From Truman to Johnson: Ad Hoc Policy Formulation In Higher Education

Using internal documents of the Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson Administrations, this paper discusses the policymaking roles of six White House commissions and task forces on higher education. The study concludes that (a) incremental policy changes proposed by these groups were more likely to be adopted by the White House than major policy changes, and (b) agency level reaction to a particular group’s proposals often sparked or curbed White House enthusiasm for the proposals.