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Date of Graduation
5-15-2025
Semester of Graduation
Spring
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
School of Strategic Leadership Studies
First Advisor
Benjamin S. Selznick
Abstract
Within higher education, divisions of student affairs have struggled for years to retain employees, address burnout and stress, and find solutions to keep employees satisfied (e.g., Tull, 2006; Renn & Hodges, 2007; Marshall et al., 2016; Brown, 2022; Whitford, 2022; Bichsel et al., 2023). Central to campus safety are student conduct professionals, who work to provide education, restoration, and crisis support for students and their communities. Recent research (e.g., Davidson, 2009; Selznick & Heishman, 2023) has indicated increasing levels of stress and burnout in these professionals, and with a concern for attrition and job satisfaction that could negatively impact the safety of the campus community, this research aims to answer the following: To what extent does the inclusive leadership and restorative justice practices of a student conduct professionals’ direct supervisor impact the student conduct professionals’ organizational commitment to the college or university? Using inclusive leadership, organizational commitment, and restorative justice theory and instrumentation, including an instrument built specifically for this research to measure perceived utilization of restorative justice practices in a student conduct professionals’ direct supervisor, an online survey was distributed to a national association for student conduct professionals. Regression analysis indicated support for both inclusive leadership and the perceived utilization of restorative justice practices by a student conduct professionals’ direct supervisor, separately, as significant predictors of organizational commitment. When added to the same regression model, the perceived utilization of restorative justice practices was the only significant predictor of organizational commitment, providing additional support for this researcher-developed instrument. Findings, analysis, and implications for future research are presented.
Included in
Educational Leadership Commons, Higher Education Commons, Higher Education Administration Commons, Leadership Studies Commons, Organization Development Commons
