THE FACULTY ROLE IN GOVERNANCE: A HISTORICAL ANALYSIS OF THE INFLUENCE OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS AND THE MIDDLE STATES ASSOCIATION ON ACADEMIC DECISION MAKING Author(s): COLLINS, VALERIE HAWKES Degree: PH.D. Year: 1995 Pages: 00526 Institution: NEW YORK UNIVERSITY; 0146 Advisor: Director: JAMES L. BESS Source: DAI, 56, no. 11A, (1995): 4291 Abstract: This historical study examined the evolution of the role of faculty in institutional governance between the 1960's and the 1990's. In the 1960's and 1970's faculty changed the structures and processes for participation in the governance of their institutions through such mechanisms as by-laws revision, formation of senates or collective bargaining units. In 1966 the AAUP published the Joint Statement on Government which identified the components of shared governance for trustees, presidents and faculty. This study examined the legacy of this period of innovation in governance.

Using Yin's (1989) concept of analytic generalization, four private colleges were selected as the sample for the study. Mintzberg's (1983a,b) theories on organizational structure and power provided the mechanism to examine power dynamics in academic organizations. A focus of this research was the relationship between two external influencers, the Middle States Association (MSA) and the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), and two internal influencers, faculty and their presidents. The manner in which each used power to effect changes in the formal governance structures over time was examined through case study analysis of the private colleges, analysis of MSA archival data, AAUP and higher education literature and interviews with college faculty, deans, presidents and experts on accreditation. Organizational design structures and power configurations in the four colleges were examined at the start and conclusion of the focal period of the study.

The results of the study are presented in six chapters that chronicle the histories of the two associations and four colleges. The findings suggest that the standards of the associations provided guidelines for faculty to implement during the focal period. Additionally, specific changes of each association during the historical period strengthened the real or potential influence of the association over the institution.

The results also indicate that Mintzberg's theories on power configurations provide a framework to examine how the professional associations influenced organizational behavior, and to identify the methods used by the faculty and their presidents, to alter the power dynamics in the institution. A third conclusion was that the faculty role changed during the focal period as the faculty assumed greater control over policies that affected faculty and a clearer voice in the decision making process in the institution.

Recommendations for the regional accrediting organizations, the American Association of University Professors, faculty and presidents, and researchers are addressed.