Date of Award
1-1-2024
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ed.D. in Education
First Advisor
Phillis George
Second Advisor
Kerry Melear
Third Advisor
Whitney Webb
School
University of Mississippi
Relational Format
dissertation/thesis
Abstract
The identified Problem of Practice within this Dissertation in Practice is the lack of clearly defined career development opportunities for professional staff in higher education. For faculty in higher education, a career path that includes promotional tracks and mechanisms for advancement and professional development is often straightforward. For professional staff, however, this is often not the case. Although the Problem of Practice is situated at the University of Mississippi, the literature demonstrates this issue is prevalent at universities and colleges globally. The Dissertation in Practice is organized into three manuscripts. In Manuscript I, the problem of practice is introduced, a review of the literature on professional staff and career development is provided, and a profile of the University of Mississippi is presented. Manuscript II outlines an assessment plan that involves multiple stakeholders to explore current career development opportunities at the university. Manuscript III describes the author’s leadership philosophy and outlines their approach to leadership as it relates to the community of practice.
Recommended Citation
Thomas, Afton M., "An Exploratory Analysis: Professional Staff Career Development Opportunities at the University of Mississippi" (2024). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2983.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/2983