University was measured in three ways: faculty capacity, infrastructure capacity,
and financial aid.
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