COMMITTEE CHAIR: Dr. Donald Collins
TITLE: LEADERSHIP BEHAVIOR IN INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND ITS INFLUENCE ON ALUMNI GIVING BEHAVIOR: A GROUNDED THEORY STUDY
ABSTRACT: The proposed title for this dissertation is Understanding Leadership in Institutional Development and its Influence on Alumni Giving Behavior: A Grounded Theory Study. Many questions have been raised about leadership when it comes to alumni giving and higher education, especially in terms of viability and sustainability campus budgets. Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative study will be to explore the transformative leadership qualities needed for college administrators to impact giving behavior of student alumni at small, private colleges. The concept of alumni giving has been well-defined in the research, and there have been many studies about alumni giving at major universities. However, research that intersects alumni giving and small colleges has been scant. This dissertation research intends to fill this gap. A qualitative methodology with a grounded theory approach will permit an understanding of alumni giving behavior by being able to describe individual experiences and explain decision-making processes carried out by participants when they are contemplating donating funds to their alma mater. The proposed research questions are: Which leadership behaviors influence alumni students to participate in alumni giving? How is institutional messaging about alumni giving communicated to alumni students? To what extent do leadership opportunities influence alumni giving decisions? How does relationship-building impact alumni-giving behavior?
Location Online:
Zoom Link:
https://pvpanther.zoom.us/j/99689445358?pwd=YVNCdFBaTFF3TjdVUjFXSklZK2p0Zz09
Meeting ID: 996 8944 5358
Passcode: 717761