Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

2023

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education

Advisor

James Miller

Committee Member

Jo Campbell

Keywords

Clery Act, higher education administration, job demands, job resources, self-efficacy

Abstract

This applied dissertation was designed to better understand how to support university administrators serving in a compliance role. Safety on university campuses is of utmost importance and many collaborators work toward this endeavor. Generally, on any given college or university campus, there is one administrator tasked with compliance with the Clery Act. Administrators had varying direct experience and interest in serving in this role, though all understood the importance of compliance and the consequences of noncompliance.

The researcher interviewed Clery Officers from multiple campuses. Utilizing semistructured interviews, information was gathered as to how self-efficacious these administrators felt. The intent behind the questions was to better understand whether or not the administrators had the appropriate resources to meet the multiple, often conflicting demands of their positions.

The findings of the study provided anticipated and unanticipated results. It was anticipated that participants shared concerns of stress and feeling overwhelmed by their work. All of the participants interviewed indicated they had job responsibilities outside of Clery. For some, this led to feelings of not having enough time to complete their work. For others, it led to anxiety around the many smaller tasks involved in compliance.

Although the above results were anticipated, the positive feelings of job satisfaction were not. All participants indicated feeling supported by their campus and by their direct supervisor. Even though most indicated their supervisor did not have direct experience with Clery and/or compliance, they felt that their supervisor could assist them. Feelings of burnout and dissatisfaction were not as apparent as predicted.

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