The professional preparation of educators is intensely and intrinsically political; this constitutes the external environment of the dean or chief administrator. What is true in the external environment of professional education is also true in the internal environment of the chief administrator of such programs. The different roles and functions of the administrator create competing pressures and demands that force the administrator to divide his or her time, talents, and energy. This is an intrinsically political process. Orderly politics is impossible without recognized structures and ground rules. This is equally true of the external and internal environments of the chief administrator. The term "constitution" refers to the basic purposes that guide a political entity and the fundamental structures in which those purposes will be sought. In this sense, any major social enterprise can be said to have a constitution, but so can any individual. Unless the administrator has a sense of consciousness about purpose and structure (i.e., a "constitution"), which is parallel to that which organizations require, the administrator will sooner or later encounter serious difficulties. (Author/JG)