Preparing Mid-Level Professionals for the Future in Postsecondary Education

31 Dreeben, Robert. "The School as a Workplace" in R. M. W. Travers, (ed.). Second Handbook of Research on Teaching. Chicago: Rand McNally, 1973. Hedberg, Bo L.T., Paul C. Nystrom, and William H. Starbuck. "Camping on See­ saws: Prescriptions for a Self-Designing Organization." Admini­ strative Science Quarterly. 21, 1 (1976) 41-65. Lortie, Dan C. Schoolteacher: A Sociological Study. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1973. Meyer, John W. and Brian Rowan. "Notes on the Structure of Educational Orga­ nizations: Revised Version." Department of Sociology and Center for Research and Development in Teaching, Stanford University. Paper prepared for annual meeting of American Sociological Associa­ tion, San Francisco, California, August 1975. Pettigrew, Andrew. Internal Politics and the Emergence and Decline of De­ partmental Groups. Working paper, London Graduate School of Busi­ ness Studies, 1974. Weick, Karl E. "Educational Organizations as Coupled Systems." Administra­ tive Science Quarterly. 21 (March 1976) 1-19. PREPARING MID-LEVEL PROFESSIONALS FOR THE FUTURE IN POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION Brent W. Poppenhagen and Melvin Dunn Cleveland State University A need for educational practitioners is appearing in government, busi­ ness, health care, and nonprofit organizations. Like many higher education specialists, these educators often work as managers, designers, instructors, counselors, and consultants. How can higher education programs serve this broader range of postsecondary educators? Indeed, is there a need for educa­ tors whose competencies and knowledge are derived from or are congruent with the study of higher education? The purpose of this article is to address those questions by (1) summarizing a perspective on graduate programs in higher education; (2) identifying a market for trained specialists innoncollegiate organizations; (3) specifying the needs which broader audiences may bring to higher education programs; (4) identifying goals and methodolo­ gies for program development; and (5) proposing a postsecondary education master's degree program designed to meet the needs of an expanded range of educators and organizations. Graduate Programs in the Field of Higher Education: A Perspective Schein (1972) suggested that, "Professionals have become unresponsive to the needs of many classes of ultimate clients or users of their services" (p. 50). A similar charge has been leveled by business and industry from whom the current rhetoric cites higher education, in general, as unresponsive and slow to change. Broudy (1979) restated this classic concern viewing aca­ demic guild specialization as, " . . . an obstacle to both professional and liberal education in a modern university" (p. 642). Newer areas of study, including the field of higher education, may inadvertently be limiting the boundaries by which they are defined. A very healthy and necessary debate fostered by the Association for the Study of Higher Education's Committee on Research Agendas and Taxonomy is an example. This Committee faces the task of defining the field of higher education as related primarily to colleges and universities or, in a broader sense, to "Postsecondary Education." Ulti­ 32 mately, resolution to so basic a question may influence the nature of gra­ duate programs in higher education and the individuals and organizations this emerging field of study will serve in the future. Some universities do anticipate a movement toward expanded and redirec­ ted contexts for graduate education. Budig (1976) reported research done among 20 Midwest universities concerning their planning for the future of graduate education. None of the universities intended to shelve even one of their graduate programs. The study also revealed that: One-fourth of the institutions had a definite interest in devising graduate programs which would meet specific needs of business and industry; one-fifth of the insti­ tutions believed that they needed to work toward some change of graduate student attitudes toward industrial research and development; and a majority of the institu­ tions were receptive to the idea of developing graduate programs which are more interdisciplinary, or ones which carry multiple professional options (pp. 699-700). The future for professional education programs may reside with this desire to preserve graduate programs when coupled with program development aimed at serving new clients. Business, community, and government agencies, embody emerging units, such as training and development offices, where educators may serve in increasing numbers. It is the thesis of this paper, that programs which traditionally pre­ pare higher education specialists for service in...