EDLD 578 University of San Diego
Perrakis Fall 2009
EDLD 578: HIGHER EDUCATION ADMINISTRATION School of Leadership and Education Sciences University of San Diego Fall 2009 Professor: Teaching Assistant: Meeting Time: Meeting Location: Office: Office hours: Telephone Numbers: E‐mail:
Athena Perrakis, Ph.D. Kira Espiritu, Ph.D. Wednesday, 5:30‐8:20 p.m. MRH 139 MRH 275J By Appt: Tues. 11‐1. & Thurs. 2:30‐5:00 AP Office (619) 260‐8896 AP Cell (619) 518‐6733 KE Cell (619) 772‐5073 athena@sandiego.edu kespiritu@sandiego.edu
Course Description, Purpose, and Caveat Overview, format, and purpose This seminar is designed for masters and doctoral students who are interested in higher education administration as a career path. Like all facets of higher education, the administrative terrain is changing; today’s post‐secondary administrators must lead in a dynamic and fiscally‐restricted environment, facing issues of shifting student and faculty demographics, political forces shaping the institutional agenda, the impact of emerging technologies on the concept and delivery of higher education, a budgetary crisis, and much more. The job of leading a university is tougher than ever, but its rewards are plenty. Today’s presidents, provosts, vice presidents, deans and program directors are expected to manage the academic community (i.e., create communities from increasingly diverse populations; develop strategic goals that recognize and account for changes in recruitment, hiring, salary, and professional development policies; and exercise academic leadership in a context of diminishing financial and human resources) at the same time that they must lead their institution(s) toward national prominence. While no sixteen‐week course can truly prepare you for all of the complexities of a career in higher education administration, this seminar will provide you with a firm foundation upon which to build your knowledge of and experience in the field. Sessions and content will provide you with a practical and conceptual orientation to administration and familiarize you with the opportunities and challenges you are likely to face as chancellors, presidents, vice presidents, deans or program directors/coordinators. Both two‐ and four‐year (community college and university) administrative roles and responsibilities will be discussed. Please note that the format of this class is probably different from other graduate seminars you have taken on campus. Guest speakers will visit during almost every session for about half the class time. These visits and discussions are an integral part of the course experience – an incredible chance to learn from leaders in the field about information that cannot be found in
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EDLD 578 University of San Diego
Perrakis Fall 2009
textbooks. Assigned reading, writing, and group discussion will balance these real‐time perspectives. While this class has a broad title and covers an immense subject, it is also designed to be a highly personal experience for you. One of the textbooks is about charting your own personal career. Our speakers will raise issues that speak to you, and you are encouraged to develop one‐on‐one connections with our speakers that will last beyond the course. In many ways this is truly a course where you are required to grow personally and professionally as part of your grade. Take the time to enjoy the process and ask questions; think deeply about what you want out of your life and your career; and be introspective, using your papers and projects to help shape and define your unique plans for your future. Specific topics covered within the core curriculum include: • contexts of leadership (the importance of institutional traditions and culture; how the president and other administrators can remain sensitive to this culture while encouraging and managing change; how, when, and where change takes place); • governance (the role of governing boards; the relationship between the president/chancellor and the board of trustees, vice‐presidents/chancellors, and academic senate; how the president can impact the board's performance and vice versa; similarities and differences between boards of public and private institutions); • fundraising and institutional development/constituent relations; • administrative perspectives on budgets and financial management (introduction to the use of financial information in institutional decision‐making; how to be a better manager and user of financial information; strategies for improving campus productivity and cost containment); • building the administrative team (assessment of inherited staff and how to develop them into effective working teams; choosing one’s lieutenants wisely); • academic leadership (exerting leadership in the academic arena; how administrators sustain their own academic interests; being a colleague and supervisor to faculty all at once, successfully); • the life of the administrators: work‐life balance and time management, including salient differences in the experiences of male and female administrators; • articulating a vision (how the president, provost, vice presidents, and deans express a vision for their institution and call on others to help to achieve shared goals; the extent to which an administrator embodies her institution, and the pressures of being a leader through change); • strategic planning (the administrator’s role in designing and implementing strategic planning efforts; development and maintenance of institutional performance indicators); • theory and practice of leadership (how administrators envision their leadership, the theories guiding their actions, and how those theories translate to action). A word on participation Most of the value of this particular experience will come from the conversations that take place in class, with our guest speakers and after they leave. Therefore, you must, in order to pass this course with a grade of “B” or better, actively and regularly participate in class
