I argue that it is degrading (and therefore insulting) for university administrators to refer to students as "customers" or "consumers" and to refer to instructors as "vendors" or "service-providers." There is nothing inherently wrong with economic analysis, much less with economics as an academic…

Herein, C. A. Stanley comments on R. A. Leon's "Journal of Diversity in Higher Education" article, "The Chief Diversity Officer: An Examination of CDO Models and Strategies" that focuses on the role of the chief diversity officer (CDO) in higher education. Stanley, in her position as Vice President and Associate Provost…

In the spring of 2014, John Bragelman accepted an administrative position at a community college in Chicago. He struggled with the decision because it meant leaving the mathematics classroom, a space he calls home. As a critical educator, he had the opportunity to watch his students become critical participators in their communities, readers and…

Controversies over higher education governance are in the news these days. The most recent occurred this summer when several members of the board of the University of Virginia asked the president, Teresa A. Sullivan, to resign, only to be forced to reinstate her after protests from students, faculty, donors, alumni, and others. That situation…

Much has been written about the glass ceiling and pay differentials in higher and further education (HE, FE) for women academics (McTavish and Miller 2009, Rees 2007) but very little about discrepancies for women "professional managers" within UK higher education. Professional managers as a term needs to be defined as universities call…

Do campus IT departments harm higher education? Wall Street Journal personal-technology columnist Walt Mossberg suggested as much during a speech he gave to high-level administrators at last June's Chronicle of Higher Education presidents' forum. Mossberg caught the attention of campus CIOs when, according to the Chronicle, he described large IT…

In the academic world, there is an assumption of reasonable administrative conduct. In fact, to ensure such conduct, universities, like other public institutions, may have collective agreements to reinforce this assumption. However, in some cases, the university as employer can very quick off the mark should any faculty member wander into what it…

A discussion of the concept of professional practice for higher education institutions draws on organizational theory to examine the nature of higher education institutions, the use of power and influence, and the administrator's role. Some aspects of administrative practice requiring administrative attention include organizational instruments,…

Getting the authority necessary to edit an effective alumni periodical is discussed. According to an informal survey of 35 award-winning CASE editors, most are reasonably satisfied with their degree of authority. Many alumni magazines are dull because editors are afraid to rock the boat. (MLW)

An alternative conceptual framework to the traditional hierarchical bureaucratic picture of organizations is the "organized anarchy." How collective decisions are made, what university administrators can do to influence the input, process, and outcome of anarchic decision making, and points of leverage are discussed. (Author/MLW)

Provides a feminist critique of the prevailing conceptual frameworks and methods used to examine leadership in colleges and universities, focusing on four organizational frames (bureaucratic, collegial, political, and symbolic), and a feminist reinterpretation of definitions of leadership given by one male and one female college president. (SM)

Examined are the concept and results of collegiality in university governance. Problems are pinpointed that suggest a need for significant changes in the decision-making process. Modifications are proposed that would make university decision making more efficient and effective. (MSE)

Department chairs occupy what is arguably one of the most important administrative spots in a higher education institution. As a group, they set the academic tone of the institution and greatly facilitate or hinder the accomplishment of its mission. The various types of department chairs are described: hopeful, survivors, transient, and…

Involving women in institutional decision making does not necessarily create an environment in which women's issues are taken seriously. It may be that, as at Princeton, full professional acceptance of women by male colleagues comes only with distinguished scholarship, creativity, and productivity. (MSE)

Although women and minority administrators are becoming more common, they still must enter and learn to work within higher education institutions that are unaccustomed to their presence, much less leadership. Their careers often depend on whether they can successfully negotiate various double-bind situations. (Author/MSE)