Phonological Variation and Change in Brazilian Portuguess : The Case of the Liquids

De Oliveira, Marco Antonio University Pennsylvania 1983 국내박사

Human-like agents with posture planning capability

Jung, Moon Ryul University Pennsylvania 1992 국내박사

Organization of compensatory postural coordination

Ko, Young Gyw The pennsylvania university 2000 국내박사

University autonomy in the Colombian public universities

Beltran, Yolima Ivonne The Pennsylvania State University 2003 해외박사(DDOD)

In 1991 university autonomy was introduced in the Colombian higher education as a constitutional principle, which affected higher education. The changes were mandated with the 1992 Law # 30, whose implementation has caused tensions between the concepts of university autonomy based on self-regulation verses the control and vigilance from the government, and the notion of free trade of private universities and the economic dependence of public universities, an enormous growth of the Colombian higher educational system; a lack of efficient quality control mechanisms, and the politicization of the election process of university authorities. Some of these effects may be attributed to confusion in the interpretations of the autonomy concept, which generated the interest for the study. It was done under Neave's and Van Vught's (1994) conceptualization and Berdahl's (1990) conceptualization to analyze the relationship between the government and the higher education institutions regarding autonomy; and Levy's (1980) areas of autonomy to identify the repercussions of exercising autonomy at organizational level. The methodological approach involved a historical analysis focusing on the history of Colombian higher education with the purpose of revealing the evolution of educational policies, and the origins of university autonomy; and a multiple case study of two public universities located in the Andean region. The case studies involved members of superior councils of the two institutions, as well as a dean, professor, rector, ex-rector, student, and an administrative employee of each university. The results revealed that throughout history, the concept of university autonomy in the country has been a rhetorical issue, since it has been so far from the notions of democracy, participation, and intra-university power distribution, which characterized the claims of the <italic>Movimiento de Córdoba</italic>. The concept has been linked to the political parties in power and the policies of international funding agencies who impose their agenda on Colombia, which in turn has impacted the organizational level of the universities. During the last decade the government has oscillated between two opposite extremes for mechanisms of coordination without success, being the market and the rigorous control over public universities. As a consequence, the public universities have limited academic, administrative, and, financial autonomy.

The University of Pennsylvania's response to the changing needs of students for psychological services: An analysis of decision making, institutional liability, and resource allocation

Ives, Stephanie Bishop University of Pennsylvania 2005 해외박사(DDOD)

The needs and demands of students entering higher education are changing. With respect to mental health issues, in the past decade, the culture of the United States has undergone a metamorphosis in many ways. In particular to higher education, the impact of societal changes on how mental health is viewed, how Americans confront mental illness, and our acceptance of counseling, diagnoses, and the use and proliferation of psychotropic medications has created a society with an increased familiarity of mental health and produced new demands and expectations for how colleges and universities care for the emotional health of our enrolled young adults. This research addresses how the increase in students, familiar with therapy and in need of (or demanding) more comprehensive and long-term counseling services, affects the provision of psychological treatment at the University of Pennsylvania. Specifically, this investigation focuses on the institutional impact of a changing student body. The research questions explored in this study are: Has the University of Pennsylvania experienced a true change in mental health needs of recent student populations, and, if this proves to be the case, what is impact of these needs on the institution in terms of strategic planning, resource allocation, and potential legal liabilities. The research questions are investigated and analyzed through counseling service data, stakeholder interviews, and document examination. Using both quantitative and qualitative data, and process and outcome data, the study concludes that although there has been a significant increase in the severity of psychological problems among students seeking help at the counseling center, the University as a whole has not engaged in a deliberative strategic planning process to respond to the changes in student demand for mental health services. Although the University Life division has taken leadership on this issue, the data indicate that the faculty is not engaged in addressing this issue proactively. The study shows that rigorous data are needed to catalyze a more inclusive strategic planning and budget planning process.

