Browsing by Author "Kaufman, Eric K."

Now showing 1 - 20 of 245
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    2020 COACHE Faculty Job Satisfaction Survey Results
    Clarke, Cyril R.; Kaufman, Eric K. (Virginia Tech, 2020-09-21)
    The Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) Survey is conducted anually by the Harvard Graduate School of Education. This presentation summarizes the results of the 2020 COACHE survey.
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    2020 COACHE Faculty Job Satisfaction Survey Results
    Clarke, Cyril R.; Kaufman, Eric K. (Virginia Tech, 2020-09-21)
    Provost Cyril Clarke and Faculty Senate President Eric Kaufman presented the results of the 2020 COACHE Survey in a virtual town hall meeting on September 21, 2020. The annual survey measured institutional experiences and job satisfaction among faculty at Virginia Tech.
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    Adaptive Leadership: How to Prioritize and Align Emerging Issues
    Kaufman, Eric K. (2017-02-08)
    Adaptive leadership focuses on the adaptations required in response to changing environments, which essentially describes the role of the 21st Century Extension professional. This workshop will outline the model of adaptive leadership and introduce the leader behaviors associated with adaptive work. Participants will practice categorizing issues as either technical or adaptive challenges, and they will explore appropriate strategies for responding to both.
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    Administrators’ Perspectives on Organizational Environmental Factors Facing 4-H Youth Development
    Elliott-Engel, Jeremy; Westfall-Rudd, Donna M.; Seibel, Megan M.; Kaufman, Eric K.; Radhakrishna, Rama (Elsevier, 2024-01)
    4-H is the largest youth development organization in the United States and is the youth development program of the Land-Grant University’s Cooperative Extension system. A qualitative study of 13 4-H Program Leaders and seven Cooperative Extension Directors was conducted to explore the perspectives Extension Administrators hold about the organizational environmental factors facing the 4-H program. Data were analyzed using a qualitative open coding methodology. Five themes emerged from the study in response to the identified environmental factors: 1) key components of the traditional club model need to be ensured in all programming conducted; 2) the need to develop a club programming matrix to help county-level staff manage the impact and their workload; 3) good partners will expand the 4-H programs’ capacity; 4) increased involvement of first generation youth and families is needed; and 5) intentional marketing and raising awareness of the “new 4-H brand.” Adaptation poses important questions, challenges, and opportunities for the 4-H program. Because administrators represent a national population of Administrators, these insights can inform youth organizations in the United States and internationally.
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    Administrator’s Perspectives on the Environmental Factors Facing Cooperative Extension
    Elliott-Engel, Jeremy; Westfall-Rudd, Donna M.; Seibel, Megan M.; Kaufman, Eric K.; Radhakrishna, Rama (American Association for Agricultural Education, 2020-02-02)
    Extension is a complex organization with a mission to deliver research from the Land-Grant University to all U.S. communities. Extension administrator perspectives of the environmental factor changes that are facing the organization were investigated in this qualitative study to inform the direction for organization adaptation. Extension needs to respond to: shifts in funding and clientele demographics. Organization adaptation can cause long-term stakeholders to fear loss and therefore can act against the organization. Administrators need to be responsive to traditional stakeholder concerns to reduce shifting focus friction and achieve organization adaptation, and further survival.
