Academic Leadership and Governance of Higher Educa... - (INTRODUCTION)

INTRODUCTION
O
ver the past decade a significant transformation has occurred in
the operating environment of higher education institutions. The
United States has been engaged in two wars, the world economy
has experienced the worst recession in 80 years, democratic reform move-
ments have swept across the globe, and information technology has changed
forever the way people communicate and share information. While adapting
to change has always been a challenge for higher education, in recent years
the pace of change has accelerated so rapidly that academic leaders face new
and unprecedented demands, making it difficult to manage these challenges
and adapt to new realities. In this environment, academic leaders must
understand not only how to manage but also how to lead their institutions.
To be successful, academic leaders need to develop a broad understand-
ing of how their college or university is structured and functions, and simul-
taneously understand the loci of decision making on institutional issues.
They must also learn to cultivate relationships with myriad stakeholders
including faculty, students, alumni, and parents by taking advantage of new
communication tools such as social media. New environmental forces, such
as changing demographics, increased competition, additional government
Copyright © 2012. Stylus Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved.
regulations, and reduced state and federal funding for education, make lead-
ing these institutions more difficult than ever. In this environment, academic
leaders who acquire new knowledge and skills on how to adapt will enhance
their ability to thrive rather than simply survive in tough times. In other
words, academic leaders must be more knowledgeable than ever about the
effects of external pressures on their institutions and develop strategies to
adapt to these influences.
A vast literature exists on administration, management, and leadership
in higher education, but it tends to focus on the impact the environment,
external forces, and internal issues have on research universities. The hall-
mark of higher education in the United States, however, is the diversity of
institution types, each of which is affected differently by external and inter-
nal influences. To address this void in the literature, this book uses specific
institutional examples to provide background and knowledge of the environ-
ment, organization, and management of U.S. colleges and universities.
1
Hendrickson, Robert M., et al. <i>Academic Leadership and Governance of Higher Education : A Guide for
Trustees, Leaders, and Aspiring Leaders of Two- and Four-Year Institutions</i>, Stylus Publishing, LLC, 2012. ProQuest Ebook Central, http
Created from coventry on 2019-12-04 02:24:02.
2 I N T RO D U CT IO N
Moreover, instead of focusing only on one level of academic leadership, this

book addresses the management and leadership issues facing board members,
presidents, provosts, vice presidents, deans, and department chairs, placing
those issues in organizational and environmental contexts.
Three Essential Principles

The authors believe that colleges and universities have the potential to be
the most influential institutions in society. Higher education’s civic purpose,
societal role, and extraordinary possibility for promoting the common good
provide it with a unique opportunity to contribute powerfully to meaningful
change in a global society. We suggest that the administrators of the institu-
tions that have been most successful in the past in advancing the academy,
as well as society as a whole, have embraced three common principles that
have distinguished those institutions in the marketplace and helped them
navigate tough times. We believe these same three elements will characterize
successful colleges and universities in the 21st century:
1. Institutional decisions are made based on a core mission and set of

values.
2. Institutional adaptation to environmental change is in alignment
with the mission and core values.
3. Institutional leaders seek to create and foster democratic partnerships
with myriad constituents.
It is important to note that administrators of institutions that have flourished

over time have practiced all three principles, because no one element guaran-
tees success on its own.
While higher education institutions today are diverse, global, and ever
changing, the sheer sustainability of colleges and universities compared to
other organizations over time is remarkable. As Kerr (1987) noted,
About 85 institutions in the western world established by 1520 still exist in

recognizable forms, with similar functions and with unbroken histories,
including the Catholic church, the Parliaments of the Isle of Man, of Ice-
land and of Great Britain, several Swiss cantons and seventy universities.
(p. 184)
Moreover, in the United States none of the original 30 industries listed on

the Dow Jones Industrial Average in 1928 are on the list today, and many no
I N T RO DU CT IO N 3
longer exist at all, yet all 30 of the top universities in the country in 1928 still
exist, and most of them would still be considered among the best (Geiger,
2004).
This record is important because a plethora of business articles suggest
to the average reader that those in business and industry understand their
missions as well or better than college and university administrators do
because the primary mission of a business is to bring value to its shareholders.
This focus on shareholder value makes the mission of these organizations
seem simple and easy to understand. However, a simple focus on shareholder
value does not appear to be enough to guarantee success over time. Similarly,
engagement in teaching, research, and service does not guarantee a college’s
or university’s success, as is evidenced by the hundreds of higher education
institutions that have closed over the centuries. Rather, it is the combination
of focusing on a specific mission, adapting to a changing milieu while main-
taining a mission, and promoting democratic partnerships that has allowed
institutions of higher learning to become arguably the most respected organi-
zations in society today.
Organization of This Book

This book is intended to serve as a reference for scholars as well as a useful
guide for professionals in the field of higher education. To make the subject
matter more accessible, the book is divided into five parts. The first part
introduces the reader to the scholarly field of higher education and estab-
lishes the contextual framework for the rest of the book. The second part
investigates the multifaceted and often complex relationships that exist
between institutions of higher learning and the external constituencies they
encounter. The third unit focuses on how college and university presidents
and their boards of trustees keep an institutional mission focused while
adapting to changes in the environment, and the fourth unit analyzes how
colleges and universities fulfill their core mission through shared democratic
partnerships. The fifth part describes how effective academic leaders imple-
ment their institution’s academic mission. We first discuss student learning
and development through the curriculum and cocurriculum, after which we
address issues of resource management, strategic planning, and the integra-
tion of external forces and internal constituencies.
We recommend that all readers review Part 1 before reading the rest of
the book, as it sets the stage for the remaining chapters. The chapters in Parts
4 I NT R O DU C T I O N
2 through 5 do not have to be read in successive order. They are designed as

self-contained modules to provide the reader with a greater understanding
of specific topics. Throughout the book, examples of certain colleges and
universities and their leaders are cited as models of the application of theory
to practice.
Moreover, we should note that this book draws specifically on the con-
text of higher education in the United States. Institutions around the world,
in developing and developed countries, could benefit from learning about
and adopting our three themes: being mission driven, being adaptable, and
being based on democratic partnerships. However, the contexts in which
higher education institutions operate vary by country and state. Not embed-
ding a book such as this in a specific context risks creating a volume so
general in nature that it provides very little value to those reading it. As
much as possible, however, we have sought to structure this book in such a
way that those in other national contexts can distill lessons for their own
work. Throughout the book, we use the terms U.S. and American inter-
changeably to refer to the U.S. context and not to the broader continental
contexts of North and South America.
Note
Study questions for eachchapter can be found at http://www.styluspub.com/resrcs/
other/ALGHEQUESTIONS.pdf.
References
Geiger, R. L. (2004). Knowledge & money: Research universities and the paradox of
the marketplace. Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University Press.
Kerr, C. (1987). A critical age in the university world: Accumulated heritage versus
modern imperatives. European Journal of Education, 22(2), 183–193.

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INTRODUCTION

Moreover, instead of focusing only on one level of academic leadership, this

Three Essential Principles

1. Institutional decisions are made based on a core mission and set of

It is important to note that administrators of institutions that have ﬂourished

About 85 institutions in the western world established by 1520 still exist in

Moreover, in the United States none of the original 30 industries listed on

Organization of This Book

2 through 5 do not have to be read in successive order. They are designed as

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