Different contexts, same problems : a multiple case study of organizational change in interdisciplinary studies majors

Interdisciplinary Studies Majors (IDS) exist in a space between disciplinary silos. They are housed in variety of ways that sometimes mirror disciplinary departments. Despite their unique position at universities, IDS are susceptible to the same pressures from within and without the university as traditional disciplinary departments. This dissertation examines how IDS respond to these pressures and how their unique contexts influence those responses (Lattuca & Stark, 2009). A study of organizational change, this dissertation focuses on key moments of change in IDS. These moments include: a change to a new director, institution-wide budget cuts related financial instability, creation of new IDS, and a recently completed program review. Four IDS from West Coast R1, M1, and M2 universities were interviewed. Three findings emerged from qualitative analysis (Saldana, 2015): rigor means a variety of things on each campus but is rarely formally assessed; IDS rely on other departments to provide a significant amount of their coursework but relationships with these disciplinary majors vary; the culture IDS creates for its adjunct labor speaks to how the program is administers and how the program and adjunct faculty are invested in each other. Each of these findings points to various ways IDS create sustainable academic environments between disciplinary silos.