Abstract

An exploratory case study of three institutions of higher education in the State of Florida and performance-based funding was conducted. The study examined the metrics that determined funding over the years 2014-2020. The study was grounded in Neoliberal Theory and Resource Dependency Theory. Significant findings in this study included: (a) the decline in the percentage of bachelor graduates employed (employment was measured by $25,000 wages after graduation), or continuing their education across all three universities, (b) Student-to-Faculty Ratios (CDS) were a statistically significant predictor of Bachelor's Degrees Awarded (Key Performance Metric), F (1, 13) = 37.76, p < .001., (c) the increase of non-tenure earning over tenure-earning and tenured faculty at all three institutions during the fiscal years 2016-17 to 2020-21, and (d) fewer graduate degrees were awarded in the STEM disciplines over the time investigated. The study affirms the tenets of both Neoliberal Theory and Resource Dependency Theory. The study provided useful information for national performance-based funding programs, the Florida Board of Governors, the Boards of Trustees, and institutional stakeholders. Implications for practice include the need for more transparency and parity in reporting data across databases. Future research should conduct this same study including all of the institutions in the State of Florida.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2021

Semester

Spring

Advisor

Campbell, Laurie

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

College

College of Community Innovation and Education

Department

Educational Leadership and Higher Education

Degree Program

Educational Leadership; Higher Education Track

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0008456; DP0024131

URL

https://purls.library.ucf.edu/go/DP0024131

Language

English

Release Date

May 2021

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access)

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