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Xerox University Microfilms 300 North Zoob Road Ann Arbor, MJcMgwi 40106 7 6 -72 ,431 DOBBS, John Wesley, 1931A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY OF THE IMPACT OF EXTERNAL INFLUENCE ON POLICY DECISION MAKING AS PERCEIVED BY COMMUNITY COLLEGE PRESIDENTS AND BOARD CHAIRPERSONS AT SIX SELECTED COMMUNITY COLLEGES IN MICHIGAN. Michigan State U n ive rs ity, P h .D ., 1975 Education, conmunlty colleges Xerox University Microfilms t Ann Arbor, M ichigan 46106 4 A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY OF THE IMPACT OF EXTERNAL INFLUENCE ON POLICY DECISION MAKING AS PERCEIVED BY COMMUNITY COLLEGE PRESIDENTS AND 80ARD CHAIRPERSONS AT SIX SELECTED COMMUNITY COLLEGES IN MICHIGAN By John W. Dobbs A DISSERTATION Submitted to Michigan State U n iversity in p a rtia l fu lfillm e n t of the requirements fo r the degree o f DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department o f Administration and Higher Education 1975 ABSTRACT A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY OF THE IMPACT OF EXTERNAL INFLUENCE ON POLICY DECISION MAKING AS PERCEIVED BY COMMUNITY COLLEGE PRESIDENTS AND BOARD CHAIRPERSONS AT SIX SELECTED COMMUNITY COLLEGES IN MICHIGAN By John W. Dobbs Problem The problem was to adapt a th e o re tic a l model using a concep­ tual framework of decision making in an open systems environment, to determine convnunity college leadership perceptions of influence from external sources. The focus of the an a ly sis, then, was the Individual perceptions o f six community college presidents and six board of trustee chairpersons r e la tiv e to the Impact of external Influences upon th e ir dec1sion-maklng responsibi1i t i e s . The model: 1. served as a means o f providing inform ation about decision making in the community c o lleg e , and gained more insights into the nature and m otivation o f decision making by com­ munity college presidents and board chairpersons; 2 . showed to what exten t, i f any, the desires and concerns of the students and local community influence impacted upon decisions o f the community college presidents and board chairpersons; and 3. discussed whether the community co lleg e, as 1t functions today, can or should f u l f i l l the ro le o f change agent w ithin the community. John W. Dobbs Procedure The study was exploratory and d escrip tive in nature, two approaches being u tiliz e d : 1. Relevant lite r a tu r e was studied in the areas of decision­ making models, open systems th e o rie s, theories o f power and In flu en ce, and organizational and adm inistrative lit e r a t u r e ; and 2. An adapted questionnaire Instrum ent--Research Design Questionnaire on External Influences—was developedto determine perceptions o f external Influences as In t e r ­ preted by six community college presidents and six board chairpersons. Conclusions and major findings were based on analyses o f the questionnaire responses and dialogue from the personal interview s. Results In this study, the community colleges were viewed as open systems th a t in te ra c t w ith the environment in an adaptive manner to sustain th e ir existence. Environmental Influence Is f e l t from specific external sources as w ell as in te rn a l. Such external Influence was considered as multidimensional In nature. The conceptual model used to determine perceptions o f influence from external sources had fiv e dimensions: strength, frequency, basis, d ire c tio n , and favorableness; and three thrust le v e ls : n atio n al, s ta te , and lo c a l. This multidimensional conceptual scheme provided c la r if ic a ­ tion and greater understanding of the nature and ch ara cte ris tic s of influence from the three levels and various sources of Influence. The In te rre la tio n s h ip of the dimensions used In th is study tended to sup­ port much o f the theory and lite r a tu r e on power and Influence. John W. Dobbs This multidimensional approach also provided the groundwork fo r in te rp re tin g the perceptions o f the six conmunlty college p resi­ dents and six board chairpersons as to the Influence o f the external environment. E s s e n tia lly , the data revealed th a t the six community college presidents and six board chairpersons perceived the local level as being most In flu e n tia l In th e ir decision-making processes. There was general consensus on the following organizations or groups w ithin the three levels as being most In flu e n tia l: National Level—A ccreditation associations State Level —The state le g is la tu re Local Level —Conmunlty college advisory committees F in a lly , the community college was perceived by a consensus of the respondents as a change agent during a period of rapid change. DEDICATION To my w ife , M ildred; my son, K ile y; and my daughter, K e lly , a ll o f whom represent the essence o f my l i f e , and my love. To rr\y mother, Mrs. Bertha B. Dobbs, who has provided, with C h ristian love and fam ily devotion, unrem itting f a it h and m otivation to my being and ambition; my fo s te r fa th e r, Mr. C o llin s Dobbs, who has dedicated his ideals and his l i f e to his fam ily; and to my fa th e r, John Wesley Dobbs, J r . , whom I never knew, but I'd lik e to think th a t he would feel ra th e r proud at th is moment. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS There 1s much to be said about many Individuals who assisted the w rite r in c o lle c tin g the inform ation, compiling and analyzing the data, and the process o f w ritin g and rew ritin g th is d is s e rta tio n . I n i t i a l l y , the w rite r extends g ratitu d e and thanks to Dr. James Nelson, chairman o f my doctoral guidance committee, whose sagacious counsel and acute perceptions provided immeasurable under* standing and invaluable assistance during the crucial developmental stages of th is study. The w rite r would also lik e to recognize and conmend the mem­ bers of the guidance committee: Dr. Richard Gonzalez, who so graciously f i l l e d 1n fo r Dr. Winston Oberg; Dr. Dale Alam, a constant source of reassurance; and esp e cia lly Dr. Lloyd C ofer, who is always a v a ila b le to provide wisdom, professional e x p e rtis e , and frie n d ly advice. Dr. Calvin Moore, a man fo r a l l seasons, whose scholarly advice, s ta tis tic a l assistance, commitment, and Invaluable dependability were cru cial to the completion of th is study. A special note o f appreciation to: Ms. Evelyn Haynes, who was Instrumental 1n typing the o rig in a l proposal; Dr. Robert Royal and Ms. Fran McMullen, fo r th e ir early assistance in e d itin g ; Ms. Claudette Nelson, fo r her typing and editing assistance 1n the f in a l stages; and Mrs. Sue Cooley, fo r her s a c rific e and assistance during a period of need. And many thanks to those too numerous to mention, fo r th e ir contributions. F in a lly , to my best frie n d , Dr. Charles W. Townsel, fo r his continuing In s p ira tio n and f a i t h , and fo r his frie n d s h ip , 1n the Emerson tra d itio n . 