Presidential Interactions with Faculty Senates: Expectations and Practices
Shared governance is an important element in higher education decision making. Through the joint decision making process, faculty members are provided an opportunity to help shape the future of an institution while increasing support for decisions that are made. Presidents, those leaders who are legally bound to guide their institutions, must find ways to collaborate effectively with faculty members in making decisions, and the first step in this process is understanding when and how presidents and faculty leaders interact. In the current study, a national sample of college presidents reported their preparation for the presidency, their perceptions of the functions of a faculty senate, and ultimately, the locations for important interactions between presidents and faculty senates. Results indicated that presidents, regardless of their preparation, found official functions to be the most important for communicating, although, those presidents with academic backgrounds were more likely to perceive faculty senates as having a role in all aspects of an institutions management.
[1] V. J. Rosser “Historical Overview of Faculty Governance in Higher Education”, in M. T. Miller and J. Caplow (eds.) Policy and University Faculty Governance (pp.3-18). New York, Peter Lang, 2003.
[2] J. E. Gilmour “Participative Governance Bodies in Higher Education: Report of a National Study” in Robert Birnbaum (ed.) Faculty in Governance: The Role of Senate and Joint Decision Making, New Directions for Higher Education Number 75 (pp. 27-40). San Francisco, CA, Jossey Bass, 1991
[3] K. Mortimer and T. R. McConnell, “Process of Academic Governance”, in Marin Peterson (ed) Organization and Governance in Higher Education (4th edition, pp. 164-174), Neeham Heights, MA, Simon and Shuster, 1991.
[4] Robert Cloud “Governance in Community Colleges: Legal and Policy Issues,” Paper presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Council for the Study of Community Colleges, Fort Worth, Texas, April 2018.
[5] Michael Miller “Conceptualizing Faculty Involvement in Governance”, in Michael Miller (ed.), Responsive Academic Decision Making (pp. 3-28), Stillwater, OK, New Forums Press, 1999.
[6] D. Schoorman “The Erosion of Faculty Governance”, in J. DeVitis and P. A. Sasso (eds.) Colleges at the Crossroads, Taking Sides on Contested Issues (pp. 237-251), New York, Peter Lang Publisher, 2018.
[7] M. Burgan “Whatever Happened to the Faculty”, Baltimore, MD, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006.
[8] W. Patrick Armstrong “Trends and Issues of a Community College Faculty Senate: The Jefferson State Case Study”, Doctoral Dissertation, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, 1999.
[9] M. Miller and Daniel Nadler “Student and Faculty Senate Agenda Alignment: A Test of Comprehensive Shared Governance”, Journal of Higher Education Management, Vol. 34, No. 1, 2019.
[10] Adam Morris “Challenges and Opportunities facing the Community College President in the 21st Century”, Journal of Research on the College President, 1, 2-8, 2017.
[11] K. Plinske “The Next Generation of College Presidents: Critical Characteristics, Competencies, and Professional Experiences”, Doctoral Dissertation, Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA, 2008.
[12] G. David Gearhart, Michael Abbiati, Michael Miller “Higher Education’s Cyber Security: Leadership Issues, Challenges, and the Future” Journal of New Trends in Education, Vol. 10, No. 2, 11-18, 2019.
[13] Ronald G. Ehrenberg “Governing Academia”, Ithaca, NY, Cornell University Press, 2004.
[14] Kevin H. Braswell “A Grounded Theory Describing the Process of Executive Succession at Middle States University”, Doctoral Dissertation, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, 2006.
[15] Michael Miller “Conceptualizing Faculty Involvement in Governance”, in Michael Miller (ed.), Responsive Academic Decision Making (pp. 3-28), Stillwater, OK, New Forums Press, 1999.
[1] V. J. Rosser “Historical Overview of Faculty Governance in Higher Education”, in M. T. Miller and J. Caplow (eds.) Policy and University Faculty Governance (pp.3-18). New York, Peter Lang, 2003.
[2] J. E. Gilmour “Participative Governance Bodies in Higher Education: Report of a National Study” in Robert Birnbaum (ed.) Faculty in Governance: The Role of Senate and Joint Decision Making, New Directions for Higher Education Number 75 (pp. 27-40). San Francisco, CA, Jossey Bass, 1991
[3] K. Mortimer and T. R. McConnell, “Process of Academic Governance”, in Marin Peterson (ed) Organization and Governance in Higher Education (4th edition, pp. 164-174), Neeham Heights, MA, Simon and Shuster, 1991.
[4] Robert Cloud “Governance in Community Colleges: Legal and Policy Issues,” Paper presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Council for the Study of Community Colleges, Fort Worth, Texas, April 2018.
[5] Michael Miller “Conceptualizing Faculty Involvement in Governance”, in Michael Miller (ed.), Responsive Academic Decision Making (pp. 3-28), Stillwater, OK, New Forums Press, 1999.
[6] D. Schoorman “The Erosion of Faculty Governance”, in J. DeVitis and P. A. Sasso (eds.) Colleges at the Crossroads, Taking Sides on Contested Issues (pp. 237-251), New York, Peter Lang Publisher, 2018.
[7] M. Burgan “Whatever Happened to the Faculty”, Baltimore, MD, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006.
[8] W. Patrick Armstrong “Trends and Issues of a Community College Faculty Senate: The Jefferson State Case Study”, Doctoral Dissertation, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, 1999.
[9] M. Miller and Daniel Nadler “Student and Faculty Senate Agenda Alignment: A Test of Comprehensive Shared Governance”, Journal of Higher Education Management, Vol. 34, No. 1, 2019.
[10] Adam Morris “Challenges and Opportunities facing the Community College President in the 21st Century”, Journal of Research on the College President, 1, 2-8, 2017.
[11] K. Plinske “The Next Generation of College Presidents: Critical Characteristics, Competencies, and Professional Experiences”, Doctoral Dissertation, Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA, 2008.
[12] G. David Gearhart, Michael Abbiati, Michael Miller “Higher Education’s Cyber Security: Leadership Issues, Challenges, and the Future” Journal of New Trends in Education, Vol. 10, No. 2, 11-18, 2019.
[13] Ronald G. Ehrenberg “Governing Academia”, Ithaca, NY, Cornell University Press, 2004.
[14] Kevin H. Braswell “A Grounded Theory Describing the Process of Executive Succession at Middle States University”, Doctoral Dissertation, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, 2006.
[15] Michael Miller “Conceptualizing Faculty Involvement in Governance”, in Michael Miller (ed.), Responsive Academic Decision Making (pp. 3-28), Stillwater, OK, New Forums Press, 1999.
@article{"International Journal of Business, Human and Social Sciences:80332", author = "Michael T. Miller and G. David Gearhart", title = "Presidential Interactions with Faculty Senates: Expectations and Practices", abstract = "Shared governance is an important element in higher education decision making. Through the joint decision making process, faculty members are provided an opportunity to help shape the future of an institution while increasing support for decisions that are made. Presidents, those leaders who are legally bound to guide their institutions, must find ways to collaborate effectively with faculty members in making decisions, and the first step in this process is understanding when and how presidents and faculty leaders interact. In the current study, a national sample of college presidents reported their preparation for the presidency, their perceptions of the functions of a faculty senate, and ultimately, the locations for important interactions between presidents and faculty senates. Results indicated that presidents, regardless of their preparation, found official functions to be the most important for communicating, although, those presidents with academic backgrounds were more likely to perceive faculty senates as having a role in all aspects of an institutions management.
", keywords = "College faculty, college president, faculty senate, leadership.", volume = "15", number = "5", pages = "430-5", }