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EDLD 578 University of San Diego
Perrakis Fall 2009
discussions. A variety of instructional methods (such as large and small group discussions, case studies, and other experiential exercises), will be used to further the objective of collaboration, communication, and full engagement. To ensure a comfortable and open environment for all who are present, classroom dialogue (both verbal and written, e.g., via e‐mail) must be respectful and courteous. Disrespectful behavior will not be tolerated. Given the content of the course, disagreements and controversies are to be expected. Our task is to listen with respect, try to learn from those moments when our views and beliefs are challenged, and “agree to disagree,” when strong opposing opinions are present. Roger Martin, in his book The Opposable Mind (HBS Press, 2007), speaks of “integrative thinking” through which one can hold “two conflicting ideas in constructive tension.” Martin argues that people can use this tension to generate new and better ideas than would otherwise emerge. All who are present this semester must work hard to create a space in which participants can find their intellectual and emotional “voice.” Students are expected to read assigned readings each week, attend every class (arrive on time to class), participate fully in class discussions, and provide feedback to peers when they present in class. If an emergency situation arises, and you cannot attend, or if you will be late, please leave one of us a message in advance (when possible) via cell phone. Students should come to class each week prepared to engage with peers, and offer comments, insights, or critiques of assigned readings. These will be shared either in small groups, or be used to facilitate a larger group discussion. If you demonstrate on one or more occasions that you have not completed assigned readings, you will receive an automatically lowered participation grade. And on a final note, I love my cell phone. But I don’t love yours when it goes off during class time. Please turn your phone OFF when you come to class, unless there are circumstances that require you to be available during class time. If you need to leave your phone ON please advise us. If your phone plays the Macarena while someone is speaking and you rush to shut it off, creating a massive scene and drawing a lot of attention your way in the process, you can count on a lowered participation grade and a Not Happy Professor. General course objectives Upon completion of this course, students should be able to: • Understand the complexities associated with leading an institution of higher education; • Compare and contrast the community college with its four‐year counterpart with respect to the roles and responsibilities of junior and senior administrators; • Identify, compare, and contrast administrators’ leadership philosophies and see – in person – how they put their philosophies into practice; • Recount important changes in higher education affecting the responsibilities and activities of chancellors, presidents, provosts, vice presidents, deans, and program directors/coordinators; • Comprehend two‐ and four‐year administrative organizational structures and hierarchies, especially significant differences between them;
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EDLD 578 University of San Diego • • •
Perrakis Fall 2009
Know some of the many challenges facing sitting presidents and trustees and identify solutions for problems based on readings, discussions, and assignments this semester; Anticipate the changes in higher education taking place today that will affect their own leadership in the years and decades to come; Determine whether or not a position of academic leadership is suited for them, and which ones best match their needs, objectives, and talents.
Required Texts and Other Materials Diamond, R.M. (2002). Field Guide to Academic Leadership. San Francisco: Jossey‐Bass. Martin, N.A. & Bloom, J.L. (2003). Career Aspirations & Expeditions: Advancing Your Career In Higher Education Administration. Champaign: Stipes. Sample, S.B. (2002). The Contrarian’s Guide To Leadership. San Francisco: Jossey‐Bass. Readings marked with an asterisk (*) on the schedule below are supplementary but required, and will be provided in PDF format well in advance of the session during which they will be discussed. COURSE OUTLINE Session Discussion Topic & Assigned Reading & date 1‐ 9/2 Introduction to course 2 – 9/9 Values, mission, vision, and context Values Explorer exercise Readings: • Diamond, Chapter 4 • Martin & Bloom, Chapters 1 & 2 • Sample, Introduction, Chapters 7 & 9 3 – 9/16 Approaches to leadership, leadership philosophies Guest speaker: TBD Readings: • Diamond, Chapters 3 & 6 • Sample, Chapters 4 & 6 4 – 9/23 Managing conflict and change in higher education Guest speaker: John Tortarolo, VP and Assistant Superintendent, Palomar College Readings: • Diamond, Chapters 2 & 5 • Sample, Chapters 1 & 2 5 – 9/30 Choosing a staff and building a team Guest speaker: Bob Brower, President, Point Loma Nazarene University Readings: • Martin & Bloom, Chapter 4 & Appendix B • Sample, Chapter 8 6 – 10/7 Trustee/board and presidential relations