1v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES....................................................................................................... v l i i Chapter I. II. III. ..PRODUCTION...................................................................................... 1 Background Information .............................................................. B rie f H is to ric a l Notes ......................................................... 1963 C onstitution Provides State Control .................... Statement o f the P rob lem .................. .................................... Need fo r the S tu d y ...................................................................... D e fin itio n s o f T e rm s .................................................................. Lim itations of the S tu d y .......................................................... O verview ............................................... * ...................................... 1 2 2 5 7 10 12 12 REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE............................................................. 15 Studies on College Decision Making ..................................... The Helsabeck M o d e l ............................................................. Systems Theory .............................................................................. Theories o f Power and Influence ......................................... Organizational and A dm inistrative L ite ra tu re ................ Summary . . . . . ...................................................... . . . . 16 17 22 25 27 32 RESEARCH DESIGN AND PROCEDURES OF THE S T U D Y ..................... 34 Introduction .................................................................................. The General Procedure o f the Study . . . . . ................. Description of the SampleEmployed........................................ Instrumentation Employed and Methods Used to C o llect D a t a .............................................................................. Survey Q u e s tio n n a ire .................... V alid atio n of the Questionnaire Instrument ................ Personal Interviews . ......................................................... The Six Selected Conmunity Colleges ............................. The Role and Function of the Community College P r e s i d e n t .................... The Role and Function of the Community College Board o f Trustees C h a ir p e r s o n ......................................... Summary .......................................................................... 34 35 36 v 37 37 39 39 40 42 43 44 Chapter IV, Page ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF THE DATA..................... 45 Questionnaire Responses ......................................................... Table Series 1-6—Most In flu e n tia l Levels ................. Sum m ary.......................................................................... 57 Table Series 7-11—National Sources of Influence . . The Most In flu e n tia l National External Sources . . . Table Series 12-16--S tate Sources of Influence . . . The Most In flu e n tia l State External Sources . . . . Table Series 17-21--Local Sources o f Influence . . . The Most In flu e n tia l Local External Sources . . . . Sum m ary.......................................................................... 77 Table Series 22-26 --N a rrativ e Responses to Questionnaire ...................................................................... Results o f the Personal Interviews ..................................... Perceptions o f External Influences as Related by Two Rural Community College Presidents and Two Board Chairpersons ......................................................... National Sources of Influence ......................................... State Sources o f In flu e n c e ................................................. Local Sources of In f lu e n c e ................................................. Some General Perceptions o f the Purpose and Function o f the Community College a t the Rural Level . . . . Perceptions on External Influences as Related by Two Suburban Community College Presidents and Two Board Chairpersons ......................................................... National Sources o f Influence ......................................... State Sources o f In f lu e n c e ................................................... Local Sources o f In f lu e n c e ................................................... Some General Perceptions o f the Purpose and Function o f the Community College a t the Suburban Level .......................................................................... Perceptions on External Influences as Related by Two Urban Community College Presidents and Two Board C hairpersons.................................................................. National Sources of Influence ......................................... State Sources o f In f lu e n c e ................................................... Local Sources o f In f lu e n c e .................................................. Some General Perceptions of the Purpose and Function o f the Community College a t the Urban Level . . . . Sum m ary.......................................................................................... V. 48 49 57 62 64 68 71 75 78 84 85 86 86 87 87 88 89 90 92 93 94 95 96 98 100 101 SUMMARY OF THE STUDY AND CONCLUDING REMARKS..................... 103 Summary o f Major Findings ..................................................... Findings Related to the Seven Questions Posed Under "Need fo r the S tu d y " ............................................. 104 vi 105 Chapter Page Im plications of the S t u d y ..................................................... Reconvnendations fo r Further R esearch................................. C onclu sio n ...................................................................................... Some Personal Observations ..................................................... APPENDICES............................................................................................................. 110 Ill 113 114 118 A. APPENDIX TABLES............................................................................... 