This paper provides insight into distributed leadership by contrasting the oppositional messages found in the literature, and by examining differences in the rhetoric and reality associated with its application. Specifically, the treatment of power and accountability within the distributed leadership theoretical framework is difficult to…

In a knowledge intensive society, the research university is a key institution for social and economic development. Focused on the discovery of new knowledge and the development of the next generation of scholars, research universities are also becoming more international in focus. This article presents the Emerging Global Model (EGM) of the…

Do academic administrators make decisions about resource allocation differently depending on the discipline receiving the funding? Does an administrator's academic identity influence these decisions? This study explored those questions with a sample of 1,690 academic administrators at doctoral-research universities. Participants used fictional…

This paper reports on a study of Association of American Universities university presidents' public communications in response to the 2008-2009 economic crisis. The authors present findings from a thematic analysis of 111 letters. The authors highlighted 22 themes and present them within three major categories: factors external to the university;…

Interim, discontinuous or "acting" management is an increasingly ubiquitous feature of universities. This paper asks: What are the implications of this for good academic governance? Should we understand this managerial dance as a symptom of the collapse of good managerial order or, by contrast, as a symptom of the robustness and flexibility of the…

All around the world, the importance of research undertaken within universities and other institutions of higher education is widely recognised by governments, industries and diverse stakeholders. Indeed, it is likely that the contribution of higher education in the generation of new ideas and knowledge, and as an economic driver, has never been…

Presents a typology of quality-assurance systems for higher education and evaluates the alternatives. Argues that total quality management strategies are best suited to higher education's purpose because the model is internal to the delivery of the service, continuous, and process-oriented, but notes, however, that there are deep, often…

Describes the different systems of formal governance in the U.K.'s old universities and in the public sector, the pressures on the system which led to the shift from elite to mass education, and consequent concerns about maintaining high academic standards while at the same time expanding access. Differences in management and governance between…

Postapartheid reforms in South Africa's higher education system pose difficult issues of power, authority and consensus, resource allocation, monitoring, and evaluation that directly affect institutional and sectoral interests and the interests of civil society and government. Despite strengths and capacities of the system, deep-seated tensions…

A survey of Australian university administrators examined issues and problems in university operations in the 1990s, following extensive reforms in the Australian higher education system. The survey investigated such factors as decision-making structures, characteristics of management practice, external influences on governance and management,…

Examines the overriding aims and purposes underlying the University of California's forms of governance and administration, viewed in terms of two broadly shared and mutually reinforcing principles: maximization of the university's autonomy and pursuit of its preeminence in every possible department, service, and activity. It is suggested that the…

An elementary mathematical model is used to analyze tuition and privatization policies for higher education institutions. One finding is that an appropriate tuition can increase the social income of alumni. Another salient finding is that some of the model's results are counterintuitive, suggesting its utility in decision making. Methodological…

Development of a national higher education market in Australia provides the opportunity for open-access universities to develop recruitment strategies based on the experience of North American institutions. Implications are drawn for focusing on student learning potential, reorganizing the curriculum, integrating recruitment and teaching/learning…

Discusses advantages and disadvantages of various types of career-supportive relationships that make up academic women's webs of intellectual, social, personal, and political ties, including formal mentoring, networking, and peer-support programs. Several strategies rooted in each of these models are presented, based on a review of current…

The use of metaphors to reshape both the perceptions and the climate of organizations is applied to the college/university context (e.g., the university as ecosystem, village, neighborhood). Organizational metaphor can be used in place of more formal, predictable management strategies to make organizational change more appealing to a diverse group…