Sundials in the shade: A study of women's persistence in the first year of a computer science program in a selective university

Powell, Rita Manco University of Pennsylvania 2005 해외박사(DDOD)

Currently women are underrepresented in departments of computer science, making up approximately 18% of the undergraduate enrollment in selective universities. Most attrition in computer science occurs early in this major, in the freshman and sophomore years, and women drop out in disproportionately greater numbers than their male counterparts. Taking an ethnographic approach to investigating women's experiences and progress in the first year courses in the computer science major at the University of Pennsylvania, this study examined the pre-college influences that led these women to the major and the nature of their experiences in and outside of class with faculty, peers, and academic support services. This study sought an understanding of the challenges these women faced in the first year of the major with the goal of informing institutional practice about how to best support their persistence. The research reviewed for this study included patterns of leaving majors in science, math and engineering (Seymour & Hewitt 1997), the high school preparation needed to pursue math and engineering majors in college (Strenta, Elliott, Adair, Matier, & Scott, 1994), and intervention programs that have positively impacted persistence of women in computer science (Margolis & Fisher, 2002). The research method of this study employed a series of personal interviews over the course of one calendar year with fourteen first year women who had either declared on intended to declare the computer science major in the School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Pennsylvania. Other data sources were focus groups and personal interviews with faculty, administrators, admissions and student life professionals, teaching assistants, female graduate students, and male first year students at the University of Pennsylvania. This study found that the women in this study group came to the University of Pennsylvania with a thorough grounding in mathematics, but many either had an inadequate background in computer science, or at least perceived inadequacies in their background, which prevented them from beginning the major on an equal footing with their mostly male peers and caused some to lose confidence and consequently interest in the major. Issues also emanated from their gender-minority status in the Computer and Information Science Department, causing them to be socially isolated from their peers and further weakening their resolve to persist. These findings suggest that female first year students could benefit from multiple pathways into the major designed for students with varying degrees of prior experience with computer science. In addition, a computer science community within the department characterized by more frequent interaction and collaboration with faculty and peers could positively impact women's persistence in the major.

Leadership in context: A case study of presidential effectiveness in a state university system

Johnsen, James R University of Pennsylvania 2006 해외박사(DDOD)

The University of Alaska System experienced more than a decade of decline from 1986 to 1998. Those years were precipitated by the loss of a third of the system's state revenue which led to major system restructuring and substantial declines in student enrollment, faculty, and staff. By 1997, the system was unraveling and its ability to respond to the higher education needs of the state was severely impaired. In 1998, the University's Board of Regents hired a new president and by 2005, the university was back on its feet--revenues were up, faculty and staff positions were filled, new academic programs were producing graduates in high demand occupations, research effort was growing, enrollment was on the rise, and the public's opinion of the university was improving. This is a study of the role of a particular leader and his effects on the responsiveness of a university system to the needs of its state. In the context of the organizational and political conditions that developed in Alaska between 1986 and 1998, this study examines the new president's initial steps and offers a detailed consideration of the organizational, political, financial, and other initiatives that resulted in the university's increased responsiveness to its state's needs. The limits of the process and its implications also are considered. This study is informed by the literature on change in higher education--especially Burton Clark's work on the entrepreneurial university and Bolman and Deal's organizational frames--and is designed to contribute to our knowledge of how a particular approach to leadership can be effective in a certain context, one shared at one time or another by numerous state university systems across the United States.

The implementation of facilities services outsourcing at the University of Pennsylvania

Wohl, Jerel Philip University of Pennsylvania 2001 해외박사(DDOD)

Privatization or outsourcing refers to the decision to contract with an external organization to provide a traditional campus function or service. The privatization decision is one in which an institution decides between performing a service for the university community itself or relies on an outside organization to perform that task on behalf of the university. The decision to privatize is usually based on the institution's perception of how to increase the level and quality of customer service, economize on the service, or undertake a capital improvement as part of the agreement. The University of Pennsylvania began the process of looking at all facets of its administrative functions in 1995, weighing their privatizing possibilities. In 1997, Penn became the first Ivy League university to outsource its facilities management, to be followed by becoming the first Ivy League university to outsource its campus foodservice operations, while also contracting out its emergency communications systems (similar to “911” in many cities) and its bookstore operations. This study examined the first year of Penn's Facilities Services (TCHES) outsourcing, what led to its formation, and how the process evolved. It also investigated the change Penn made to its facilities management contract a year after its initiation. Outsourcing's effects on students, faculty, and staff were examined, as well as the impact of this arrangement on other outsourcing opportunities at the university. Changes to Penn's facilities and the processes within that service component were examined for quality changes, and how TCHES and Penn are measuring these quality changes.

