Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Sponsored Research Versus Graduating Students? Intervening Variables and Unanticipated Findings in Public Research Universities

  • Published:
Research in Higher Education Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This article examines the relationship between sponsored research monies and the graduation of undergraduate students at 22 public research universities. Using institutional and student characteristics for 59,982 students at these universities, we conducted chi-square, cross-tabulation, correlation, and hierarchical nonlinear modeling (HNLM) analyses to determine the relationship between our principal independent and dependent variables, and among them and other individual and institutional variables, including SAT (individual and institutional mean), gender (individual and percentage), underrepresented minority (individual and percentage), and graduate academic program rating. In contrast to a basic premise of most policymakers and academic managers, our findings suggest that an institution's sponsored research expenditures are positively related to undergraduates' graduation. We also find that mean SAT has a powerful impact on student graduation, although at the individual level gender is a more powerful correlate of graduation than is SAT score.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

REFERENCES

  • Adelman, C. (1999). Answers in the Toolbox: Academic Intensity, Attendance Patterns, and Bachelor's Degree Attainment, Report of the Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Alexander, K. L., and Cook, M. A. (1982). Curricula and coursework: Surprise ending to a familiar story. Am. Sociol. Rev. 47: 626–640.

    Google Scholar 

  • Alexander, K. L., and Pallas, A. (1984). Curriculum reform and school performance: An evaluation of the 'new basics.' Am. J. Educ. 92: 391–420.

    Google Scholar 

  • Astin, A. W. (1982). Minorities in American Higher Education, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.

    Google Scholar 

  • Astin, A. W. (1984). Student involvement: A developmental theory for higher education.J. Coll. Stud. Pers. 25: 297–308.

    Google Scholar 

  • Astin, A. W. (1991). Assessment for Excellence, ACE/Macmillan, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Astin, A. W. (1992). What Matters in College? Four Critical Years Revisited, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.

    Google Scholar 

  • Astin, A. W. (1993). How Good Is Your Institution's Retention Rate? Higher Education Research Institute, Los Angeles.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baker, T. L., and Velez, W. (1996). Access to and opportunity in postsecondary education in the United States: A review. Sociol. Educ. 69(Suppl.): 82–101.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bean, J. P. (1980). Dropouts and turnover: The synthesis and test of a causal model of student attrition. Res. Higher Educ. 12: 155–187.

    Google Scholar 

  • Birnbaum, R. (1999). Academic leadership at the millennium: Politics or porcelain? Academe 85(3): 14–19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blackburn, R. T., and Lawrence, J. H. (1995). Faculty at Work: Motivation, Expectation, Satisfaction, Johns Hopkins University Press, Boston.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blau, P. M., and Duncan, O. D. (1967). The American Occupational Structure, John Wiley, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boyer, E. L. (1990). Scholarship Reconsidered: Priorities of the Professoriate, The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Princeton, NJ.

    Google Scholar 

  • Braxton, J. B., Milem, J. F., and Sullivan, A. S. (2000). The influence of active learning on the college student departure process: Toward a revision of Tinto's theory. J.Higher Educ. 71: 569–590.

    Google Scholar 

  • Braxton, J. M. (1996). Contrasting perspectives on the relationship between teaching and research. In: Braxton, John M. (ed.), Faculty Teaching and Research: Is There a Conflict? New Directions for Institutional Research, no. 90, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bryk, A. S., and Raudenbush, S. (1992). Hierarchical Linear Models: Applications and Data Analysis Methods, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cabrera, A. F., Castaneda, M. B., Nora, A., and Hengstler, D. (1992). The convergence between two theories of college persistence. J. Higher Educ. 63: 143–164.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clark, B. R. (1997). The modern integration of research activities with teaching and learning. J. Higher Educ. 68: 241–255.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clark, B. R. (1995). Places of Inquiry: Research and Advanced Education in Modern Universities, University of California Press, Los Angeles.

    Google Scholar 

  • Colbeck, C. (1998). Merging in a seamless blend: How faculty integrate teaching and research. J. Higher Educ. 69: 647–671.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dougherty, K. (1992). Community colleges and baccalaureate attainment. J. Higher Educ. 63: 188–214.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dundar, H., and Lewis, D. (1995). Departmental productivity in american universities: Economies of scale and scope. Econ. Educ. Rev. 14: 119–144.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eckland, B. K. (1965). Academic ability, higher education, and occupational mobility.Am. Sociol. Rev. 30: 735–746.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fairweather, J. (1996). Faculty Work and the Public Trust: Restoring the Value of Teaching and Public Service in American Academic Life, Allyn and Bacon, Boston.

