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Higher education, like any other field, goes through constant change. It is not uncommon to see constant changes in administration in institutions of higher education. In many of these cases, an interim administration is hired to provide transition, stability, and time to find the best candidate to serve in a permanent capacity. Research has indicated that leadership turnover in higher education is continual and is most often seen at the dean level. During these times, well-prepared leaders assist in the smooth transition for the organization and help the interim candidate become a stronger leader. In the Minnesota State system, there are currently few prescribed programs for incoming interim deans in higher education. In this research, nine participants who fulfilled or were already in the role of interim dean were interviewed. The goal of the study was to determine (research) the preparedness of the selected individuals for the interim dean role before or during their term as interim dean. The findings of this research illustrate the need for formal training or career pathing prior to an individual taking on the role of interim dean. Leadership opportunities and support must exist for individuals interested in pursuing a leadership role as a dean within the Minnesota State system. This research discusses the common themes of formal mentorship programs, training in the day-to-day operations of university processes and procedures, leadership skills, and people management.

Mission studies are checkpoints in the lifecycle of many Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) congregations yet these curricula of transition need an overhaul to ensure their efficacy and to identify potential improvements. By evaluating several behavioral models (including Quinn’s Advanced Change Theory, and leadership models by Fluker and Olsen), the author constructs a curriculum centered around a congregational study of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper that fulfills the function of a mission study. In so doing, he provides an alternative for churches seeking to achieve the requirements of such a study while equipping them to discern God’s call in the ever-changing world.

Student affairs administration in colleges and universities has evolved significantly over time. Since the late 1800s, a corps of personnel specifically charged with university operations and student engagement has become a permanent part of university life. Despite the growing body of literature that seeks to document and make meaning of the experiences of this university constituency, there are yet aspects that remain unexplored. Notwithstanding the frequent and regular use of interim administrators, the nature and meaning of the experiences of those interims and their impact on the organization, particularly as concerns the practice of leadership, has been largely ignored.A Web-administered survey of student affairs professionals who were members of a student affairs professional organization in the eastern Midwest ascertained that the majority of those survey respondents had served in an interim capacity, either previously or currently. A collective case study approach was then used to study more deeply the experiences of administrators serving in interim positions as mid-level managers within student affairs units at three universities in the Midwest. The interim administrators as well as their supervisors and direct reports participated in individual or focus group interviews.The findings reported here indicate that interim administrators took their roles and responsibilities seriously and executed them in the same ways as they did their permanent appointments. These interims noted, however, the absence of explicit and direct training for the position they had agreed to take on. Moreover, the interims also discussed the impact their predecessor and the nature of that departure had on their effective and positive transition into their responsibilities as an interim. Other key findings are also reported in this study and implications for practice and further research are included.As noted earlier, temporary administrative appointments are customary within colleges and universities. This study hopes to influence the future use of interim administrators in student affairs and higher education. To the extent that the findings and suggestions offered here are followed by those interested in continuously improving the practice of leadership and managerial effectiveness in higher education, this goal will have been accomplished

Cervical cancer is the third most common cancer worldwide despite a well-defined precursor and screening test. Novel strategies are needed for preventing the progression of squamous intraepithelial lesions to invasive cancer. Chemoprevention is a novel strategy that uses micronutrients or pharmaceuticals to prevent or delay the onset of cancer. Retinoid compounds have been successful chemopreventive agents in the squamous epithelia of the aerodigestive tract. Hydroxyphenlyretinamide (4-HPR) is a retinoid with potent biologic activity that causes cellular apoptosis and has low toxicity. A doubly blinded placebo-controlled, randomized study of 4-HPR in patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grades 2 and 3 is being conducted at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. The purposes of the study are to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of 4-HPR and to measure its effect on a panel of surrogate endpoint biomarkers, or biological measures of carcinogenesis, which are used in chemoprevention trials to serve as endpoints of cancer incidence reduction. Funded by the National Cancer Institute, the study enrolls women over 18 years of age without invasive cancer. After informed consent and randomization, women undergo blood tests, bone density studies, and eye exams. The patients receive 4-HPR or placebo for 6 months of the trial. Participants are evaluated every 3 months during the study with Pap smears and colpophotographs and with additional biopsies at the 6- and 12-month visits. If progressive disease is found at the 6-month visit, the code is broken; those patients on 4HPR are treated with loop excision, and those on placebo are given 4-HPR. The interim analysis of 39 patients shows no statistically significant difference in 6-month histologic regression rates and no significant toxicities. Analysis of the surrogate endpoint biomarkers will be performed at trial end. The study is expected to accrue approximately 30--50 more patients before trial end.