This study examined changes in private college governance during the years 1960-90, and at how external forces affected decision making structures and processes and at faculty's powers. The theoretical construct for the study was largely based on H. Mintzberg's (1983) concepts of organizational structure and power. Historical and case study methods were used to examine the evolution of faculty governance roles at four colleges, generically named Elite, Unionized, Traditional, and Crisis. The study found that standards and policies promulgated by both the Middle States Association and the American Association of University Professors had strengthened the faculty role in the governance process. It was also found that while Mintzberg's theories were useful in examining changes within the organizational life cycle of colleges, they were less useful in articulating differences within organizations. The study resulted in recommendations for the various groups concerned with faculty's role in governance: accrediting organizations, the American Association of University Professors, faculty, and college presidents and administrators. It is recommended that future research identify barriers to the implementation of findings concerning governance, consider how Mintzberg's theories on organizational dynamics might be applied, and increase utilization of analytic generalization in case study research on institutions of higher education. Four tables summarize data on faculty governance structures and processes. (Contains approximately 200 references.) (CH)