Research Questions & Hypotheses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Research Questions & Hypotheses - Essay Example The campus and its supporters are very proud of the sports programs. The most popular sports are mens football and womens softball. Although the football team boasts of winning seasons year after year, it is by no means a powerhouse. The softball team, though, is consistently conference champions and once won the national championship. Therefore, the popularity of sports has been a solid marketing feature of the university along with its well-respected academic programs. Even with all this popularity, all parties agree it is important to grow the campus to maintain its reputation and compete with peer institutions. The new strategic plan at Foothills University reports a need to increase student enrollments by 15% over the next five years. As part of this initiative, three new academic programs are to be implemented, although the subject matter is open to study. Most of the universitys academic programs are at the bachelors level with 6,000 students and a few masters programs with 1,500 students. The executives and board of trustees thought about adding doctoral programs, but are concerned about the potential effects on the universitys liberal arts mission as well as the impact to finances. The Vice President for Academic Affairs has been tasked by the president to oversee the process. Not wanting to make rash decisions about where to increase enrollments and what type of programs to implement, the VP convened a task force to research the issues. He expects the task force to conduct formal, empirical research to study the issues. It has been unanimously agreed that the crux of economic development and poverty alleviation lie in the education. That’s the reason that colleges and universities are deemed not only an engine to socio-economic development but also recognized as invaluable economic assets. Findings suggest that socioeconomic factors and academic factors are not all that separated; they work in tandem. The academically and