The purpose of this study was to establish the current differences in awareness of Success Challenge between administrators at the thirteen public four-year institutions of higher education in the state of Ohio. Specifically, the study examines differences in Success Challenge awareness between student affairs administrators and academic affairs administrators at selective and open admissions institutions.
Completed in the fall of 2003, the study used a stratified random sample of 406 administrators. Two hundred and twenty-four surveys were returned for a response rate of 55.2%. The survey instrument used in this study was developed based on a previous questionnaire instrument by Joseph Burke (2002), and consisted of five-point Likert scale items that were developed for the eight major constructs of Success Challenge awareness as well as seven open-ended questions.
Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, two-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Pearson Chi Square to determine if any significant differences existed in the responses between student affairs and academic affairs administrators at selective and open admission institutions. Significant differences were found to exist between student affairs and academic affairs administrators in the following awareness constructs: familiarity with performance funding, knowledge of Success Challenge criteria, Success Challenge funding, Success Challenge effect on decision making, positive impact of Success Challenge, and Success Challenge communication and information dissemination. Significant differences between administrator awareness at selective and open admission institutions were found to exist in the familiarity with performance funding construct.
This study found that overall administrators, both academic affairs and student affairs student affairs at open and selective institutions, reported a lack of awareness of Success Challenge. In addition, this study also indicated that where significant differences were found, student affairs administrators tended to be more aware of the Success Challenge performance funding program than academic affairs administrators. It was determined that further study, both qualitative and quantitative, should be performed on the relationship between awareness and success, as measured by the amount of state subsidy allocation received through performance on Success Challenge indicators.