    Google Scholar 

  • Feldman, K. A. (1987). Research productivity and scholarly accomplishment of college teachers as related to their instructional effectiveness: A review and exploration. Res.Higher Educ. 26: 227–298.

    Google Scholar 

  • Finkelstein, M. (1995). College faculty as teacher. In: The NEA 1995 Almanac of Higher Education (pp. 33–48), National Education Association, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Finkelstein, M. J., Seal, R. K., and Schuster, J. H. (1998). The New Academic Generation: A Profession in Transformation, Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fleming, J. (1984). Blacks in College: A Comparative Study of Students' Success in Black and in White Institutions, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fleming, J., and Garcia, N. (1998). Are standardized tests fair to african-americans?: Predictive validity of the SAT in black and white institutions. J. Higher Educ. 69: 471–495.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fleming, J., and Morning, C. (1998). Correlates of the SAT in minority engineering students: An exploratory study. J. Higher Educ. 69: 89–108.

    Google Scholar 

  • Geiger, R., and Feller, I. (1995). The dispersion of academic research in the 1980s. J.Higher Educ. 66: 336–360.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goyette, K., and Xie, Y. (1999). Educational expectations of asian-american youths: Determinants and ethnic differences. Sociol. Educ. 72: 22–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grandy, J. (1998). Persistence in science of high-ability minority students: Results of a longitudinal study. J. Higher Educ. 69: 589–620.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hackman, J. D. (1985). Power and centrality in the allocation of resources in colleges and universities. Adm. Sci. Q. 30: 61–77.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haller, A. O., and Portes, A. (1973). Status attainment processes. Sociol. Educ. 46: 51–91.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hamrick, F. A., and Stage, F. K. (1998). High minority enrollment, high school lunch schools: Predisposition to college. Rev. Higher Educ. 21: 343–358.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hasbrouck, N. S. (1997). Implications of the Changing Funding Base of Public Universities. PhD Dissertation, Center for the Study of Higher Education, University of Arizona, Tucson.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hearn, J. (1991). Academic and non-academic influences on the college destinations of 1980 high school graduates. Sociol. Educ. 64: 158–171.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hedges, L. V., and Nowell, A. (1999). Changes in the black-white gap in achievement test scores. Sociol. Educ. 72: 111–135.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kao, G. (1995). Asian-Americans as model minorities? A look at their academic performance.Am. J. Educ 103: 121–159.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim, M. M. (2001). Institutional effectiveness of women-only colleges: Cultivating students' desire to influence social conditions. J. Higher Educ. 72: 287–321.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim, M., and Alvarez, R. (1995). Women only colleges: Some unanticipated consequences.J. Higher Educ. 66: 641–668.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kraemer, B. A. (1997). The academic and social integration of hispanic students into college. Rev. Higher Educ. 20: 163–180.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kreft and de Leeuw (1998). Introducing Multilevel Modeling, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuh, G. D. (1999). How are we doing?: Tracking the quality of the undergraduate experience, 1960s to the present. Rev. Higher Educ. 22: 99–120.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuh, G. D., Schuh, J. H., Whitt, E. J., and Associates (1991). Involving Colleges: Successful Approaches to Fostering Student Learning and Development Outside the Classroom, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.

    Google Scholar 

  • Layzell, D. T. (1996). Faculty workload and productivity: Recurrent issues with new imperatives. Rev. Higher Educ. 19: 267–282.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leslie, L. L., McClure, G. T., and Oaxaca, R. (1998). Women and minorities in science and engineering: A life sequence analysis. J. Higher Educ. 69: 239–276.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leslie, L. L., Rhoades, G., and Oaxaca, R. (1999). Effects of changing revenue patterns on public research universities. A report to the National Science Foundation, Grant No. 9628325.

  • Massy, W. F., and Zemsky, R. (1994). Faculty discretionary time: Departments and the “academic ratchet.” J. Higher Educ. 65: 1–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • Milem, J. M., Berger, J. B., and Dey, E. L. (2000). Faculty time allocation: A study of change over twenty years. J. Higher Educ. 71: 454–475.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mortenson, T. (1995). Educational attainment by family income. Postsecondary Education OPPORTUNITY no. 41(November): 1–8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mortenson, T. (1997). Educational attainment of young adults1940 to 1995. Postsecondary Education OPPORTUNITY no. 56(February): 1–5.

  • Nagda, B. A., Gregerman, S. R., Jonides, J., von Hippel, W., and Lerner, J. S. (1998). Undergraduate student-faculty research partnerships affect student retention. Rev.Higher Educ. 22: 55–72.

