Abstract
Colleges and universities have experienced a decline in enrollments and growing financial instability, creating an uncertain environment throughout the higher education sector. Uncertainty can potentially decrease employee engagement. Disengaged employees typically cost U.S. corporations $350 billion annually (Osborne & Hammoud, 2017). This explanatory case study examined how leadership practices at a Midwest online university were able to increase employee engagement for two consecutive years, during a time of uncertainty and upheaval. The purposeful sample consisted of twenty faculty and staff members who were currently employed at a Midwest online university. Triangulation was achieved through secondary data, interviews, member checking, and observations. This study will add to the leadership and employee engagement literature. The findings of this study are important to higher education leaders who seek to improve employee engagement through utilizing effective leadership practices within their college or university. Five overall university themes and three departmental themes from five departments emerged from the study. The employee engagement themes that emerged from the study were presented from both a university and departmental perspective. A leadership model was created from themes that emerged from study. The leadership model developed from this study will provide a basic foundation of the type of leadership that is needed for a university as a whole and at the departmental level to help strengthen employee engagement in online universities.