Full Description
Do higher education institutions have what it takes to reform effectively from within? Locus of Authority argues that every issue facing today's colleges and universities, from stagnant degree completion rates to worrisome cost increases, is exacerbated by a century-old system of governance that desperately requires change. While prior studies have focused on boards of trustees and presidents, few have looked at the place of faculty within the governance system. Bowen and Tobin explore whether departments remain the best ways through which to organize decision making and if the concepts of academic freedom and shared governance need to be sharpened and redefined. Using case studies of four very different institutions, the authors demonstrate that college and university governance has capably adjusted to the necessities of the moment and governance norms and policies should be assessed in the context of historical events. They also demonstrate that successful reform depends on the artful consideration of technological, financial, and cultural developments.
Locus of Authority shows that the consequences of not addressing college and university governance are more than the nation can afford.
Contents
PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ix 1 Introduction 1 2 Historical Overview, Part 1-From the Beginnings to World War II 13 Antecedents in Europe and Colonial America 14 The Emergence of the Research University 27 Control of Faculty Personnel Decisions-and Issues of Academic Freedom 34 World War I and the Interwar Years 45 3 Historical Overview, Part 2-World War II to the Present 67 World War II and the Growth of Sponsored Research 68 The "Red Scare" and the Loyalty Oath Controversies 70 The Explosive Expansion of Higher Education, Leading to the "Golden Age" of the 1960s 77 Protests and Rebellions 87 Retrenchment in the 1970s-and Subsequent Ups and Downs 98 The Real Estate "Bubble" Breaks-and Fiscal/Political Realities Take Hold (or Do They?) 109 The Impact of Experiments with Online Learning 112 The Pathways Initiative at CUNY 127 4 Faculty Roles Today and Tomorrow-Topical Issues 131 The Selection and Tenure of the President 133 The Faculty Appointment Process-Criteria and Decision-Making Authority 139 The Role of the Faculty in Giving Advice of All Kinds 142 The Role of Faculty in Staffing Decisions-and the Rise of Non-Tenure-Track Faculty (the New Majority) 151 Faculty Responsibility for Maintaining Academic Standards in Admissions, Curricular Content, and Student Performance 165 Control over New Teaching Methods-Online Learning 169 5 Overarching Challenges 177 Confronting Trade-offs and the Need for Upfront Consideration of Costs 177 Aligning Roles and Responsibilities 182 Coping with an Ever-Changing Academic Landscape 189 Clarifying Notions of "Academic Freedom" 201 Rethinking "Shared Governance" 205 Case Studies 213 Introduction to the Case Studies 213 The University of California 217 Princeton University 261 Macalester College 291 The City University of New York 315 INDEX 361
