"Elite" and "flagship" are two influential groupings used to conceptualize differences among higher education institutions, but rarely defined. We derive common features attributed to these groupings from a content analysis of 40 years of higher education literature. Next, we explore the relationship of these features to other…

This study examines unionization efforts among contingent faculty members, who now account for the majority of the academic workforce. Drawing on data from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and other sources, this article uses an event history analysis to identify factors associated with efforts to establish a contingent faculty union at…

Research on higher education institution (HEI) employees neglects an essential group--non-instructional staff. Literature on HEI workers and their salaries focuses primarily on faculty and administrators. Furthermore, the literature that does focus on staff salaries neglects variation within this group as well as the role of institutional and…

This study examined the role of the Association of American Universities as a prestigious intermediary organization in scaling evidence-based teaching practices and explored whether and how the organization's identity shaped its potential for creating change. Interviewees most frequently identified networks and external supports/recognition as…

This longitudinal qualitative study delves into the nuanced dynamics of postsecondary education access and choice for 23 rural Black students during their senior year of high school. Employing a multifaceted methodological approach encompassing interviews, visual data, and geospatial data, this research illuminates conditions that influence…

Stratification and status competition are prevalent dynamics. This study explores the construction of legitimacy among some of the most prestigious higher education institutions in North America by analyzing the use of quality emblems (e.g., symbols associated with accreditation or rankings) on institutional websites among members of the…

Though understudied, academic structure reflects and shapes the central work--education, research, service--of higher education organizations (HEOs). Academic structure also shapes and illuminates the external environments and internal dynamics of HEOs. Despite the centrality of academic structure to HEOs and their work, our knowledge of it is…

The purpose of this qualitative narrative study was to understand how Black first-generation doctoral recipients used their cultural capital to navigate structural barriers and oppression enacted by stakeholders at non-Black serving institutions. Findings revealed that Black first-generation doctoral students used nine forms of cultural capital to…

Students feel race across the emotional spectrum--from hate to joy to despair to sadness. This article is an invitation to take seriously, highlight, and analyze Black joy, in particular, through Black students' recreation and celebration at a historically White campus. The author explores Black joy in two main ways. First, the author provides a…

This article uses document-based historical methods to provide a history of the founding, legal victories, and legacy of the Committee on Gay Education (CGE) at the University of Georgia. Organized in November 1971, CGE twice successfully sued university administrators to attain the rights that other campus student groups were routinely granted.…

Amid diminishing funding for higher education, public universities' practices increasingly reflect neoliberal mandates and discourses. This study examines the effects of this trend on a Hispanic-Serving Institution, whose original mission was one of access and inclusion, but which shifted to pursue "tier-one" status. Interviews with 41…

Many critics consider public institution presidents' compensation to be excessive, while others argue the money yields a return on investment in private fundraising and state appropriations. Our study asks whether presidential compensation at public, four-year institutions is associated with increased institutional revenue from state…

Universities have to cope with scarce resources and nevertheless are expected to achieve excellent results in research, teaching, and third mission. Therefore, efficient resource use is of great importance. This paper explains emerging concepts and requirements of efficiency analysis, connecting it to university rankings. In order to achieve…

The dramatic expansion of the use of metrics in higher education institutions worldwide has brought with it gaming and manipulation practices designed to enhance artificially both individual and institutional reputation, including coercive citation, forced joint authorship, ghostwriting, H-index manipulation, and many others. This article maps…

We examine GPA and timely graduation among Native Hawaiian (NH) students using a unique dataset of bachelor degree recipients from the University of Hawai'i. Our findings indicate that NHs have lower average GPA at graduation and the differences persist across the entire distribution of GPA. More troubling were the larger differences in GPA…