1 Life Under Construction : Autoethnography of a Researcher

Tracing a journey from the high school to the professoriat, the author has picked and chosen from “signal events” and epiphanies over a lifetime of scholarly and professional work to share the memories of people and experiences that shaped the research life. Framed always by a sense of community, and how to create a warm and caring community of colleagues, collaborators, and friends, she outlines the role of research training, the ongoing power and influence of a liberal arts degree, the vast support from supportive and nurturing mentors, the responsibility to mentor others, and the risks and rewards of trying to publish material that no one initially was interested in reading. The joy and excitement of being a part of the “paradigm revolution” are but one of many pleasures of the “thinking life”; good colleagues, good students, and good work are much of the rest. The author concludes that this is the best of all worlds, and certainly one of the most laughter-filled. 2 Mandated Openness and Higher-Education Governance: Policy, Theoretical, and Analytic Perspectives Michael K. McLendon and James C. Hearn Abstract Every state in the nation mandates openness in decision making within and regarding public higher education. These “sunshine” laws vary in scope and severity across systems and institutions, but no public institution is immune. The laws help serve the ends of public accountability, academic honesty, fiscal soundness, institutional effectiveness and efficiency, and procedural and outcome equity in decision making. Without question, the laws exert substantial influence on decision making, yet they have been the subject of very little comprehensive research and theorizing. This chapter chronicles the origins of the laws in U.S. higher education, reviews prior empirical work on the laws, identifies gaps in the existing literature, and draws on research and theory in political science, economics, and organizational studies to suggest directions for further analysis.Every state in the nation mandates openness in decision making within and regarding public higher education. These “sunshine” laws vary in scope and severity across systems and institutions, but no public institution is immune. The laws help serve the ends of public accountability, academic honesty, fiscal soundness, institutional effectiveness and efficiency, and procedural and outcome equity in decision making. Without question, the laws exert substantial influence on decision making, yet they have been the subject of very little comprehensive research and theorizing. This chapter chronicles the origins of the laws in U.S. higher education, reviews prior empirical work on the laws, identifies gaps in the existing literature, and draws on research and theory in political science, economics, and organizational studies to suggest directions for further analysis. 3 Studying College Access and Choice: A Proposed Conceptual Model Laura W. Perna