(COLUMBIA, Tenn. - Aug. 8, 2018) - - - Columbia State Community College vice president for Williamson Campus and External Services, Dr. Dearl Lampley, was recently awarded the 2018 Leo and Margaret Goodman-Malamuth Outstanding Dissertation Award from the American Association of University Administrators at the 2018 AAUA annual conference at Widener University for his dissertation titled "Institutional Budget Function Allocations as Predictors of Performance Outcomes of Tennessee Public Community Colleges and Universities."

"I was shocked and extremely humbled when notified of the award," Lampley said. "I was honored to have my work considered on such a national scale and had no idea it would win. I greatly appreciate the faith President Janet Smith and my cohorts at Columbia State had in me and their encouragement to pursue this honor."

The dissertation was a longitudinal study that utilized seven years of data from every public Tennessee community college and university to determine the relationship between the budget function allocations of instruction, academic support and student services, and performance outcome measures involving student success factors defined as completion of credit hours, awards of technical certificates, and awards of undergraduate degrees for the academic years of 2006-2007 through 2013-2014. The three budget areas were further delineated into salaries and operations for a total of six variables.

"The premise of this study was to determine what relationships existed between funding and student performance," Lampley said. "In other words, did institutions of higher education in Tennessee spend resources most effectively in order to help students? So far, the research has been examined in more than 24 countries and has been referenced in over 100 pieces of literature."

Lampley's dissertation abstract indicated an increase in the majority of the budget areas and decreases in the majority of performance outcomes over the timeframe of the study. Correlation analysis of community college variables revealed significant positive relationships existed between the following: (a) salary allocations for student services and awards of technical certificates; and (b) allocations for salaries for instruction and completion of credit hours and number of associate degrees awarded. Multiple regression analysis of community college variables indicated salaries of instruction were the most useful predictor of performance outcomes.

Correlation analysis of university variables revealed significant negative relationships existed between the following: (a) operations for student services and completion of 24, 48, and 72 credit hours; (b) salaries for student services and completion of 24, 48, and 72 credit hours and number of bachelor degrees awarded; (c) salaries of academic support and completion of 24 and 48 credit hours; (d) operations budgets for instruction and completion of 24, 48, and 72 credit hours; (e) budget allocations for salaries for instruction and completion of 24 credit hours; and (f) combined budget allocations and completion of 24 and 48 credit hours. Correlation analysis of university predictor and criterion variables revealed significant positive relationships existed between operations budgets for academic support and completion of 72 credit hours and number of bachelor's degrees awarded. In summary, students performed best at community colleges with high allocations for faculty salaries while at the universities, academic support spending was the most influential.

"I hope this work is used as a foundation for others to find out more specific answers regarding the topic," Lampley said.

The Leo and Margaret Goodman-Malamuth Outstanding Dissertation Award, named to honor professionally prominent long-time leaders of the AAUA, is awarded to authors of outstanding doctoral dissertations in the field of higher education or higher education administration. Criteria for selection are: (1) the importance and relevance of the topic to the broad field of higher education administration; (2) evidence of the development of a theoretical framework which guided the research; (3) the appropriateness of the research method and analysis; (4) the overall quality of writing; (5) the potential for publication and/or other dissemination of research results; and (6) the degree to which the results provide useful information for practitioners in the professional field of higher education.

The mission of the American Association of University Administrators is to develop and advance superior standards for the profession of higher education administration. Through its policy statements, programs, and services the Association emphasizes the responsibility of administrators, at all levels, to demonstrate moral and ethical leadership in the exercise of all their duties.

To learn more about the AAUA, visit www.aaua.org.


Photo Caption: (Pictured, left to right): Jerome Neuner, AAUA Board of Directors vice chairperson-awards and retired Canisius College associate vice president for academic affairs; and Dr. Dearl Lampley, recipient of the 2018 Leo and Margaret Goodman-Malamuth Outstanding Dissertation Award.