Date of Graduation

5-2012

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education in Workforce Development Education (EdD)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders

Advisor/Mentor

Thompson, Dale R.

Committee Member

DeVore, Jack B. Jr.

Second Committee Member

Kacirek, Kit

Keywords

Social sciences; Education; Attitudes; Faculty; Higher education; Perceptions; Staff; Sustainability

Abstract

The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore higher education faculty and staff perspectives on sustainability initiatives within their respective institutions. Subjects of this study were faculty and staff members from three rural two year institutions of higher education in Arkansas. Data was gathered using an electronically delivered survey instrument. The survey organized sustainability initiatives into three categories which are management, academic, and operations. The organization of the survey was based upon the National Wildlife Federation's study, Campus Environment 2008; A National Report Card on Sustainability in Higher Education. In effort to determine the relationship if any between the respondents role, either faculty or staff, and their perspectives on sustainability initiatives, as well as the relationship of their institution of employment to their perspectives on sustainability initiatives; data gathered in all three categories was examined using a between subjects factorial analysis of variance.

Results of the study indicated there was no significant relationship between the respondents' roles and their perspectives on management, academic, or operations sustainability initiatives. There was also no significant relationship indicated between the respondents' institutions and their perspectives on operations sustainability initiatives. There was, however, a significant relationship found between the respondents' institutions and their perspectives on both management and academic sustainability initiatives.

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