The fundamental argument of this paper is that sociologists and administration theorists have not yet constructed appropriate intellectual models for analyzing academic administration, and that the lack is hindering research. Two of the dominant models of university governance, the bureaucratic and the collegial, are examined and criticized, and a…

This paper develops a theoretical framework for analyzing campus conflict and crisis as a social movement. The authors argue that political frameworks are necessary to understanding the dynamics of interest group activities that are directed toward influencing policy. Using the political framework, a number of propositions are advanced concerning…

This paper argues that, contrary to the views of several contemporary observers, American higher education is not becoming more homogeneous but more diverse. Higher educational institutions vary widely in their organizational structures, purposes and goals, and governance patterns. In order to compare these diverse institutions systematically, the…

Collective bargaining is not an appropriate arena for academic policy deliberation, but it can promote and coexist with separate governance mechanisms impacting institutional decision-making. The bargaining process is shown to have three stages: unionization, contract negotiation, and contract administration. (Editor/LBH)

This document was prepared as a preliminary report on the findings of the Stanford Project on Academic Governance, a comparative study of the politics of decisionmaking in colleges and universities in the United States. The project is using data gathered from faculty members and administrators in a sample of 249 colleges and universities, as well…

The purpose of this study was to examine the decision-making processes of a university that, faced with radical changes in the external environment, was forced to make extensive internal adaptations. A case study is presented of the way in which the administration of New York University perceived and dealt with the threat to its existence posed by…

This report presents the rationale for the Stanford Project on Academic Governance and a survey of the topics investigated in the project, the methodology used, and some of the conclusions reached. The project's specific objectives were to describe some major developments in academic governance and to apply sociological organization theory to…

This report presents the theoretical background of the Stanford Project on Academic Governance. It argues academic organizations differ in major respects from more traditional bureaucracies; hence it is necessary to develop a suitable model of decision-making for use in studying academic governance. The characteristics that set academic…

Shared governance and collegial management are discussed. Steps to strengthen the governance process are identified: a more sophisticated view of the governance process must be formed, faculty must avoid administrative centralization of power and faculty provincialism, become more involved in union affairs, and become politically knowledgeable.…

Summarizes a national study of the impact of faculty unionism on personnel practices, academic senates, and administrative and governance procedures. Concludes that faculties are better off because of unionization and that collective bargaining is a neutral decision-making process, its impact determined by the involvement of faculty and…

Faculty unions have achieved a prominent place in American higher education. This study attempts to focus on the consequences arising from collective bargaining in higher education. The Stanford Project on Academic Governance was begun in 1971 as an effort to study the impact of collective bargaining on governance and decisionmaking in higher…

To compare diversity among institutions, the Stanford Project on Academic Governance established a typology with eight broad categories. These categories vary systematically on many features: environmental relations, professional task, and institutional complexity. They reflect diverse organizational features and different professional autonomy…

Describes several key decisions, i.e.: setting budgets, selecting staff, etc., that can affect the ability of higher education to survive future crises. Explores four partnerships which can be crucial to these decisions, including partnerships in governance, staffing, programs, and between faculty and student affairs staff. (RC)

Reports a survey of every unionized college and university in the nation on the impact of faculty collective bargaining on traditional processes of academic governance, particularly faculty senates. One of several conclusions: the degree of threat that unions constitute depends on past history of the senate, legal framework, administrator role,…

Presidents in a cross-section of nonunionized colleges and in all unionized colleges, faculty union heads, system-level administrators, and central office union officials were surveyed to assess the impact of unionization on faculty senates. It was found that, although unions sometimes challenge senates, the dual system survives. (MSE)