monica g. williams, phd proposal defense, dissertation chair, dr. william allan kritsonis

8/14/2019 Monica G. Williams, PhD Proposal Defense, Dissertation Chair, Dr. William Allan Kritsonis

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A dissertation proposal presentation byMonica Williams

September 26, 2008

Engagement Levels of Historically Black Collegeand University Leaders in

Entrepreneurialism throughFundraising



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DISSERTATION COMMITTEE

MEMBERSDr. William Allan Kritsonis, Dissertation

Chair

Dr. David Herrington, Committee Member

Dr. Ronald Howard, Committee Member

Dr. Michael McFrazier, Committee Member



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CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION



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Introduction

• Shrinking revenues at the state and federal level hassignificantly affected the financial state of public highereducation (Riggs, 2005).

• Public Historically Black College and University (HBCU)

leaders have the challenge of identifying privatephilanthropists to support their institutions.

• With decreasing endowments due to decreasing economicforces, it is a matter of survival that Black collegesincrease their giving rates (Gasman, 2003).



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Background of the Problem

• Disparities in private philanthropybetween HBCUs and Predominantly WhiteInstitutions (PWIs) can be seen as high as

50% (Riggs, 2005).

• PWIs have alumni giving rates that rangebetween 20-60%, whereas, HBCU alumni

giving rates typically fall below 10%(Williams & Kritsonis, 2006).



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Statement of the Problem

• Tindall (2007) asserts that fundraising efforts of both privateand public HBCUs linger significantly behind the establishedfundraising programs at PWIs.

• There are 105 HBCUs across the nation, yet few of these

institution’s leaders have devoted time and effort tounderstanding the complexities and challenges associatedwith fundraising at these institutions.

• Public HBCU institutional leaders face a growing dilemma –how to strengthen university resources in a climate that hashistorically relied almost wholly on public funding.



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Research Questions

RQ1 Is there a relationship between theHistorically Black College and Universityleaders’ entrepreneurial orientation and

the financial stability of their institution?RQ2 To what extent do Historically Black

College and University leaders value andcarry out entrepreneurial activities?

RQ3 At Historically Black Colleges andUniversities, what factors are associatedwith best practices in fundraising?



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Research Questions

RQ4 How do the institutions’ developmentpractices influence entrepreneurialactivities in both the president’s and

advancement offices?

RQ5 What is the perception of theentrepreneurial orientation of the

president’s role by the president andhis/her chief development officer?



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Null Hypothesis

HO1

There is no relationship between the

Historically Black College and Universityleaders’ entrepreneurial orientationand the financial stability of theirinstitution.



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Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the study will be todetermine the entrepreneurial orientationof public HBCU leaders and to determine if

those orientations are related to therevenue-generating activities of theirinstitutions and the institutions’ financialstability.



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Significance of the Study

• Since there is minimal research on fundraising at HBCUs, this studywill add to the existing body of literature and probe significantissues surrounding entrepreneurial orientation and revenuegeneration at these specialized institutions.

• Results of the study will help university presidents to employ arational approach to developing and implementing acomprehensive fundraising program.

• Identifying institutional needs, developing plans for achieving thoseneeds, beginning to implement those plans, and actually executingfund development will be critical to the survival of these

institutions.



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Theoretical Framework

According to Clark (1998), entrepreneurial activities comprise third-stream income sources that include:

– innovative and profit-based, self-supporting operations that gobeyond traditional sources, such as business developmentactivities and innovative retail sales operations;

– activities that develop and enhance traditional income streamssuch as endowment and tuition; and

– activities that involve both traditional and nontraditional aspects,such as distance learning, which uses nontraditional methods of teaching to gain tuition, a traditional source of income.



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CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE



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Studies that AddressFundraising as Educational

Entrepreneurialism• Cohen (2006) “Black College Alumni Giving: A Study of thePerceptions, Attitudes, and Giving Behaviors of Alumni Donorsat Selected Historically Black Colleges and Universities”

• Dingfelder (2007) “Exploring the Dimensions of Entrepreneurial Community Colleges”

• Reaves (2006) “African-American Alumni PerceptionsRegarding Giving to Historically Black Colleges andUniversities”

• Riggs (2005) “Entrepreneurial Activities in IndependentCollege and University Presidents: A View from the Top”

• Scott (2000) “A Description of Successful Fund-raising Units atPublic Historically Black Colleges and Universities “



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History of Educational

Fundraising• The establishment of land grant institutions pavedthe way for the creation of some specialized publicinstitutions, namely HBCUs.