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    Adoption of Humanistic Pedagogy to Leadership Education in Higher Education
    Oyedare, Israel; Kaufman, Eric K. (2024-02-08)
    The leadership education and development of students and young professionals have become a composite focus area for many higher institutions, particularly business schools (Allen et al., 2022). This has consequently inspired an increase in research on the different approaches and frameworks for teaching leadership to students (Allen et al., 2022; Watkins et al. 2017). The use of humanistic pedagogy in leadership education is an approach that puts to perspective the four important viewpoints in teaching leadership - the educator, student, learning procedures, and learning circumstances - but places more emphasis on the human or humane end of the learning process and perceptions students hold about the world (Javadi & Tahmasbi, 2020; Purswell, 2019). Allen et al. (2022) asserted that relevant leadership skills such as problem-solving, relational, change, and innovation skills require a variety of humanistic approaches for students to fully embrace and internalize them. This approach prioritizes students' learning on the value of their self-identity and focuses on their full development (Rustan Effendi et al., 2020). Integral to humanistic pedagogy is the human learning theory that has its roots in the psychological study and observation of the individual student and their relationships with the learning environment (Purswell, 2019). Johnson (2014) asserted that this theory pays attention to the affective dimension of students such as their self-concept, individual values, and emotions; which are a natural extension of how they perceive and learn leadership. A conceptual review of selected literature revealed the following characteristics of humanistic learning theory: - Emphasis on the formation of the human values of students, the educators' ability to understand the student, the attention of educators to the emotions of students during a learning process, and the involvement of students throughout this process (Tolstova & Levasheva, 2019). - Prioritises these four elements - confidence in progress, reasons, inclusiveness, and focus on individualism (Rustan Effendi et al., 2020). - Giving students opportunities to take an interest in what is to be learned, ensuring self-directed learning, and creating a conducive learning environment (Johnson, 2014). Notably, Allen et al. (2022) posited that using humanistic pedagogy to teach leadership courses in higher education helps students become self-aware of their need for leadership education and value the importance of the concept of self-leadership. This further leads to students finding their purpose in leadership as against seeing leadership as a problem-solving approach (Waddock, 2016). Moreover, an essential aspect of adopting humanistic pedagogy in teaching leadership is that it inspires commitment to lifelong learning among leadership students that extends beyond their college education (Waddock, 2016).
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    Advancing Adaptive Leadership Through Adaption-Innovation Theory: Enhancements to the Holding Environment
    Seibel, Megan M.; Kaufman, Eric K.; Cletzer, D. Adam; Elliott-Engel, Jeremy (Wiley, 2023)
    While adaptive leadership is a useful framework for leadership practitioners, there is limited empirical research supporting its conceptual tools and tactics. Kirton’s adaption-innovation (A-I) theory contends individuals have innate problem-solving style preferences for more or less structure. In this conceptual paper, we examine the theoretical underpinnings of adaptive leadership and A-I theory within the context of complex problem solving. We connect A-I theory to concepts from adaptive leadership to connect a more rigorous and empirically supported theory to a popular practice. We go further to explore how a leaders’ A-I style informs a leader's maintenance of an adaptive leadership holding environment (HE), particularly with regard to facilitating a productive zone of disequilibrium (PZD).
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    Advancing Community College Instruction for Agriculture Workforce Preparedness: VCCS Professional Development Day 1
    Kaufman, Eric K.; White, Amy; Nelson, Dalton; Seibel, Megan M.; Westfall-Rudd, Donna M.; Friedel, Curtis R. (2021-06-15)
    This was the first meeting of the professional learning cohort of Virginia Community College System (VCCS) faculty engaged in the Agriculture Workforce Training for Collaborative Leadership project.
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    Advancing Community College Instruction for Agriculture Workforce Preparedness: VCCS Professional Development Day 2
    Kaufman, Eric K.; Westfall-Rudd, Donna M.; Friedel, Curtis R. (2021-06-16)
    This was the second meeting of the professional learning cohort of Virginia Community College System (VCCS) faculty engaged in the Agriculture Workforce Training for Collaborative Leadership project.
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    Advancing Community College Instruction for Agriculture Workforce Preparedness: VCCS Professional Development Day 3
    Kaufman, Eric K.; Ring, Bettina; Seibel, Megan M.; White, Amy; Westfall-Rudd, Donna M.; Friedel, Curtis R.; Nelson, Dalton (2021-07-14)
    This was the third meeting of the professional learning cohort of Virginia Community College System (VCCS) faculty engaged in the Agriculture Workforce Training for Collaborative Leadership project.
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    Advancing Followership Discourse in Theory and Practice
    Kaufman, Eric K.; Oyedare, Israel; Chaleff, Ira (International Leadership Association, 2023-10-13)
    Recently, there have been efforts geared towards advancing the discourse of followership both in the academic and organizational context, as individuals are becoming increasingly aware of the role they play as followers in the achievement of predetermined goals. To ensure that discourses on followership are given a well-deserved scholarly appreciation and recognition, it has become imperative to continue creating this awareness. This workshop will engage participants in both contemporary and historical perspectives on followership. More awareness of followership discourse(s) can help leadership scholars and organizational leaders recognize the importance of integrating followership into leadership education and having followership as a standalone field of study. Using the World Café approach, participants will be taken through the evolution of followership over the decades. Insights from round table discussions will be shared, and ideas for future applications will be developed.