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EDLD 578 University of San Diego
Perrakis Fall 2009
Guest speaker: TBD Readings: • Diamond, Chapter 22 • *Handbook on CEO‐Board Relations and Responsibilities by George R. Boggs 7 – 10/14 International education Guest speaker: Kira Espiritu, Director of International Study Abroad Programs, USD Readings: • *Espiritu, Campus Internationalization Initiatives: From Policy to Practice in Study Abroad Programming, Chapters 1 & 5 8 – 10/21 Fundraising, budgeting and resource allocation Guest speaker: Reggie Blaylock, Director of EOP and Ethnic Affairs, SDSU Readings: • Diamond, Chapter 18 9 – 10/28 Administrator‐faculty and administrator‐student relations Guest speaker: Penny Rue, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs, UCSD Readings: • Diamond, Chapter 19 10 – 11/4 Findings the right institutional “fit” for yourself Shadow project presentations part I Guest speaker: Guadalupe Corona, Director, Latino/a Initiatives, Alliant University Readings: • Martin & Bloom, Chapters 3, 8, & Appendix A 12 – 11/11 The life of an administrator: Finding balance and making time for family Shadow project presentations part II Readings: • *Additional readings TBD • Sample, Chapter 3 13 – 11/18 The rewards and challenges of middle management Shadow project presentations part III Guest speaker: Andrew Allen, Associate Provost, USD Readings: • *Clegg & McAuley, Conceptualizing Middle Management in Higher Education • Sample, Chapter 10 14 – 12/2 Decision‐making and the dirty work of leadership Guest speaker: Danene Soares, Instructional Dean, Cuyamaca College Readings: • Diamond, Chapter 27 • Sample, Chapter 5 15 – 12/9 Final class meeting: The future of academic administration Guest speaker: Mary Lyons, President, USD Readings: • Sample, Conclusion
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EDLD 578 University of San Diego
Perrakis Fall 2009
COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND EVALUATION CRITERIA Point breakdown Timeline and statement of professional intent ‐ final draft 40 Shadow project 40 Attendance and participation 20 Total 100 points possible Course Requirements You have two assignments due this semester: A timeline and statement of professional intent and the administrative “shadow” project. You are also graded on participation and attendance. Timeline and statement of professional intent In 8‐10 pages, your task is to outline (as clearly as possible) the next twenty years of your life with an emphasis on how you intend for your career path to unfold. Specifically, detail your progress toward degree(s) you intend to earn, and the kinds of positions you seek to pursue beyond graduation. Where do you think/hope will you be in 2029? And most importantly, WHY? This project is graded on quality of writing, level of depth, and clarity of vision. Administrative “shadow” project Consider this a “day in the life” experience: You are going to choose an administrator to shadow for one day on the job. We want you to be a fly on the wall for a day to get a real‐life glimpse into the world of college and university administration. There will be two products you will produce from this experience. 1) A written report (6‐8 pages) on the experience, in which you recount and reflect on your observations, connect the observations to appropriate readings/theories, and offer new ideas or conceptualizations of higher education administration. The written report will be graded on the level of detail you provide, the person’s role you chose to shadow and its relevance to your personal career goals, and your ability to connect your experience to the lessons and concepts learned in class this semester. 2) An oral presentation. Your presentation should be 10 minutes in length and can be multimedia if you use slides or powerpoint. You will be graded on professionalism, engagement, clarity, and choice of material to present. Participation, feedback, and attendance Students are expected to read assigned readings each week, attend every class (arrive on time to class), participate fully in class discussions, and provide feedback to peers when they present in class. If an emergency situation arises and you cannot attend, or if you will be late, please leave one of us a message in advance (when possible) via cell phone.
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EDLD 578 University of San Diego
Perrakis Fall 2009
IMPORTANT NOTES TO STUDENTS Incompletes Students who fail to fulfill the requirements of this course will receive an “incomplete.” The requirements must be met by the end of the tenth week of the next regular semester; otherwise, the “I” grade will be magically transform into an “F.” Disability Services Students with disabilities who believe that they may need accommodations in the class are encouraged to contact Disability Services (x4655) as soon as possible to better ensure that such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion. Academic Integrity You should avail yourself of USD’s academic integrity policies this semester, and only submit for grades in this class work that you (and/or your group) produced on your own without illegitimate assistance.
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