•Black colleges supported by Whites were generallyregarded as more prestigious than those collegessupported by Blacks (Cohen, 2006).

• Cohen (2006) confirms that between 1865 and 1915,Blacks contributed $25 million toward their own

educational efforts, almost half that contributed byWhites.



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Entrepreneurialism in Higher

Education• Riggs (2005) posits that for most American institutions of highereducation, traditional academic ideology held that the institution hadno business in the marketplace. Today, these institutions are expectedto enter the marketplace, survive in the competitive market, and adaptthe practices of their for-profit counterparts.

• In the last two decades, the public funding landscape has changed

drastically, causing public institutions of higher education to embracethe entrance of private corporations into the business of highereducation (Cook, 1997).

• Changes in the historical roles and responsibilities of college presidentshave presupposed that these leaders possess entrepreneurialcharacteristics. A business-like orientation focused on efficiency,accountability, and productivity is reshaping the management of highereducation (Dingfelder, 2007).



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Entrepreneurialism in Higher

Education• George C. Wright, President at Prairie View A&M University,notes that the Booker T. Washington administration at Tuskeegee and Dr. Johnetta Cole’s leadership at both SpelmanCollege and Bennett College demonstrated evidence of entrepreneurialism through their extraordinary fundraising

results.• H. Patrick Swygert’s entrepreneurial attributes moved Howard

to an unprecedented level, elevating Howard to its rankingamong the 136 institutions asked by the United States FinanceCommittee how they spend their endowments. Swygert, aHoward alumnus, personally gave $2 million to the institution

in a recent campaign that raised $275 million, the largestamount raised to-date by any HBCU (Masterson, 2008).



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CHAPTER III

METHODS



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Research Design

In this mixed-methods study,

• quantitative variables will be used toexamine the relationship between HBCU

leaders’ entrepreneurial orientation and thefinancial stability of their universities; and

• qualitative variables will be used to explorethe extent to which HBCU leaders value and

carry out entrepreneurial activities, thefactors associated with fundraising bestpractices, and the influence developmentpractices have on entrepreneurial activities.



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Research Design

• Descriptive research methods will also beused in this study.

• Quantitative research will generatenumerical data to represent the variables,and statistical methods will be used toanalyze the data.

• The qualitative research method will beused to analyze the results of the open-ended questionnaire.



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Population and Sample

The Thurgood Marshall College Fund’s(TMCF) 47 member schools will be askedto participate in this study. More than

80% of students attending HBCUs areenrolled in a TMCF college or university(Thurgood Marshall College Fund, 2007).



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Pilot Study

• A pilot study will be conducted with 5% of the 47 TMCF member schools’ leaders. Thesurvey will be reliable and valid through

recordkeeping accuracy that willauthenticate the findings of the researcher.

• Upon completion of the pilot study, theinstrument will be sent electronically to theremaining TMCF member schools’presidents and chief development officers.



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Procedures

• Presidents and chief development officersat each TMCF school will receive theInterview Questions for Participants

through an electronic mail link.• Participants will be encouraged to

complete open-ended survey online.



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Statistical Analysis

Research Question 1

Is there a relationshipbetween the HistoricallyBlack College andUniversity leaders’entrepreneurialorientation and the

financial stability of theirinstitution?

Corresponding InterviewQuestion

14. In the last three years,how much money has

been raised fromprivate philanthropicsources? (RQ1)

15. When was the last

time your institutionengaged in a capitalcampaign? (RQ1)



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Research Question 2

To what extent doHistorically Black Collegeand University leadersvalue and carry outentrepreneurial activities?


13. What generaldifferences do youperceive between yourrole as a universityleader/executive and

the role of traditionalbusiness executives?(RQ2)



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Research Question 3

At Historically BlackColleges and Universities,what factors areassociated with bestpractices in fundraising?


