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…

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…

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…

Describes the use of a time-dependent Markov-chain model to develop faculty-replacement strategies within a college at a research university. The study suggests that a stochastic modelling approach can provide valuable insight when planning for personnel needs in the immediate (five-to-ten year) future. (MSE)

Examines five types of collegiate organizations (collegial, bureaucratic, political, anarchical, cybernetic) in terms of their interactiveness within closely and loosely coupled organizations. The terminology of closely and loosely coupled organizations is examined and existing definitions are refined. Examples are drawn from contemporary…

The "Teaching/Learning Project" at Miami-Dade Community College (Florida), a process of dramatic institution-wide change, is described, focusing on the leadership, collaboration, and coordination required to bring about desired changes. Examination of leadership roles include those of the change agent (project director), champion (president), and…

Examines trends in competitive tendering and contracting (i.e., outsourcing) in Australian universities and their implications for university administrators, using data from a survey of 29 institutions. Looks at institutional policies, costing methodologies, services contracted out, and reasons for contracting out services. Results indicate cost…

Study investigated faculty recruitment procedures across universities, departments, and sectors (public/private) in Australia, using reports from department heads and job applicants and case studies. Results revealed varied recruitment and selection strategies. Job applicants reported satisfaction with most but identified some areas needing…

A study investigated college and university trustees' perceptions of the reasons they were selected as trustees, the roles played by key actors in the selection process, and the nature of orientation activities available to new trustees. Subjects were 415 trustees from private colleges, public universities, community/technical colleges, and…

Analyzes competitive market forces within the global economy, multinational firms, and the United States labor market to provide a framework for a model projecting U.S. international training demand until 2005. Demand for internationally trained employees is estimated at 1.65 million by 2005, an average annual increase of 75,000. Over half will be…

Explores some legal issues and principles relevant to university administrators' decision-making processes, focusing on three areas: discretion (i.e., level at which a decision is made); procedural fairness (when it is required, what it applies to, rules, and biases); and review of decisions. Emphasis is on the Australian context. (MSE)