This study uses the concept of 'organisational power' -- control over the environments in which others interact -- to investigate the structures and lived experience of power among academic associate deans at public, research-intensive universities in the US. Previous research claims that the associate dean role lacks 'legitimate power.' Through…

The university academic manager (AM) or head of school/department is typically positioned in a hierarchical world: as a middle manager 'sandwiched' between senior management and subordinates. I propose a different framing: the AM cohabits two worlds, the worlds of hierarchy and collegiality respectively. Using an ideal type framework and data…

The paper discusses the leadership and management challenges of a public university in Saudi Arabia from the perspective of academic managers. Based on a series of interviews at one of the regional universities established in the mid-2000s, the paper sheds light on one of those rarely investigated contexts where models of public management are…

University middle leaders play a significant role in change management. While research examines the outcomes of change management, far less attention has been paid to how middle leaders develop agency and negotiate their identities in achieving these outcomes. This study presents the cases of two middle leaders in Shanghai enacting a curriculum…

This qualitative case study investigated the perspectives of higher education leaders and business executive on the funding gap between liberal arts programs and STEM education in a public research level 2 institution in Florida. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore and explain participants' perspectives and finding ways to…

The purpose of this study was to determine the managerial and cultural values adopted by managers working in universities and whether these values differ according to gender, age, professional experience, managerial experience, and their faculties. This study was conducted as a survey. The participants of this study were composed of 100 deans,…

This paper reports on findings from a Leadership Foundation for Higher Education funded project exploring the role of associate deans in UK universities. While the number of associate deans leading cross-curricular and inter-disciplinary initiatives appears to be on the increase, there has been very little research focusing on the exact nature of…

For more than 20 years, new public management (NPM) has been the guiding governance model of university reforms in Europe. One central aspect of this governance model is to strengthen the hierarchy within the universities. Recent research shows that the formal decision-making authority of university leaders and deans has increased in almost every…

This study investigated the associations between attitudes toward suicide and bases of power in university administrators known as Deans of Students (DOS). The National Association for Student Personnel Administrators, the professional association of higher education administrators in student affairs, provided the survey population for this study.…

When the H1N1 virus ascended to national attention in April 2009, colleges and universities in the United States were thrust into the role of managing an unforeseen health crisis. While other institutions were scrambling to coordinate the appropriate crisis response to the H1N1 virus, Babson College was using the lessons it had learned during its…

This paper assesses the glass ceiling for academics in the Turkish universities with reference to top administration positions: rectors and deans. Glass ceiling indicators show that the glass ceiling thickened from the 1990s to late 2000s. The findings are discussed against the background of the transformation in the Turkish universities in the…

Since 1972-73, the dean of student services at Harrisburg Area Community College has been subordinate to the vice-president for educational services and equal in rank to academic division chairmen, who bypassed him and reported directly to the vice-president on matters concerning counseling services in their divisions. In an effort to contribute…

The inner structure of campus management is examined to reveal the human side of personnel management, public and student relations, budget planning, affirmative action, faculty politics, salary disputes, and tenure decisions. The analysis depicts the special situation that results from a dean's management of people who not only are the dean's…

In order to determine appropriate training activities for a management development program at Bucks County Community College (BCCC), 64 administrators were asked to assess the current operation of the college and to project a goal towards which they would like to work. The questionnaire, developed by Rensis Likert, was comprised of 32 statements…

Develops a 5-state model for decision-making that incorporates a faculty-opinion survey permitting almost universal expressions of opinion and preference on a complex administrative decision and generating alternative policies for decision-makers. It was successfully employed to reexamine the role of dean in a large university. (Editor/JT)