119 B. LETTER TO COWUNITY OF SCHOLARS.............................................. 129 C. LETTER TO COMMUNITY COLLEGE PRESIDENTSAND BOARD CHAIRPERSONS RELATIVE TO QUESTIONNAIRE AND PERSONAL INTERVIEW; PERSONAL INTERVIEW GUIDE .............................. 131 RESEARCH DESIGN QUESTIONNAIRE ON EXTERNALINFLUENCES 136 D. . BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................................... v 11 152 LIST OF TABLES Table 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7- 8. 9. 10. Page How Much Influence Has Each of the Following Levels— N atio n al. State* Local--Had on Your College's Goals* Methods, and Programs During the Past Year? . . 49 How Frequently Ha*e the Following Levels--N ationa1, S tate, Local— Exerted Influence on Your College During the Past Y e a r? .................................................................. 50 In Thinking Over Your Responses, What Has Been the Nature o f Influence on Your College From Each of the Following Levels—N a tio n a l, S ta te , Local — During the Past Y e a r? ...................................................... 51 What Have Been the Mechanisms Used by Your College to Handle Influence From Cach o f tne Following Levels—N a tio n a l, S ta te , Local— During the Past Year? . 53 For Each of the Following Levels—N ational, S ta te , Local--What Do You Think Has Been Its Predominant D irection o f Influence Upon Your College's Goals, Methods and Programs During the Past Year? ..................... 55 How Would You Characterize the Predominant Basis or Form of External Influence From Each of the Following Levels—N atio n al, S ta te , Local—During the Past Year? . 56 How Much Influence Has Each o f the Following National Sources Had on Your College's Goals, Methods and Programs During the Past Y e a r ? ................................. 58 How Frequently Has Each o f the Following National Sources Exerted Influence on Your College During the Past Y e a r ? ................................................................. 59 In Thinking Over Your Responses, What Has Been the Nature of Influence on Your College From Each o f the Following National Sources During the Past Year? For Each of the Following National Sources What Do You Think Has Been Its Predominant D irection o f I n f lu e n c e ? ........................ v 1 11 . 60 61 How Would You Characterize the Predominant Basis or Form o f External Influence From Each of the Following National Sources During the Past Year? . . . 62 How Much Influence Has Each o f the Following S tate Sources Had on Your C ollege's Goals. Methods and Programs During the Past Year? ............................................. 64 How Frequently Has Each o f the Following State Sources Exerted Influence on Your College During the Past Year? ...................................................................................... 65 In Thinking Over Your Responses. What Has Been the Nature of Influence on Your College From Each o f the Following State Sources During the Past Year? ................ 66 For Each of the Following State Sources What Do You Think Has Been It s Predominant Direction of Influence? ...................................................................................... 67 How Would You Characterize the Predominant Basis or Form o f External Influence From Each o f the Following State Sources During the Past Year? ................. 68 How Much Influence Has Each o f the Following Local Sources Had on Your C ollege's Goals, Methods and Programs During the Past Year? ............................................. 71 How Frequently Has Each o f the Following Local Sources Exerted Influence on Your College During the Past Year? .................................................................................................. 72 In Thinking Over Your Response, What Has Been the Nature o f Influence on Your College From Each o f the Following Local Sources During the Past Year? . . . 73 For Each of the Following Local Sources What Do You Think Has Been It s Predominant D irection o f Influence? ...................................................................................... 74 How Would You Characterize the Predominant Basis or Form o f External Influence From Each o f the Following Local Sources During the Past Year? ..................................... 75 What S p ecific Issues 1n Your College Have Brought the Most Influence From Sources a t the N atio n al. S ta te , and Local Levels? ......................................................... 79 ix Table 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. Page Do You Perceive Your Community College as a Change Agent. B eneficial to the Study Body and the Community Which the College Serves? ..................................... 80 L is t the Major Areas of Change Resulting From Your Role as President or Board Chairperson That Have Had Some Measurable Impact Upon the Community and/or the Student Population ...................................................................... 81 Id e n tify the Positive Factors In Your Relationship With External Sources o f Influence ..................................... 82 Id e n tify the Negative Factors 1n Your Relationship With External Source Representatives ................................. 83 In What Ways, I f At A l l , Would You Do Things D iffe re n tly in the Future in Responding to External Sources o f Influence? ............................................. 84 How Much Influence Has Each o f the Following N atio n al, S tate, and Local Sources Had on Your College's Goals, Methods, and Programs During the Past Year? , . 120 How Frequently Has Each o f the Following N ational, S ta te , and Local Sources Exerted Influence on Your College During the Past Y e a r ? ..................................... 121 In Thinking Over Your Responses, What Has Been the Nature of Influence on Your College From Each of the Following N atio n al, S tate, and Local Sources During the Past Y e a r? ................................................................ 122 What Mechanisms Have Been Used by Your College to Handle Influence From Each of the Following N atio n al, S ta te , and Local Sources During the Past Year? . . . . 123 For Each o f the Following N atio n al, S ta te , and Local Sources, What Do You Think Has Been It s Predominant Influence Upon Your College's Goals, Methods, and Programs During the Past Y e a r ? ............................................ 124 How Would You Characterize the Predominant Basis or Form of External Influence From Each o f the Following N atio n al, S ta te , and Local Sources During the Past Y e a r? ................................................................ 