Studies on the identification of power bases within five Canadian universities were designed to develop a utility function for each sub-unit that will generate a series of power rankings. The unit of study is the faculty, and the tool is designed to identify the relative power of separate faculties and various combinations of faculties. Two power indices concerning budgetary allocation and academic policy-making are analyzed in this process. Five assumptions that form the basis for the derivation of the utility functions and power rankings are presented. The assumptions concern the external environment that affects the faculty, interaction with other faculties, and the formal governance structure. Faculty power is assessed by the Total System Interface Ranking and various power rankings with respect to policies concerning budgets, academic matters, and planning. The factors making up the Total System Interface Rank are the faculty's share of the university's inputs, the degree of constraint on the faculty exercised by outside agencies, the faculty's share of the university's outputs, and the type of interactions the faculty has with other faculties. Tables are presented for two of the universities on external interface relationships, committee structure, and internal interface relationships. External interface factors involve eight inputs, 10 constraints, and six outputs. (SW)