    Google Scholar 

  • Neter, J., Kutner, M. H., Nachtsheim, C. J., and Wasserman, W. (1996). Applied Linear Statistical Models (4th Ed.), McGraw Hill, Boston.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nora, A. (1987). Determinants of retention among Chicano college students. Res. Higher Educ. 26: 31–51.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nora, A., Cabrera, A., Hagedorn, L. S., and Pascarella, E. T. (1996). Differential impacts of academic and social experience on college-related behavioral outcomes versus different ethnic and gender groups at four-year institutions. Res. Higher Educ. 37: 427–452.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pallas, A., and Alexander, K. L. (1983). Sec differences in SAT performance: New evidence of the differential coursework hypothesis. Am. Educ. Res. J. 20: 165–182.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pascarella, E. T., Smart, J. C., and Stoecker, J. (1989). College race and the early status attainment of black students. J. Higher Educ. 60: 82–107.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pascarella, E. T., and Terenzini, P. T. (1991). How College Affects Students, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.

    Google Scholar 

  • Presley, J. B., and Engelbride, E. (1998). Accounting for faculty productivity in the research university. Rev. Higher Educ. 22: 17–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Raudenbush, S., Bryk, A., Cheong, Y. F., and Congdon, R. (2000). HLM5: Hierarchical Linear and Non-Linear Modeling, Scientific Software International, Inc.

  • Rhoades, G. (2000). The changing role of faculty. In: Losco, J., and Fife, B. L. (eds.), Higher Education in Transition: The Challenges of the New Millennium (pp. 29–50), Bergin and Garvey, Westport, CT.

    Google Scholar 

  • Riordan, C. (1994). The value of attending a women's college: Education, occupation, and income benefits. J. Higher Educ. 65: 486–510.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sewell, W. H. (1971). Inequality of opportunity for higher education. Am. Sociol. Rev. 36: 793–809.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sewell, W. H., Haller, A. O., and Straus, M. A. (1957). Social status and educational and occupational aspiration. Am. Sociol. Rev. 34: 82–92.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sewell, W. H., and Hauser, R. M. (1975). Education, Occupation, and Earnings, Academic Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sewell, W. H., and Shah, V. P. (1967). Socioeconomic status, intelligence, and the attainment of higher education. Sociol. Educ. 40: 1–23.

    Google Scholar 

  • Slaughter, S., and Leslie, L. L. (1997). Academic Capitalism: Politics, Policy, and the Entrepreneurial University, Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smart, J. C., Feldman, K. A., and Ethnigton, C. A. (2001). Academic Disciplines: Holland's Theory and the Study of College Students and Faculty, Vanderbilt University Press, Nashville.

    Google Scholar 

  • St. John, E. P., Hu, S., Simmons, A. B., and Musoba, G. D. (2001). Aptitude versus merit: What matters in persistence. Rev. Higher Educ. 24: 131–152.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stoecker, J., and Pascarella, E. T. (1991). Women's colleges and women's career attainments revisited. J. Higher Educ. 61: 394–406.

    Google Scholar 

  • Strassburger, J. (1995). Embracing undergraduate research. American Association of Higher Education (AAHE) Bulletin 47(May): 3–5.

  • Thomas, S. L. (2000). A social network approach to understanding student integration and persistence. J. Higher Educ. 71: 591–615.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tinto, V. (1993). Leaving College: Rethinking the Causes and Cures of Student Attrition, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tinto, V. (1997). Classrooms as communities: Exploring the educational character of student persistence. J. Higher Educ. 68: 599–623.

    Google Scholar 

  • Volkwein, J. F., and Carbone, D. (1994). The impact of departmental research and teaching climates on undergraduate growth and satisfaction. J. Higher Educ. 65: 146–167.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ward, G. T. (1997). The Effects of Separately Budgeted Research Expenditures on Faculty Instructional Productivity in Undergraduate Education. PhD dissertation, Center for the Study of Higher Education, University of Arizona, Tucson.

    Google Scholar 

  • Woodard, D., Kroc, R., and Howard, R. (1994). National Graduation Rate Study, 1994.Report 1, Center for the Study of Higher Education, Tucson, AZ.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zumeta, W. (1998). 1997 State higher education finance and policy developments. In: The NEA 1998 Almanac of Higher Education, National Education Association, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Missouri–, Columbia

    Mikyong Minsun Kim

  2. Center for the Study of Higher Education, College of Education, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721

    Gary Rhoades

  3. University of Arizona, USA

    Dudley B. Woodard Jr.

Authors
  1. Mikyong Minsun Kim
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Gary Rhoades
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Dudley B. Woodard Jr.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gary Rhoades.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kim, M.M., Rhoades, G. & Woodard, D.B. Sponsored Research Versus Graduating Students? Intervening Variables and Unanticipated Findings in Public Research Universities. Research in Higher Education 44, 51–81 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021365528640

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021365528640

Search

Navigation