This publication presents information which describes how colleges and universities are utilizing their faculties in policy development and improvement of college administration. This material includes the results of a questionnaire based on current practice in 225 of the 284 colleges and universities which were members of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education when this study was initiated. A comparison is made between these results and those of a similar study conducted in 1933.
There was a time when the faculty governed universities. Not anymore. The Rise and Decline of Faculty Governance is the first history of shared governance in American higher education. Drawing on archival materials and extensive published sources, Larry G. Gerber shows how the professionalization of college teachers coincided with the rise of the modern university in the late nineteenth century and was the principal justification for granting teachers power in making educational decisions. In the twentieth century, the efforts of these governing faculties were directly responsible for molding American higher education into the finest academic system in the world. In recent decades, however, the growing complexity of “multiversities” and the application of business strategies to manage these institutions threatened the concept of faculty governance. Faculty shifted from being autonomous professionals to being “employees.” The casualization of the academic labor market, Gerber argues, threatens to erode the quality of universities. As more faculty become contingent employees, rather than tenured career professionals enjoying both job security and intellectual autonomy, universities become factories in the knowledge economy. In addition to tracing the evolution of faculty decision making, this historical narrative provides readers with an important perspective on contemporary debates about the best way to manage America’s colleges and universities. Gerber also reflects on whether American colleges and universities will be able to retain their position of global preeminence in an increasingly market-driven environment, given that the system of governance that helped make their success possible has been fundamentally altered.
Situating strategic planning and budgeting within the organization and administration of higher education institutions, this text provides effective and proven strategies for today’s change-oriented leaders. Bringing together distinguished administrators from two-year, four-year, public, and private colleges and universities, this volume provides both practical and effective guidance on the intricacies of the institutional structure, its functional activities, and contingency planning. Organization and Administration in Higher Education orients future administrators to the major areas of an academic institution and will assist higher education administrators in leading their institutions to excellence. New in the third edition is an expanded discussion of diversity, equity, and inclusion as well as updated coverage across various institutional settings including community colleges. Additionally, the authors provide guidance on managing crises and institutional disruptions such as those caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Powers and Schloss offer refreshed end-of-chapter discussion prompts and online instructor materials, including PowerPoints to support multimodal learning and new methods of teaching found here: https://instituteforeffectiveness.org/organization-and-administration-of-higher-education
Colleges and universities across the US have created special initiatives to promote faculty development, but to date there has been little research to determine whether such programs have an impact on students' learning. Faculty Development and Student Learning reports the results of a multi-year study undertaken by faculty at Carleton College and Washington State University to assess how students' learning is affected by faculty members' efforts to become better teachers. Extending recent research in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) to assessment of faculty development and its effectiveness, the authors show that faculty participation in professional development activities positively affects classroom pedagogy, student learning, and the overall culture of teaching and learning in a college or university.
The literature concerning higher education and generic organization theory is reviewed to address various questions relating to faculty participation in institutional decision-making. Attention is directed to: the rationale for faculty participation, alternative types of participation, participation in academic senates, participation by functional area, participation at the system and state levels, participation and centralization/decentralization, strengthening consultative processes, and increasing faculty satisfaction and participation. Generic organization theory provides extensive reasons why participation in organizational decision-making can improve employees' satisfaction and performance. Types of faculty participation in institutional decision-making are separate jurisdictions, shared authority, and joint participation. Faculty participation can involve curriculum design, faculty personnel status, selection and evaluation of administrators, planning, budgeting, and planning for retrenchment or financial exigency. Joint faculty and administrator efforts may focus on four important areas: rebuilding collegial foundations, shaping the consultative framework, increasing the availability of information, and facilitating group deliberations. Areas for further analysis are suggested. (SW)
John S. Levin, Susan T. Kater, and Richard L. Wagoner collectively argue that as community colleges organize themselves to respond to economic needs and employer demands, and as they rely more heavily upon workplace efficiencies such as part-time labor, they turn themselves into businesses or corporations and threaten their social and educational mission.