Solving the patent problem: Cognition, communication, and the National Academy of Sciences in the evolution of university patent policy, 1917--1966

Robbins, Jane E University of Pennsylvania 2004 해외박사(DDOD)

Though widely accepted in universities today, the practice of patenting science is not without its critics and conflicts. Two questions overarching contemporary concerns are whether patenting is inhibiting rather fostering scientific progress, largely due to secrecy, financial conflict, and the costs and difficulty of accessing research tools; and whether universities are at risk of losing their status as sources of independent research and disseminators of knowledge. Many researchers trace the explosion of patenting and its attendant conflicts to the passing of the Bayh-Dole Act in 1980. But while university patenting has grown exponentially since 1980, this view deterministically assigns a cause-effect relationship between legislation and university behavior and offers a "snapshot" neo-institutionalist view of the cultural-cognitive make-up of universities. This dissertation inquires into the circumstances that led to both the institutionalization of and the contestation over university patenting. Several important patent committees of the National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council, a network hub between universities, government, and industry, provide the lens for a field-level analysis of university patent development. Using a cognitive history approach that rejoins old and new institutional approaches and expands the latter with cognitive analysis, it traces the process of thinking and deciding about university patents in the context of the political and economic pressures of the time. In so doing, it addresses recent critiques of institutional analysis as neglectful of people and process, and offers a more robust approach to understanding change, particularly the seeds of isomorphism. Today's concerns are not attributable to Bayh-Dole. Rather, beginning early in the 20th century, a strategic campaign was mounted to persuade university administrators of the merits of patent control, despite deep divisions among scientists. Driving this campaign were goals of preserving private control over research; a search for new avenues of industrial growth; and a desire to limit transaction costs and competition in recognition of the growing interdependence of research findings in a changing world of science.

Assisting communities through university partnerships: A study of the program in nonprofits, universities, communities, and schools

Grossman, David Howard University of Pennsylvania 2004 해외박사(DDOD)

Universities' work with their surrounding communities has increased substantially during the last several years. The types of involvement have been varied, including traditional community service programs, technical assistance for schools and community organizations, and healthcare initiatives, among others. The nature of the partnerships has broadened the definition of a university's role, and in so doing has elevated the dialogue about and importance of higher education's function in society. As such, the growth in the number and range of these collaborative activities has given rise to the need for research to evaluate the design, implementation, and outcomes of current and future initiatives. This study adds to the literature through a review of several aspects of one such multifaceted initiative at the University of Pennsylvania, the Program in Nonprofits, Universities, Communities, and Schools (PNUCS). The primary research questions concern how effectively the program addressed the needs of community organizations involved in the initiative through activities including teaching, research, and technical assistance. Using largely qualitative methods employing questionnaires, interviews, and meeting and program observation, among other data, the study examines strategies used to identify community assets and needs, establish programmatic goals, and address needs of community organizations and their leadership. The study also seeks to identify and understand changes the PNUCS initiative may have stimulated in the community organizations and in the university. The findings from this study suggest that some tangible gains relative to the program's goals were realized by both community and university stakeholders in the PNUCS initiative. Still, real challenges existed for both the program's implementation and ultimate impacts. Some suggestions for policy and practice include (1) establishing, with university and community stakeholders, a clear set of programmatic parameters from the outset of the initiative; (2) developing and sustaining ongoing relationships with community partners before, during and after the initiative's lifespan, and; (3) weaving ongoing assessment and evaluation into the fabric of the initiative, allowing for mid-course programmatic corrections based on evidence.