Sul Ross State University

In the dynamic environment of higher education, managing multidisciplinary faculty with dominant or "alpha-oriented" behaviors presents unique challenges to educational leadership. Despite the strategic imperative for collaboration, limited research exists on specific strategies that foster both work harmony and productivity among these assertive groups. This study addresses this gap by exploring the containment and empowerment strategies employed by academic administrators. Using an exploratory qualitative design, the research engages 25 purposively selected academic leaders through one-on-one interviews. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis, guided by Trait Activation Theory to understand how leadership behaviors trigger or suppress dominant personality traits. Key findings reveal that impersonal structural mechanisms, specifically shared governance and data-driven dashboards, act as critical neutralizers that de-personalize authority and reduce territoriality. Regarding productivity, the study identifies bounded autonomy, defined as high-trust models operating within co-authored project charters, as the optimal approach for managing alpha faculty. Furthermore, the results highlight the necessity of epistemic translation to resolve disciplinary clashes and structural empathy interventions, such as story circles, to prevent the emotional fatigue associated with distributed leadership. The study concludes that effective leadership translates affective conflict into cognitive conflict, transforming potential disruptors into engines of institutional innovation.

Deep graph clustering aims to uncover latent structural patterns within user behavior graphs to effectively group users based on behavioral similarity, thereby enhancing the efficiency of personalized service recommendation. However, most existing generative clustering methods heavily rely on encoder–decoder architectures and their pretraining procedures, which not only increase training complexity but also result in insufficient robustness and unstable optimization. To address these limitations, this paper proposes an Anchor-Guided Graph Clustering Network (AGCN) that eliminates the need for pretraining. The proposed method introduces an anchor-guided learning strategy that automatically selects high-confidence anchor samples farthest from the distribution boundary and utilizes the k-means++ algorithm to generate pseudo-labels in the diffusion feature space. Furthermore, AGCN integrates an anchor expansion strategy and a commonality enhancement mechanism to significantly improve clustering discriminability and recommendation accuracy. Theoretical analysis and extensive experiments on multiple real-world datasets demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms state-of-the-art approaches in terms of both clustering accuracy and stability.

The Philippine higher education system requires outcomes-based education that emphasizes critical competencies in programs such as the Bachelor of Arts in English Language Studies (BAELS). However, a gap often exists between regulatory objectives and students’ intrinsic perceptions of program value. This study assessed the extent to which BAELS students' learning experiences influence their perceived relevance of the program to their academic and career goals. Employing a descriptive quantitative correlational research design, this study involved sixty (60) BAELS students as respondents. Findings revealed that respondents reported a high satisfaction with their overall learning experience (M=4.49) and a very high perception of program relevance (M=4.56). Crucially, learning experience emerged as a robust predictor, explaining approximately 91.7% of the variance in perceived program relevance. While the overall learning environment (β=.371) and course materials (β=.353) were strong positive predictors, the analysis identified significant negative coefficients for faculty support (β=-.310) and technology/facilities support (β=-.254). The study concludes that although the program is highly valued by its students, its quality assurance is demonstrably hampered by resource and mentorship deficits. It is recommended that the program craft and implement a Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) plan structured by Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle to reinforce these transformation stages and ensure sustained program excellence and relevance.

ABSTRACT Rocks and geologic structures exposed at the surface in the Big Bend region of far west Texas, USA, preserve evidence of three significant North American plate-tectonic events: The late Paleozoic Marathon-Ouachita orogeny, the late Cretaceous–Paleogene Laramide orogeny, and the Neogene–present extensional event of Rio Grande rifting. Rocks here also preserve a 30-million-year span of magmatism that temporally straddles both the end of the early Cenozoic contraction event and the beginning of the more recent extension, and, therefore, record that transition. Modern terrestrial waters also contribute to the geology of this arid region, both with the Rio Grande’s incision exposing some of these rocks and with their hosting of groundwater and springs. Visits to sites during this four-day field trip in and around Big Bend Ranch State Park and Big Bend National Park will increase understanding of these geologic events. DEDICATION This field trip is dedicated to the memory of Blaine Hall, an exceptional friend and colleague to many of this field guide’s authors and an enthusiast of Big Bend geology. Blaine completed his B.S. in geology at University of Texas (UT)–El Paso, received his M.Sc. in geological oceanography from Dalhousie University, and carried out research in marine geology and geophysics while at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University. His industry experience began with Superior Oil in minerals exploration for Proterozoic placer gold and kimberlites in the Rockies, Canada, Kansas, and Arkansas. He then shifted to petroleum, beginning with studies of heavy oil reservoirs in California for Mobil Oil and continuing with exploration and production projects in Argentina and southern South America. Blaine returned to his native West Texas and spent the next ten years teaching geology and mathematics at Sul Ross State University. While there he was also active with the Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute, where he developed a permanent exhibit on the geology of the Davis Mountains and presented educational workshops. He joined Texas Parks and Wildlife in 2010 as an interpretive ranger at Big Bend Ranch State Park, and he helped direct research of master’s students from Sul Ross State University and collaborated with faculty from UT-Austin on early Paleozoic sedimentation and tectonics in the Solitario dome (see Fig. 0.1). Contents Introduction Tectonic Maps of the Big Bend Region Showing Cordilleran and Rio Grande Rift Structures Road Log Day 1: Big Bend Ranch State Park Day 2: West Side of Big Bend National Park Day 3: East Side of Big Bend National Park Day 4: Marathon to San Antonio Acknowledgments References Cited

We describe a new species of anuran in the species complex of Limnonectes kuhlii (Tschudi, 1838) from the Meratus Mountain Range of Borneo Island, Indonesia. Mitochondrial DNA analysis places the new species as a sister of L. cintalubang Matsui, Nishikawa, and Eto, 2014. The new taxon differs from all other recognized species of L. kuhlii complex by a large genetic distance and a combination of morphological, bioacoustic, and larval characteristics. This discovery provides new insights into the taxonomic diversity of the L. kuhlii complex in Borneo, particularly within the Meratus Mountain Range, and highlights the importance of conserving this unique and understudied region.

