Running head: HIGHER EDUCATION ADMINISTRATION REFLECTION

Higher Education Administration Reflection

Robert Boyce
Georgia Southern University

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Higher Education Administration Reflection
Introduction
The Higher Education Administration Masters Program at Georgia Southern
University has been one of the most interesting events in my life. Over the course of
this program, I have grown in my ability to research, lead, and understand others in
ways I did not know I could. There are five standards in the program that I would like
to reflect on. Each standard represents a portion of what it means to be an
administrator in higher education, every segment is crucial to building a wellrounded administrator who will be able to navigate the future of education as his or
her institute.
The Five Standards
Standard 1
The first standard I would like to reflect on is ethical leadership in higher
education institutes. I think Georgia Southern has prepared me for ethical
leadership in many ways. Each of my classes has had a portion devoted to
leadership through a variety of means. The main classes for this form of leadership
to me would be Higher Education Administration and Multicultural Education. Higher
Education Administration laid the foundation for my thoughts on leadership in
education, here I was able to assume the role of an administrator in the critical
issues paper; I was also able to observe a faculty senate meeting to help me
understand the shared governance model.
The critical issues assignment was monumental to me, thinking back on it I
was able to assume the role of Health Director for the University of Florida. When I

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assumed that role I had to put all of the information and knowledge I had into
creating a person who directed a large segment for the university. I was no longer
just responsible for what I was going to say, but on how I was going to lead, plan,
and direct a body of administrators, faculty, and students with a new health
program. This project gave me a chance to do in depth research on the University of
Floridas Health College, not only on the college itself, but on how a director should
act, what a director does, and how a director takes charge to implement a new
program.
The observation of the faculty senate meeting helped me to compare what I
read in the text to real life. This phenomenal opportunity really drew me in, my goal
is to become a college instructor. To see so many faculty members gathered
together discussing the issues of the university as a whole was thought provoking
and exciting. The largest part of the discussion was on graduation and walking
across the stage without having completed the requirements. Many of the College
of Business Administration faculty members thought it best to not allow students to
walk without having completed their degrees. Others were against the plan being
that some felt as though the point of education was to prepare a person for the
workforce. One faculty member said that she did not want to wait for a student to
come back and complete the degree requirements if their internship turns into a
job. What I thought about most from observing the meeting was how the faculty
was mostly concerned with student retention and graduation rates, more so than
salaries and new construction.
Ethical leadership to me is not just doing everything by the book. It is about
knowing and understanding the circumstances that have been presented, and in

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those circumstances a leader must know what is best for the group, how to get
there, or how to find a path to the goal.
Standard 2
The next standard is the ability to facilitate effective instructional programs.
There are three classes that come to mind when I think of this standard: The
Contemporary College Student, Learning Theories and Applications, and
Multicultural Education. Each course played a part in shaping my thoughts and
approach to instructional education.
Learning Theories and Applications gave me a slew of psychological theories
behind the way the mind learns and works. Each theory presented in the class is
vital for an educator being that not every student will learn the same information
the same way. Finding out what works best for a group of students is crucial for an
instructor. This also comes into to play when an administrator is trying to set up a
classroom. Finding out the student to instructor ratio should be based on the
learning style that will be used, and the information for that class. This class also
helped me to see that sometimes people need the extra one on one instruction to
obtain growth.
In The Contemporary College Student, I gained insight into the current major
generation of students, millennials, and thoughts of what the next college
generation will be. I believe in order to be an effective instructor or administrator
there needs to be a connection between the person and the generation of students
that he or she intends to serve. Millennials are not like other generations, they
connect through technology and social media. Being a future instructor, I think this
class prepared me to see a need to stay at or ahead of the curve, being in tune with