125 In General, How Do You Feel Your College Views Its External Environment? .................................................................. 126 x Table 35. 36. 37. Page In General* What Part Have External Sources Played 1n Influencing Your College's Goals* Methods, and A c t i v i t i e s ? ...................................................................................... 127 In General* How Much Influence Do You Feel Your College Has F e lt During the Past Year From External Sources of Influence a t the N atio n al, S ta te , and Local L e v e ls ? .......................................................................... 127 Personal Data fo r Presidents and Board Chairpersons . . . 128 xi CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Background Information A m ajority of the general public views going to school today— whether elementary, secondary or col le g e --p rim a rily as an in tera c tio n between student and teacher 1n the classroom. o f a complex s itu a tio n . This Is a simple view Education In contemporary society is much more than th is singular in tera c tio n ; i t 1s a major and pervasive social In s titu tio n , subject to the re le n tle s s pressures o f other forms of power and Influence in society. For example, the d ire c tio n and destiny of modern public education has been s ig n ific a n tly guided, shaped, and influenced by the p o litic a l sector of society. A study is needed of one p a rtic u la r aspect o f the community college movement in Michigan and of the reactions o f these In s titu ­ tions to Informal external influences on th e ir policy-making ro le s , accruing from p o lit ic a l, business, and governmental sectors. In th is study, an attempt is also made to determine external influences upon decision making to the extent that such Influences have resulted in major policy change th a t has e ith e r benefited or fa ile d to b en efit the student body and/or the imnediate community. 1 2 B rie f H is to ric a l Notes Grand Rapids Junior College was Michigan1s f i r s t extant p u blicly supported two-year colleg e, established In 1914 as part of the Grand Rapids school d is t r ic t . Eight other "junior" colleges were established before 1940, but I t was not u n til a ft e r World War I I that the tremendous growth period In establishing community colleges occurred In Michigan, as i t did throughout the country. Since that tim e, twenty-one other colleges of th is type have been founded In Michigan. The e a r lie s t le g is la tio n s p e c ific a lly pertaining to Michigan community colleges was passed in 1955. This a ct also provided that local K-12 school systems could set up community colleges 1n th e ir d is tr ic ts upon approval of the Superintendent o f Public In s tru c tio n . 1963 C onstitution Provides State Control Probably the most s ig n ific a n t milestone in the development o f higher education 1n Michigan was the adoption o f a new s ta te con stitu ­ tion In 1963. This act entrusted to a newly constituted State Board of Education leadership and general supervision over a ll public edu­ catio n , including adult education. This Board was expected to serve as a general planning and coordination body fo r a ll public education, including higher education, and was instructed to advise the le g is la ­ ture on the fin an cial requirements o f such education. The only exceptions to th is budgeting requirement were the baccalaureatedegree-granting in s titu tio n s . The Constitution also provided means fo r the le g is la tu re to establish and provide fin a n c ia l support fo r public convnunlty and ju n io r 3 colleges. I t directed the le g is la tu re to provide fo r a S tate Board of Public Community Colleges, which was to advise the State Board o f Education concerning supervision and planning o f comnunlty colleges. Almost as an addendum, the State Board o f Education was granted au th o rity to define fu ll-tim e enrollment and fu ll-tim e equated or fis c a l enrollment fo r purposes of s ta te reimbursement. The local boards o f trustees o f community college d is tr ic ts (some community colleges are formed according to interm ediate [secon­ dary] school d is t r ic t lin e s ) had the power to acquire property fo r the college b u ild in g s, to erect buildings and f a c i l i t i e s , to budget funds fo r purposes of h irin g adm inistrators, and to pass on other decisions th a t, in t h e ir judgment, were necessary fo r the proper functioning of the cormiunity colleges (Morsch, 1971). The placement o f the overall planning and coordination function by the 1963 C onstitution in the S tate Board of Education has led to a marked increase in the q u a lity and d e ta il of planning fo r the s ta te 's In s titu tio n s of higher education. The Board o f Education is responsible, fo r example, fo r providing In s tltu tlo n b y -In s titu tio n projects of enrollm ent, thus forcing a l l In to a coordinated planning framework (Morsch, 1971). There 1s widespread In tere s t 1n the community college because i t 1s one o f the few social organizations, since the establishment o f public schools, that attempts to respond d ir e c tly to the needs o f the c itiz e n and cormiunity. The I n it ia l phases o f any noble idea are often suffused with outward s in c e rity and high purpose. But the r e a lit y o f social organizations is th a t they must function In and respond to an environment of varying and often c o n flic tin g pressures and influences. A major impetus fo r the study was provided by the work o f Ensign (1972), who developed a conceptual scheme fo r understanding how 4 adm inistrators In tw en ty-five New York community colleges perceived and responded to Influence from sources 1n th e ir external environment. Viewing comnunity colleges as open systems. Ensign followed the suggestions o f Katz and Kahn (1966) 1n deciding th a t the study . . . should begin by determining the nature and c h a ra cte ris tic s o f the environment 1n which comnunity colleges e x is t. This was accomplished by determining how community college adm inistrators perceive potential sources o f external Influence. The dimen­ sions o f Influence from sources 1n the collegers external envi­ ronment set lim its on the variance o f behavior a college may exercise. The second stage o f the study moved from the envi­ ronmental level to th a t of the system level and to the subsys­ tems o f In s titu tio n a l response. Various dimensions o f In s tit u ­ tio nal response 1n d iffe r e n t environments were explored to determine how they re la te d to variatio n s in perceived environ­ mental settings (pp. 259-60). Although Ensign's study provided the conceptual scheme fo r th is study, there are some basic differences between the two research e ffo rts . 