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    Agricultural Leadership Development
    Kaufman, Eric K.; Carter, Hannah S. (Journal of Leadership Education, 2005-12-01)
    Agricultural leadership programs have been widely supported by both the public and private sector and have been praised for the “networking” they provide. However, is there any community benefit? Could these programs be doing more? This paper provides some insight into these issues by looking at contributions of the related research. First, a connection is made between social capital theory and the value of networking. Then, agricultural leadership programs are discussed in terms of benefits they provide to participants and the communities that they serve. Finally, an application component is proposed for use in agricultural leadership programs as a way of improving the effectiveness for the communities that support them.
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    Agriculture Workforce Stakeholders Highlight Importance of Durable Skills and Networks
    Coartney, Jama S.; Kaufman, Eric K.; Nelson, Dalton; Westfall-Rudd, Donna M.; Seibel, Megan M.; Friedel, Curtis R.; White, Amy; Carmichael, Celeste J. (North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture, 2022-06-20)
    As America’s workforce changes, so does the nature of the work and skills necessary for success. Employers are increasingly in need of a workforce that effectively engages in collaborative leadership. Educational opportunities, such as community college and two-year degree programs, need to include collaborative leadership learning experiences to help build workforce readiness. Debuting findings at NACTA 2019, APLU researchers identified 11 employability skills that were most important to stakeholders and had the largest gaps in terms of readiness. Indeed, the Christensen Institute recently identified “investing in durable skills and durable networks,” as one of the “5 Education Innovation Trends Worth Watching in 2022.”Also, America Succeeds (2021) reports on “The High Demand for Durable Skills.” Findings from three years of action research reveal insights on employability and durable skills for collaborative leadership. Expanding beyond four-year degree programs, project stakeholders include agriculture faculty from nine community colleges and one two-year degree program. These agricultural educators are bridging the gap by refreshing existing workforce development curricula to meet 21st century agricultural industry needs; they are designing, developing, and evaluating leadership curricula for technical and community colleges to prepare the agriculture workforce for effective leadership in an increasingly diverse environment. The study used a semi-structured protocol with two focus groups. Participants, affiliated with agricultural workforce preparation programs, surfaced six key themes: (1) Agreeing with APLU employability skills report, (2) Finding positive benefits in completing internships, (3) Strategizing to build problem-solving skills, (4) Addressing ‘soft skills” assessment challenges, (5) Prioritizing verbal communication skill enhancements, and (6) Learning how to accept faults and mistakes. The relevance of this topic in today’s climate cannot be understated. This action research approach, with stakeholders from multiple institutions, can serve as a model for expanding educational networks to exchange knowledge and share leadership curricula.
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    Agriculture Workforce Training for Collaborative Leadership in Agriculture and Beyond
    White, Amy; Kaufman, Eric K. (2022-04-07)
    This panel seeks to connect people who develop, promote, and prepare future leaders of the agriculture workforce. The panelists represent a myriad of educational and programmatic networks, which can help Virginia educators connect students with opportunities. While Agriculture will be the primary focus, the discussion surrounding experiential learning and workforce training is applicable to many disciplines, and discussion from all fields is encouraged and welcomed.
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    Agriculture Workforce Training for Collaborative Leadership: Update Following Year 1
    Kaufman, Eric K. (2021-10-14)
    Presentation as part of National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) project directors' meeting.
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    ALCE Strategy for Peer Review of Teaching
    Kaufman, Eric K. (2024-11-13)
    Facilitated workshop for Virginia Tech's Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education.