This qualitative multiple-case study explored how Philippine literature influences culturally responsive teaching in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) across the country. It examined how regional literary works are selected, interpreted, and integrated into classroom instruction, and how these practices shape both teaching and student learning. Data were gathered through interviews, focus group discussions, and classroom observations involving faculty and students from Southern Luzon State University, Southern Leyte State University, and Mindanao State University-Tawi-Tawi Institute of Oceanography and Technology. Findings revealed that educators deliberately chose regional literature for its cultural relevance, reflecting students’ languages and histories. The study highlighted the use of reflective writing and comparative analysis as effective strategies to promote cultural awareness and critical thinking. Despite challenges, such as curricular constraints and limited institutional support, regional texts enriched students' understanding of their identities and local contexts. When given the freedom to design lessons, teachers fostered meaningful, engaging learning environments. This research emphasizes that regional literature can be a powerful pedagogical tool, not merely a supplemental resource. It advocates for the inclusion of regional texts in the core curriculum and recommends ongoing professional development for teachers. Such measures ensure that regional literature holds a central place in culturally grounded higher education, reinforcing cultural pride and social relevance.

In this research, the teaching practices used in multicultural universities and colleges that promote intercultural competence, cultural empathy, and effective communication were examined. Informed by the models of Deardorff (2006), Gay (2010) and Banks (2015), the study sought to (1) determine culturally responsive pedagogical practices, (2) analyze the institutional and contextual factors that affect their use, and (3) document the views of both educators and students about the effects of these strategies. A qualitative multiple case study approach was employed, with 12 instructors and 15 students from three ethnically diverse Philippine higher education institutions. Data were gathered using semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions and observations in classrooms. Thematic analysis identified that culturally responsive teaching, dialogic reflection and experiential learning contribute considerably to cultural understanding. Institutional culture, curricular adaptability and teacher training were the key enablers, whereas fixed curricula and resistant dispositions were obstacles. Inclusive learning spaces and possibilities of intercultural encounters were stated by participants to promote empathy, global understanding, and communication skills. The results underscore the necessity for system support on all institution levels to integrate intercultural competence into higher education. Through synthesizing theory and the real-life experiences of students and teachers, the research adds to the discussion on inclusive and socially responsible pedagogy in classrooms across the globe.

Ang pag-aaral na ito ay naglalayong tukuyin ang demograpikong profile ng mga respondente batay sa edad, kasarian, antas ng edukasyon, tagal ng serbisyo, at asignaturang tinuturo; alamin ang antas ng paggamit ng Wikang Filipino at ang mga epekto, benepisyo, at hamon nito; matukoy kung may makabuluhang pagkakaiba sa antas ng paggamit ng Wikang Filipino batay sa mga demograpikong katangian; at alamin ang ugnayan ng mga sub-kategorya sa antas ng paggamit ng Wikang Filipino. Gumamit ito ng deskriptibong kwantitatibong disenyo, na isinagawa sa MSU-Sulu gamit ang 100 estudyante bilang respondente sa pamamagitan ng purposive sampling. Ang instrumento ay nahahati sa dalawang bahagi.: ang una nitong parte. ay tungkol sa mga datos ng populasyon ng mga sumasagot., habang ang ikalawa ay para sa pagsusuri ng paggamit ng Wikang Filipino, na may limang antas ng pagsagot mula “lubos na sumasang-ayon” hanggang “lubos na di sumasang-ayon.” Ginamit ang frequency at porsyento para sa unang tanong, mean at standard deviation para sa ikalawa, t-test para sa kasarian, ANOVA para sa ikatlong tanong, at Pearson r para sa ikaapat. Ipinakita ng resulta na higit sa kalahati ng mga respondente ay may edad 30 pababa, karamihan ay babae, at may tagal ng serbisyo na 5 taon pababa. Karamihan sa mga respondente ay sumasang-ayon sa paggamit ng Wikang Filipino. Walang makabuluhang pagkakaiba sa paggamit ng Wikang Filipino batay sa demograpikong katangian. Ipinapakita ng pag-aaral ang mataas na ugnayan ng epekto, benepisyo, at hamon ng paggamit nito, na nagbibigay ng mahalagang impormasyon sa konteksto ng edukasyon.

This research explored how exposure to social media language influences the English spelling proficiency of Senior High School students at Mindanao State University – Sulu. A quantitative method utilizing a descriptive-survey design was employed, allowing for numerical data analysis and the identification of patterns through structured data collection. Descriptive research, as defined by Manjunatha (2019), aims to portray specific characteristics or conditions based on collected data. A total of 100 students from the General Academic Strand (GAS) and the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) strand during the academic year 2024–2025 participated in the study. Findings revealed that most participants were within the 17–18 age bracket, with equal representation in gender, academic strands, and grade levels. Respondents noted that social media occasionally influenced their spelling, particularly through the use of abbreviations and informal expressions, while number-letter substitutions were rarely used. Statistical analysis showed no significant variation in this influence across different demographic groups. A weak but notable association was found between social media engagement and cyber slang usage, and a moderate correlation was observed between the use of cyber slang and its reflection in academic writing. The study concludes that although social media exposure has minimal direct effect on students’ spelling, the frequent use of informal language online can impact the formality of academic work. These findings support the Transactional Affordance Theory, which highlights how user characteristics, environmental context, and platform features collectively shape media outcomes.