Page 262 - Crisis in Higher Education

Reforming Administration and Management • 233

The board, president, and provost would interview and evaluate the college
deans to determine their willingness and ability to operate in the new
environment, replacing quickly those who are judged to be unable to do so.
These efforts, which include a willingness to decentralize decision making
and give faculty a larger role in governance, are likely to be well received
by college faculty, even though there are aspects of the change that fac-
ulty may not like, For example, faculty may not embrace efforts to increase
their productivity and redefine their work as described in Chapter 12, but
they should see, on balance, a better way to educate students and conduct
research.
Although this is going on, the president, provost, and college deans are
evaluating and working with their VPs, deputies, associates, and assistants
to ensure they are onboard with the new ideas, gauge how the organiza-
tion will respond, and determine the best way to move forward with these
new priorities. This process is likely to take at least two years, but if this
is successful, key decision makers should be onboard and the change pro-
cess should be underway. The board, president, provost, and deans must
be steadfast in their commitment to change. Any wavering on the part
of these leaders would embolden the heart of the administration, which
could be called middle managers, to rise up and defeat change. The keys to
implementing radical change are executive leaders who are

1. Committed to the task; that is, they stay with it and push change
2. Supportive of the task and provide adequate resources to make
change
3. Involved in the design, implementation, and communication of
these efforts.

11.4.2 Summary of the Key Cultural Changes
There are a number of important attitudes and values, which are described
in Chapters 6 through 14, that must be altered if universities are to take
actions to address the root causes and underlying problems described in
this book. Table 11.1 provides a summary of the most important changes.
Universities must accept the idea that they face a trifurcated customer,
including governments and potential employers, and that the primary
goal of students and their support group is typically not the pursuit of
knowledge for its intrinsic value but rather securing good jobs and careers
and leading happy lives. Going forward, the United States and other