1. Ensign used tw en ty-five cormiunity colleges fo r one study, and eig h t o f those fo r his second phase. This study concentrated on only six in s titu tio n s . 2. The Ensign study did not distinguish among In s titu tio n s . This study selected two cormuinity colleges, each in three geographical and socio-economic levels— r u r a l, urban, and suburban. 3. Ensign interviewed a ll to p -le ve l adm inistrators from deans up, and various state and federal o f f ic ia ls . This study was lim ited to e lic it in g the perceptions only o f the college presidents and board chairpersons. 4. parts: The Ensign study was divided into two separate and d is tin c t 5 a. adm in istrato rs1 perceptions o f Influence from external sources (tw e n ty -fiv e colleges) and b. In s titu tio n a l response pattern to influence from external sources (e ig h t co lleg es). This study combined the two. assuming that the perceptions of the presidents and board chairpersons would be r e fle c tiv e o f the in s titu tio n . 5. F in a lly , determining the cormiunity college as a change agent was not an o b jec tive o f the Ensign study. This study was par­ tic u la r ly interested in gathering data on the perceptions o f the com­ munity college leadership regarding whether the college represents a channel fo r change. The area of organizational development and change, although I t s e l f an emerging movement, denotes the significance o f external influence In bringing about change in an organization. Greiner (1967), in reviewing successful and unsuccessful change attempts, noted that c e rta in environmental factors are important fo r in it ia t in g a successful change program in an organization. Other exponents o f change, including Bennls, Blake and Morton, and Scheln, also have stressed the response and adaptive actions taken by an in s titu tio n in dealing with It s envi­ ronment. These concepts are valuable in a rriv in g a t operational terms fo r describing the response patterns o f community colleges to external i nfluence. Statement of the Problem In the view o f some observers, people tend to serve American in s titu tio n s instead o f these in s titu tio n s serving people. I f people 6 are Important, then 1t would seem th a t the purpose of e s ta b lis h in g , developing, and perpetuating In s titu tio n s would be fo r the functioning In s titu tio n to serve people! I f the two-year college 1s tr u ly a conmunity-orlented In s titu tio n , i t must con tin u ally In te ra c t w ith its environment In responding to community a ttitu d e s and needs (Blocker, Pluimier and Richardson, 1965). The problem 1s to adapt a th eo retical model using a conceptual framework of decision making in an open systems environment, to d eter­ mine community college leadership perceptions o f influence from external sources. The focus of the a n a ly s is , then, was the individual percep­ tions of six community college presidents and chairpersons about the Impact of external influences upon th e ir decision-making re s p o n s ib ili­ t ie s . The emphasis of this study was exploratory; the study is des­ c rip tiv e in nature. The model w ill serve as a means of providing Information about decision making in the community college and gaining more insights Into the nature and motivation o f decision making by community college presidents and board chairpersons. Second, the model w ill show to what e x te n t, i f any, the desires and concerns o f the students and local community influence had an Impact upon decisions o f the community college board chairperson and president. I t is d i f f i c u l t , 1 f not impossible, to separate education from p o litic s in the highly com petitive and m a te r ia lis tic a lly oriented a c t iv itie s of contemporary American society. " H is to ric a lly , education and p o litic s have been mixed, [th e two being] r e a litie s o f American l i f e " (Iannacone, 1967, p. 6 ). But is i t possible to set the p o litic s 7 o f education aside so that primary consideration can be accorded the goals of education and the needs o f the community? The conclusions resu ltin g from th is study should provide information about and greater Insight In to decision making fo r community college policy makers. T h ird , the model w ill be o f in te re s t to th a t segment of the educational community th a t must come to grips w ith the fundamental question of whether the community co lleg e, as i t functions today, can or should f u l f i l l the ro le o f change agent w ith in the community. If th is assumption holds tru e , then the purpose and actions o f the com­ munity college must transcend s e lf-in te r e s t groups and p o litic a l biases to focus on providing it s student population and community c itiz e n ry w ith bold, in s ig h tfu l leadership th a t endeavors to prepare individuals fo r liv in g and succeeding in a technological world under humanistic guidelines. Need fo r the Study In th e ir textbook on governing American schools, Campbell e t a l . (1965) stated: "Educational policy making at a l l governmental levels is Immersed in p o litic s and by d e fin itio n educational policy making Is p o litic a l action" (p. 404). The documented studies expounding the d ire c t and tremendous influence o f elected governmental o f f ic ia ls on educational in s t it u ­ tions in general are widely acknowledged. Although th is form of con­ tro l and influence must be duly noted in any study o f an American educational in s titu tio n , i t is also necessary to Include a v a rie ty o f considerations beyond these very obvious and c o n s titu tio n a lly responsible 8 sources o f power and c o n tro l. For example, the question to be con­ sidered is the degree to which the w ill o f the le g is la tu re prevails on decisions made by in d ividual community college adm inistrators com­ pared to the w ill and desires of external and informal sources o f in fluence, such as community action groups, business and convnercial in te re s ts , educational organizations (AAJCC, MEA, MFT, AASA), the governor's o ffic e , the State Board o f Education, U.S. O ffic e o f Edu­ catio n , student groups, and c itiz e n s . I f the cormiunity college is to be responsive to the community, there is a tremendous need to recognize and understand the Influences from sources 1n its external environment and a need