How Universities Work

PREFACE

This little book introduces the world of university management . Many people become involved with the management of higher education institutions. While they may have extensive experience with other complex organizations as well as having been college students, they may not have an adequate frame of reference for understanding the processes that make universities successful. Trustees, faculty, students, legislators, alumni, newly appointed department chairs and deans, and even some experienced administrators may find this book useful. How Universities Work emphasizes research universities, institutions that participate significantly in the intensely competitive world of academic research. Although they form a relatively small percentage of the total number of postsecondary institutions and enroll a modest fraction of the total U.S. student population, they also represent many of the most prestigious universities. Their faculty and staff help define the nation’s research agenda, and their approach to undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate education tends to set a standard followed in varying degrees by the rest of the higher education industry. Most of the faculty and administration who have doctoral degrees acquire their academic values through their graduate experience at research universities. American research universities compete in and perhaps dominate the global university marketplace. As more countries join this competition, the techniques and operation of successful research institutions become ever more important. Most nations recognize that global economic prosperity requires a major investment in the development and operation of a dynamic Preface x Preface university sector in their countries. They believe that successful performance by their national research universities signals a nation capable of participating at the highest levels in global economic competition. This academic competitive achievement leads, many believe, to a stronger national presence in all areas of international activity and serves as a symbol of power and significance among the community of nations. Reflecting these beliefs, international efforts to measure the preeminence of national research programs have gained increasing attention, and technical arguments about the best methods for measuring research productivity and quality are highly sophisticated and fierce. How Universities Work does not resolve these global issues, but its approach reflects the larger conversation and focuses on effective ways to drive U.S. institutions to succeed within this context. This is not a cookbook for university administrators but a pragmatic approach to understanding the structure and dynamics of these remarkable institutions. Many will, of course, disagree with opinions and perspectives included here, but that is all to the good, as this book is the result of constant discussion . Further commentary will improve our understanding. Throughout the United States, universities of all types struggle to understand and adjust to competition, variable public support, resistance to tuition, dissatisfaction with various aspects of university life, endless demands for accountability, financial constraints, and a wide range of technological, bureaucratic, and organizational challenges. At the same time, universities find themselves ever more essential to the attainment of what most Americans consider a good life. Study after study demonstrates that a college education is a recognized prerequisite for access to middle-class standing in America. Parents seek educational advantages for their children at the earliest opportunity, and competition for places at prestigious institutions at every level of education, from preschool to Preface xi graduate and professional programs, remains intense. Some states in the South, Southwest, and West struggle to meet a growing demand for access from expanding populations. Others adjust to stable or even declining numbers of traditional collegeaged students. The nation expects the continued production of university research to drive global economic competitiveness, and each region and state looks to its universities to support the local economic development that promotes prosperity and promises higher-paying jobs for its residents. In this context, the management of universities, always more of an art than a science, challenges creativity and commitment. Faculty guilds seek higher pay, greater security, and more autonomy . Student clients and customers demand higher quality, lower cost, greater attention to their expectations, and more extensive amenities. Supporters in legislatures and the public seek better education for lower cost and with a higher yield. Alumni and donors expect high achievement and nationally distinguished programs in all areas, including winning sports teams. These expectations produce countervailing pressures on the institutions, their people, and their management tools. Universities must become more effective and efficient even as their traditional sources of funds contract. They must become more conscious of quality even as the pressure for lower costs grows stronger. They must...