This request is to write chapter 4 of my dissertation. A summary of my research follows:
Preface
Over time, the values upheld by land-grant institutions have expanded from a pronounced localism to a broader internationalism. In this research, I analyze land-grant universities’ engagement models with the aim of explaining institutional responses that embrace both local and global context in the network society, which refers to the interdependent sovereign nations that share ideas, technologies, and businesses with each other (Castells, 2000).
In Chapter 1, I explain the historical contextualization of land-grant institutions by detailing the philosophical and political tensions within the Morrill Act of 1862, other legislations that molded land grants’ organizational responses and socioeconomic changes since the inception of land-grant universities. Following this historiography are the problem descriiption, research question, and significance of the study. I end the chapter by elucidating four constructs that are essential to this investigation: globalization, internationalization, engagement, and deep organizational change. These constructs will be discussed in the orienting framework.
In Chapter 2, I present a comprehensive literature review in regard to two domains: outreach and engagement of land-grant institutions; and globalization and internationalization of higher education. The review includes theoretical models and empirical research. I conclude this chapter with a summary evidencing the literature gap.
In the next chapter, I explain this study’s qualitative research design: a grounded theory approach utilizing intensity sampling and the rationale for each methodological selection. The chapter also considers issues of trustworthiness and limitations of the study.
In Chapter 4, I analyze the data from the two exemplary cases. These findings illustrate the types of engagement activities that land grants perform with local and international public focusing on the interactions among those spheres and institutionalization processes.
In the final chapter, I describe a substantive grounded theory that explains how land-grant universities which used to primarily answer to local stakeholders now embrace an international array of stakeholders; how the institutions mediate between the international context and the local context; and the deep organizational change of land-grant universities in the network society. Lastly, I discuss the implications of this theory for higher education senior leadership and suggestions for future research.