to understand how the college responds to such influences. A study is needed to: (1) determine the nature and c h a ra c te ris tic s o f external influences perceived to be exerted on the community colleges in Michigan from n a tio n a l, s ta te , and local sources; (2) understand in what ways the community colleges respond to such influences; and (3) determine the re la tio n s h ip between the perception o f and response to external sources o f influence and re s u ltin g changes in college p o licy. The growth and expansion o f the community college are probably the most phenomenal and e xc itin g experiences in education today. The community college movement is taking place throughout the country, but with a more pronounced Impact here 1n Michigan. However, as is the case when any new and dramatic program unfolds in these fast-changing times, uncharted problems and unsure approaches appear. The whole question of governance fo r whom and fo r what demands sensible and sound answers. A basis should be provided 9 fo r new and Improved adm in istrative and organizational techniques th a t w ill re s u lt In the community college e xistin g fo r and responding to the needs of the community. According to Richardson* Blocker, and Bender (1972), In order to understand the in tern al dynamics o f an o rg an ization . I t Is necessary to understand the external forces to which the organization must respond. The to ta l societal environment can be viewed as being comprised o f four systems: (1) e co lo g ic al, (2) b io lo g ic a l, (3) In d iv id u a l, and (4 ) s o c ia l. The e x p lic it content o f each system and the sum o f th e ir various In teractions make up the to ta l environment, which creates demands fo r p o l i t i ­ cal action through a process o f Information feedback; such demands are converted in to s p e c ific outputs, such as le g is la tiv e enactments or decisions by adm inistrative agencies. The p o l i t i ­ cal process is the avenue fo r the conversion o f needs in to gov­ ernmental responses or solutions to problems. As one continues to contemplate the sources of influence and power, and the extent to which these external sources persuade edu­ cational leaders to act or not to a c t, a series o f questions comes to mind. Some such questions might be: 1. What in flu e n tia l outside groups or persons a t the n a tio n a l, s ta te , and local le ve ls influence the decisions o f the Michigan community college presidents and boards of trustees? 2. What primary considerations are entertained by community college presidents and trustee chairpersons as they con­ sider courses o f action? 3. What are the major current educational policy problems perceived by twelve educational leaders 1n six Michigan convnunity colleges? 4. Are the tra d itio n a l procedures e ffe c tiv e fo r bringing about major policy changes w ith in the conmunlty college? 10 5. Is the community college a change agent? 6. Do the Michigan coirmunlty college presidents and tru stee chairpersons Interviewed fo r th is study perceive the ro le of th e ir In s titu tio n s to be that of a change agent? 7. To what extent have external Influences deterred or enhanced the th ru st fo r change 1n convnunlty colleges? In the analysis o f th is study, some In te re s tin g answers fo r these questions are provided, based upon the lit e r a t u r e reviewed and the perceptions o f the presidents and board chairpersons interviewed. D e fin itio n s o f Terms The following terms are defined as they are used In th is study. Change agent—An organization or In s titu tio n which, by I n i t i a t ­ ing and implementing innovations, attempts to gain r e la tiv e advantages to the degree that formulated change results In improvement. Comnunit.y college—A tw o-year, post-secondary in s titu tio n ; a functioning segment o f the community designed to provide education fo r the young student, continuing education fo r older c itiz e n s , and general improvement o f the community through b en eficial and appropriate educa­ tio n a l and c u ltu ra l services. Coordination—The o rderly arrangement of group e ffo r t to pro­ vide u n ity of action in the pursuit o f a common purpose. Decision-making process—The means by which the forces o f change and s t a b ilit y in te ra c t, as formulated by individuals w ith in the organi­ zational stru ctu re. 11 Formal organization—Those organizations that have been con­ sciously planned to coordinate the e ffo rts o f people to accomplish some objectives. Influence—The p o te n tia lity for Inducing others to a ct or change in a given d ire c tio n through persuasion. Influence stru ctu re—The Interpersonal Influence relatio n ship s th a t develop through the formal structure or through the dimensions o f conmunications, re lia n c e , and a ttrib u te d Influence o f the Informal structure. Informal organization—Organ1zations th a t are not form ally planned but spontaneously evolve from the needs and in teractio n s of people working in an organization. Leadership--The p o ten tial social influence over or in a group. Open system—A patterned sequence o f events; repeated cycles of input; transform ation; output creating a demand fo r action through a process of information feedback, designed to achieve an organized objective. Organization—A design to bring together a v a rie ty o f persons, Integrating th e ir specialized e ffo r ts , and s o lic itin g th e ir cooperative e ffo rts to accomplish a defined objective. Power--The a b ilit y o f an individual or group to carry out his or its w ill despite resistance. System—Many d iffe r e n t Interdependent parts forming a whole, each d is tin c t p art fu n c tio n a lly dependent upon every other p a rt. In ti­ mate components o f a social system are the In d ivid u als w ith in the system. 