12. What strategies wouldyou like to employ toseek resources fromprivate philanthropistsbut are unable to do so

because of forcesoutside your locus of control (i.e. financialconstraints, policyrestraints, etc.)? (RQ3)



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Research Question 4

How do the institutions’development practicesinfluence entrepreneurialactivities in both thepresident’s andadvancement offices?


10. How does privatephilanthropy impactinstitutional initiatives?(RQ4)

11. What strategies do

you employ to seekresources from privatephilanthropists? (RQ4)



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Research Question 5

What is the perception of the entrepreneurialorientation of thepresident’s role by thepresident and his/her chief development officer?


8. What is your philosophyof fund development?(RQ 5)



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Conclusion

• Bowen and Shapiro (1998) suggest that if public HBCUs donot become aggressive about their fundraising practices andengage in entrepreneurial practices to increase institutionalrevenue, they may not survive.

• Waddell (1992) confirms that “empirical research is limited

with respect to fund-raising in public colleges anduniversities, particularly public black institutions” (p. 3).

• In Scott’s (2000) study on successful fundraising units atpublic historically black colleges and universities, there areseveral references to the lack of research conducted relatedto fundraising at HBCUs. In retrospect, adding to the currentscarce body of literature regarding HBCU fundraising ismuch needed and the primary intent of this study.



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Bowen, W. & Shapirio, H. (1998). Universities and their leadership. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Carson, E. D. (2001). Giving strength: Understanding philanthropy in the Black community. Philanthropy Matters, 2, 4.

Clark, B. R. (1998). Creating entrepreneurial universities: Organizational pathways of transformation. Oxford, UK: PergamonPress.

Cohen, R. T. (2006). Black college alumni giving: A study of the perceptions, attitudes, and giving behaviors of alumni donors atselected historically black colleges and universities. Retrieved April 15, 2008, from ProQuest Information and Learning

Company http://www.lib.umi.com/dissertations/search.Cook, W. B. (1997). Fundraising and the college presidency in an era of uncertainty: From 1975 to the present. Journal of Higher

Education, 1/1/1997.

Dingfelder, D. C. (2007). Exploring the dimensions of entrepreneurial community colleges. Retrieved May 9, 2008, fromProQuest Information and Learning Company http://www.lib.umi.com/dissertations/search.

Ellison, C. G. (1991). Identification and separatism: Religious involvement and racial orientation of Black Americans. SociologicalQuarterly , 32, 4.

Gasman, M. (2003). Fund raising from Black-College alumni: Successful strategies for supporting alma mater. Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, 22.

Glesne, C. & Peshkin, A. (1992). Becoming qualitative researchers: An introduction. White Plains, NY: Longman.

History of Thurgood Marshall College Fund . Retrieved June 10, 2007, from Thurgood Marshall College Fund Web site: http://thurgoodmarshallfund.org

References

http://www.lib.umi.com/dissertations/search


http://thurgoodmarshallfund.org/










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Reaves, N. (2006). African-American alumni perceptions regarding giving tohistorically Black colleges and universities. Retrieved January 21, 2007, fromProQuest Information and Learning Company http://www.lib.umi.com/dissertations/search.

Riggs, D. G. (2005). Entrepreneurial activities in independent college and university presidents: A view from the top. Retrieved May 5, 2006, from ProQuest

Information and Learning Company http://www.lib.umi.com/dissertations/search.Scott, L. V. (2000). A description of successful fund-raising units at public historically

black colleges and universities. Retrieved December 12, 2007, from ProQuestInformation and Learning Company http://www.lib.umi.com/dissertations/search.

Tindall, N. T. J. (2007). Fund-raising models at public historically Black colleges anduniversities. Public Relations Review 33 (2): 201-5.

Waddell

Williams, M. G. & Kritsonis, W. A. (2006). Raising more money at the nation’shistorically black colleges and universities. National Journal for Publishing andMentoring Doctoral Student Research 3 (1).

References














monica g. williams, phd proposal defense, dissertation chair, dr. william allan kritsonis

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