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    Aligning the residential college model with priorities of large institutions
    Kaufman, Eric K. (2017-09-25)
    The Gallup-Purdue Index gives us valuable insight into the experiences in college that improve well-being in life after college, specifically highlighting things such as mentoring relationships, caring professors, and enthusiasm for learning. However, many colleges and universities struggle to create the environment for these high impact experiences to flourish. Some have suggested that small, liberal arts institutions are the answer, but what does that mean for large, public research universities? The “Oxbridge” residential college model provides an answer. Much of the literature on the residential college model is in the context of a “liberal arts” education, which emphasizes specific disciplines (e.g., the humanities), but the residential college model is more appropriately aligned with a “liberal education,” which the Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) describes as “an approach to college learning that empowers individuals and prepares them to deal with complexity, diversity, and change.” The AAC&U goes on to explain that a liberal education “helps students develop a sense of social responsibility; strong intellectual and practical skills that span all major fields of study, such as communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills; and the demonstrated ability to apply knowledge and skills in real-world settings.” While some have reduced the residential college model to a liberal arts perspective, the model directly aligns with Abraham Lincoln’s priorities for public higher education that produced our nation’s land grant universities. The residential college model supports growth and development of the whole student, and it enhances and it expands the potential for learning and career preparation beyond conventional living-learning programs. This session will highlight key components of the residential college model, offer examples of implementation at large, public research universities, and connect the model to priorities for improving higher education as a whole. Participants will be able to: (1) align the residential college model with priorities identified by the Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U); (2) identify marketing messages that resonate with key stakeholders for large, public institutions; and (3) discuss specific strategies for expanding the breadth of support for the residential college model.
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    The Analysis of Food Recovery Organization Leadership: How Transformational and Servant Leaders Overcame a Time of Crisis
    Nelson, Dalton Glenn (Virginia Tech, 2022-11-17)
    The COVID-19 Pandemic exacerbated a multitude of systems in the United States in 2020 up to current day. The structure of non-profit organizations across the country weakened as demands escalated for free food resources with specific pressure placed on food banks and food recovery organizations. There were citizens who had not previously relied on free food services who found themselves in drive through pickups, waiting for pre-packaged food boxes or the occasional you-pick operation to feed their families and themselves. The increase in demand for free food services was reacted to by those leading and directing the free food distribution sites through a time of crisis. This qualitative study serves to analyze food recovery organization (FRO) leadership strategies and principles that guided their decision making and problem-solving skills in response to food shortages and supply chain issues. The merge of the eight pillars of transformational and servant leadership theory provided propositional pillars that were tested in practice through interviews with FRO leaders in Appalachia. The discovery of how these leadership strategies were enacted during a time of crisis will guide the development of a training curriculum for nonprofit leaders in the future.
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    Appreciative Inquiry
    Priest, Kerry L.; Kaufman, Eric K.; Brunton, Kelsey; Seibel, Megan M. (Journal of Leadership Education, 2013-12-01)
    This practice paper describes how leadership education faculty and students at Virginia Tech have facilitated change through the use of appreciative inquiry (Ai) at the departmental level, program level, and project level. Appreciative inquiry has been found to be a useful tool for leadership educators, as its foundation in social constructionist philosophy aligns with contemporary leadership and learning theories. This paper outlines (a) the philosophy of Ai as it applies to organizational development (b) illustrates Ai practices associated with a five-stage model, and (c) highlights three examples that can be used as models for leading change in a variety of organizational situations. The authors suggest that leadership educators are uniquely positioned to serve academic communities as facilitators of change by bridging theory and practice in pursuit of new ways of knowing and working together.
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    Are Water-Related Leadership Development Programs Designed to be Effective? An Exploratory Study
    Burbach, Mark E.; Floress, Kristin; Kaufman, Eric K. (Journal of Leadership Education, 2015)
    Water resource professionals and others involved in managing water resources face increasingly complex challenges. Effective leadership development programs are needed to produce water leaders who can address these challenges. Leadership programs must be designed not simply to increase participants’ environmental and leadership knowledge but to develop in participants the requisite abilities and skills. This exploratory study determines the extent to which water-related leadership programs go beyond knowledge only, event-type workshops to determine what proportion are grounded in leadership theory, and employ developmental experiences with assessment, challenge, and support components. Results indicate that most water professionals and others seeking to develop 21st century leadership abilities and skills to manage water resources are not getting the developmental experiences they need. Water-related leadership development programs must be grounded in evidence-based theory; provide assessment, challenge, and support; and offer a variety of developmental experiences and the opportunity to learn from experience. There is an urgent need for new or revised leadership development programs for those interested in water resource management.