12 L im itations o f the Study By its very nature, any attempt to deal w ith external in f lu ­ ences upon decision making a t the community college level could e a s ily meander and expand to include a ll aspects of the community college movement. To avoid t h is , the present study was lim ite d to analyzing the perceptions of twelve community college leaders— the presidents and board chairpersons— 1n six selected community colleges. To insure a broad perspective o f the environmental s e ttin g of the in s titu tio n s , two colleges representing each o f the follow ing categories were selected— r u r a l, suburban and urban. Many viewpoints on the Impact of varied influences upon decision making in community colleges could have been recorded, from the governor down to the lay c itiz e n . But the in te n t of th is study was to view the external power relatio n sh ip only from two perspectives: those of the college president and the board chairperson. The study was also lim ite d in scope in th a t only community colleges were examined, not u n iv e rs itie s and other post-secondary in s titu tio n s , and analysis was re s tric te d to the six Michigan community colleges described above. Overview The study is divided in to fiv e chapters. The f i r s t chapter contained an introduction to the issue and background inform ation, with p a rtic u la r emphasis on the 1963 Michigan C onstitution re v is io n , which entrusted con stitu tio n al a u th o rity fo r community colleges to the State Board o f Education. The Statement o f the Problem section 13 described the need and purpose fo r a model on external Influences. With the Increase In community college attendance and p o p u larity , generating Intense In te re s t In th is In s titu tio n , the need fo r the study was examined and a series o f questions raised. F in a lly , c erta in key terms were defined and study lim ita tio n s hig h lig h ted . Chapter I I takes a c r it ic a l and In q u irin g look a t the l i t e r a ­ ture and research re su ltin g from or In it ia te d by college adm inistrative decision making. P a rtic u la r a tte n tio n is centered on the Helsabeck model, which describes the effectiveness o f decision making using various approaches. The open system approach o f Katz and Kahn Is discussed, along with some theories on power and Influence based on the concepts of Max Weber. The corrmunity college as I t operates w ithin It s external environment Is reviewed. A concluding reference Is made to the ro le o f the State Board o f Education and it s re s p o n s ib ilitie s fo r coordinating post-secondary education 1n Michigan. Described 1n Chapter I I I are: (1) the general procedures o f the study, (2) the sample employed, and (3) the Instrumentation used and methods employed to c o lle c t data. In Chapter IV the data collected are analyzed and In terp re ted . Responses to the survey questionnaire are grouped in the three cate­ gories o f lo c a l, n a tio n a l, and s ta te influences. Responses are tabu­ lated separately fo r college presidents and board chairpersons, each represented by a tab le with accompanying comnents. In a d d itio n , the results o f the personal Interview s are considered and In terp re ted . The study 1s summarized In Chapter V in terms o f the major fin din gs, Including responses to the questions posed 1n the Need fo r 14 the Study section. Im plications are drawn, along with some personal perceptions and recommendations. CHAPTER I I REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE Organizational theo rists have recently become increasingly concerned with the impact o f the external environment on complex organizations. For decades, the prime focus has been on the In tern al operation o f bureaucracies, but in the la s t few years more a tte n tio n is being paid to the social context w ithin which an organization functions. Nowhere is th is more pronounced than among sociologists who study academic organizations, fo r in colleges and u n iv e rs itie s throughout the nation i t is increas­ in gly obvious th a t many o f the l i f e and death decisions fo r the organization are being made outside 1n the h a lls o f Congress, in the meetings of the new l e f t ra d ica ls or right-w ing extrem ists, In the Pentagon, and In the Governor's o ffic e . Anyone who has watched academic decision-making In the la s t decade can see th a t powerful external forces are Impinging on the u n iv e rs ity from a ll sides, tearing a t the fa b ric o f the academic community, and threatening to destroy much o f the autonomy th a t academic i n s t i ­ tutions have so p a in fu lly b u ilt up over the years (Baldridge, 1971, p. 507). In substance, Baldridge's statement summarized the purpose o f th is study and its many possible ra m ific a tio n s . Although he was r e f e r ­ ring s p e c ific a lly to the "autonomous" u n iv e rs ity , the community c o l­ lege is also subjected to many o f the same forces. More than any other educational in s titu tio n , except K-12 public schools, the present-day community college in Michigan is a creature born o f state con stitu­ tional power. In th is sense, i t is more a captive creature than is the tra d itio n a l u n ive rs ity. Being an offspring of the s ta te , the community c olleg e, as previously discussed, Is c o n s titu tio n a lly indebted to the State Board of Education and its conmunity college advisory committee. This 1s not necessarily a bad arrangement; 1n fa c t, such planning and 15 16 coordination a t the state level has proven and is proving to be q u ite b eneficial fo r the ongoing educational programs w ith in the various schools. But th is fa c t is s t i l l another dimension that the conmunity college adm inistrators and trustees must deal w ith , and i t is a very powerful and unavoidable one. The dilemma fo r many conmunity college people Is th a t the eight s ta te board members are often guided in th e ir decisions not by program p r io r it y but by p o lit ic a l persuasion. So, in addition to being confronted with this formidable co n stitu tio n al obstacle--one with which the u n iv e rs itie s in Michigan do not have to deal— the community colleges must contend not with only these p o l i t i ­ cal forces, but with a v a rie ty of other external exigencies, includ­ ing county p o litic s and m illage electio n s. Studies on College Decision Making Riess (1970) provided an insight in to the degree o f C a lifo rn ia ju n io r college fa c u lty p a rtic ip a tio n in decision making. Each fa c u lty member and adm inistrator in the survey responded to a questionnaire containing twenty-three decision-making items by numerically in d ic a t­ ing re la tiv e differences between current and recommended levels of p a rtic ip a tio n . Returns were received from about 70 percent of the personnel contacted a t e1ghty-one colleges throughout the s ta te . A comparison of responses from the two groups suggested the follow ing conclusions: (1 ) both groups supported g reater fa c u lty p a rtic ip a tio n in community college decision making on a l l item s, although the fa c u lty saw greater differences between existing and re q u is ite le v e ls ; (2 ) the fa c u lty senate was seen by a m ajority in both groups as the vehicle fo r 17 the most s ig n ific a n t Increases; and (3) both groups f e l t the principles o f p a rtic ip a tiv e management should characterize the dec1sion-making