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Once More into the Breach: Examining the Human Capital Impact of a University Consolidation over Time

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Abstract

Little research examines the sociocultural aspects of consolidating two post-secondary educational institutions. In a previous study we collected baseline data and reported on the initial impact of consolidation of a research-oriented, health sciences university with a teaching-oriented, comprehensive university. In the study we report here we compared our baseline data with data collected two years after consolidation in order to explore the organization’s evolving culture and the effect of that evolution on faculty members, with a focus on faculty retention. We draw lessons about the impact of consolidation for policy makers considering this avenue for reorganization within public higher education.

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Notes

  1. “Legacy institution” refers to the institution faculty affiliated with prior to consolidation.

  2. In the second round some changes were made to the questions measuring research productivity, which is not a target of the discussion in this particular study. However the new productivity variables will be explored at a later date. In addition, as noted later in this paragraph, questions were added to enable us to include two additional control variables--race and gender--that were not used in the original study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, 30912, USA

    Saundra J. Ribando

  2. James M. Hull College of Business, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, 30912, USA

    Catherine P. Slade

  3. College of Education and Human Development’s Educational Policy Studies Department, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, 30302, USA

    C. Kevin Fortner

Authors
  1. Saundra J. Ribando
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  2. Catherine P. Slade
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  3. C. Kevin Fortner
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Correspondence to Catherine P. Slade.

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Ribando, S.J., Slade, C.P. & Fortner, C.K. Once More into the Breach: Examining the Human Capital Impact of a University Consolidation over Time. Innov High Educ 42, 521–535 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-017-9404-0

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