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what is popular in a generation gives me more opportunities to connect with the
students; that connection could lead to a better learning environment or a stronger
desire to learn in the students.
Multicultural Education has had a huge impact on my life, the way that the
class focused on education from a cultural aspect rather than a mental learning
aspect was impressive. There are so many cultures and ethnic backgrounds in this
world, learning how to teach in a diverse society requires instructors and
administrators to understand the cultures, the important points, what is usually
stereotyped, and how to surpass those stereotypes with information that is both
respectful and knowledgeable.
I think what best shows this standard would be both the European-American
presentation and the multicultural paper that I created for Multicultural Education
and the Contemporary Student respectively.
Standard 3
In the third standard, developing and implementing policies that promote
research, technology utilization and scholarship. I think I have had a lot of training
by creating my own blog in Institutional Technology Foundations. The information I
gained in Educational Research would also be valuable in promoting research.
Technology is the future of education; there are more online classes, smartboards,
and presentations using PowerPoint or other technological programs. In several of
my classes I have had to create presentations that use technology. The instruction I
received in Institutional Technology makes me more knowledgeable in different
methods of technology. I can use those methods to challenge students to be
creative.

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Taking the methods of technology that I learned about in Institutional
Technology and the information from Educational Research I can compile
quantitative and qualitative data easier. I think challenging others to use technology
in their research to share the knowledge is a good idea.
Standard 4
The fourth standard I want to touch on is effective communication between
written and verbal formats to respond to community needs. The work I did in Higher
Education Administration and in the Contemporary College Student helped me to
understand the world around me and how to communicate with those externally
and internally within higher education. Seeing what generation is going to college
and understanding how that specific generation interacts with society is key in
being able to reach the students. There should also be a focus on other generations
and nontraditional students as well. The majority of students today are Millennials
that will not always be the case in the future there will be a new generation that
goes through college. By working with the administrators from the top down
education can stay with the new up and coming generation as they develop. When
they are ready to walk into higher education institutes, educators will already be
trained and ready to meet the new challenges that arise.
Standard 5
The final standard to reflect upon is the ability to manage the organization,
resources, and operations of a higher education facility. In Higher Education Finance
class, we learned about budgets, controlling the budget, and the role of a budget
manager each of these points compounded what it means to be a leader financially
at a university. Being responsible for the budget of a department is a large task

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alone, but being responsible for the majority or the entirety of a university is a
daunting task, one that I believe I have prepared for this semester in Higher
Education Finance. There are several parts to managing the resources and
operations of a university, looking at previous years and researching how the
budget was prepared before is a crucial step in the process. I think this class has
helped me to link together everything that I have learned previously financing
higher education is at the center of the administration.
I think the two pillars that hold up education are funding and students,
without one the other would be much less effective. I think what I have learned is
that you cannot fund everything, there is not enough money in the world for
everything to have a place in that years budget. What you can do is look through
and find out what is really important, how will this project help the university,
students, and staff grow.
I believe those are the types of questions that a financial manager needs to
ask when looking at their resources and planning for the future. Higher education in
the United States is in an uncertain time, funding from the states has dwindled, and
the costs have risen. To me this means innovation of the education system. As I
learned about the numerous forms of funding, and the multiple expenses that
plague higher education, I often think that education needs to do more to partner
with businesses. Bringing work experience into education and allowing students to
do more with internships, practicums, or business observations may help to curb
the costs.
Final Reflection

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The Higher Education Administration program at Georgia Southern University
has given me a well-rounded amount of experience in higher education. From the
first class through the practicum I have gained a tremendous amount of information
regarding the American Higher Education System from the past, present, and near
future. All of my classes have built upon one another with strong information that all
relates to how the American Higher Education system has created itself. From the
American Higher Education class a foundation was built that every class has had a
hand in adding another piece. The culminating capstones from the program for me
are the Practicum and Higher Education Finance. Higher Education Finance brought
everything together once more in a monetary sense, and the Practicum takes
everything that I have learned and applies that to field experience. I love the way
the program has been structured to give those who are not currently working in
higher education a view from the inside. The program expands the views of those
who work only in one department by giving them more information about the other
parts of higher education. Everyone in education should know some about the
different departments and how they work together as a whole to keep an institution
running.