process. Locklin and Stewart (1970) attempted to look a t d ifferences between the views of students and those o f "fa c u lty -a d m ln is tra tio n ." Their study also sought to determine whether each group misunderstood the amount o f control desired by the other group. To in v e s tig a te the problem, questionnaires containing questions about th ir ty -e ig h t campus Issues were d is trib u ted to a sample of students, fa c u lty , and admin­ is tra to rs a t four d iffe r e n t types of In s titu tio n s in the West. Respon­ dents were asked to in d ic ate how decisions should be made regarding e ith e r policy form ulation or rules and regulations 1n each o f the areas. In a d d itio n , students and facu lty-ad m in istrato rs reported t h e ir per­ ceptions about the degree o f control desired by each other. Responses indicated that the students wanted more control over decision making than fa c u lty -ad m ln is tratio n found d es ira b le . Misunderstandings o f the desires of the other group complicated the s itu a tio n and led to in ten ­ s ific a tio n of problems. On many issues, esp ecially those re la te d to individual student behavior, dominant norms in student desires did not e x is t. Faculty-adm inlstration responses varied on most Items. The Helsabeck Model Robert Helsabeck (1972) established a model and key concepts fo r " e ffe c tiv e decision-making" a t the college le v e l. The basic ques­ tio n . according to Helsabeck, was the re la tio n s h ip between decision­ making arrangements and organizational effectiveness. I t was 1n th is 19 formal and informal pattern o f decision-making c a p a b ilitie s among members o f a p o litic a l system. Decision structure variance. —To conceptualize the variatio n s in decision-making stru ctu res, i t 1s necessary to make a d is tin c tio n among types o f decisions. The most basic d is tin c tio n In the lite r a tu r e is between s tra te g ic (g o a l-s e ttin g and other long-term) decisions, and ta c tic a l (o p e ra tio n a l, everyday) decisions. However, I t Is necessary to make even fin e r d is tin c tio n s among c e rta in types o f decisions. fo r example, based on the recent AAUP study (19 71 ), recent w ritin gs 1n p o litic a l economics (Z ald , 1970), and researcher in t u itio n , the following types o f decisions were distinguished: Type 1. O verall Resource A llocation Decisions These decisions pertain to the high-level d is trib u tio n o f in s t i­ tu tio n a l resources among the various u n its . This d is trib u tio n probably re fle c ts the actual ordering o f in s titu tio n a l p r io r i­ tie s b e tte r than any other measure. These high-level decisions include long-range budgeting, short-range budgeting, the order­ ing o f building p r io r it ie s , and personnel a llo c a tio n among uni ts . Type 2. A uthority A llo catio n Decisions These decisions are the con stitu tio n al decisions o f an organiza­ tion and bear on the question: Who decides who decides? They include formal a llo c a tio n o f au th o rity as In a co n stitu tio n and the informal allo catio n s as they occur between the Board and the President. Type 3. Personnel Selection Decisions These decisions involve the process of selectin g persons to conduct the a ffa ir s of the In s titu tio n . Decisions o f th is type should be distinguished from the decisions regarding selection of the raw m aterial to be processed, the student. Type 4. Lower-Level Resource A llocation Decisions These are resource a llo c a tio n decisions dealing w ith the d i s t r i ­ bution o f resources w ith in a u n it or functional area, rather than overall a llo c a tio n among u nits as In Type 1 decisions. They Include the assignment o f fa c u lty members to college coamilttees, to th e ir classes and to departmental chairmanships, the assignment 18 la rg er theo retical context th a t the governance structure allowing student p a rtic ip a tio n was viewed. Helsabeck approached these th eo retical and p ra ctic al questions by (1) distinguishing several key concepts, (2 ) reviewing the l i t e r a ­ ture In p o litic a l science and sociology that bears on In s titu tio n a l decision making and effec tive n es s , and (3) posing an optimum model based on the lit e r a t u r e . A major f a llin g 1n the construction of a n a ly tic models fo r decision making in colleges and u n iv e rs itie s has been the lack of c a re fu lly developed concepts. Key concepts 1n the Helsabeck model defining dimensions o f decision making and organizational e ffe c tiv e ­ ness follo w . Decision-making s tru c tu re . —Many studies o f decision-making structure have concentrated p rim a rily on the c e n tra liz a tio n o f decision making (amount o f p a rtic ip a tio n o f members in group decisions) as the only dimension o f the decision-making stru c tu re . The concept of declslon-making structure to be used in th is study requires a broader d e fin itio n o f c e n tra liz a tio n , as w ell as the inclusion o f other organi­ zational factors (Helsabeck, 1972, p. 5 ). C en tra liza tio n is here separated into the number and the autonomy o f decision-making groups, as well as the amount o f p a r t ic i­ pation in any one group. In a d d itio n , decision structure variance and a system o f concurrent regimes are included as equally important con­ cepts fo r a to ta l understanding o f the decision-making stru ctu re. Decision-making s tru ctu re, Inclusive o f the various dimensions, 1s equivalent to the w ritte n and unwritten c o n s titu tio n , I . e . , the 19 formal and Informal pattern o f decision-making c a p a b ilitie s among members o f a p o lit ic a l system. Decision structure variance. —To conceptualize the variations 1n decision-making stru ctu res, i t 1s necessary to make a d is tin c tio n among types of decisions. The most basic d is tin c tio n in the lite r a tu r e 1s between s tra te g ic (g o a l-s e ttin g and other long-term) decisions, and ta c tic a l (o p e ra tio n a l, everyday) decisions. However, i t 1s necessary to make even fin e r d is tin c tio n s among c e rta in types of decisions. For example, based on the recent AAUP study (19 71 ), recent w riting s in p o lit ic a l economics (Z a ld , 1970), and researcher In tu itio n , the follow ing types o f decisions were distinguished: Type t . O verall Resource A llocation Decisions These decisions pertain to the hlgh-Tevel d is trib u tio n o f In s t i­ tu tio n a l resources among the various u n its . This d is trib u tio n probably re fle c ts the actual ordering of in s titu tio n a l p r io r i­ tie s b e tte r than any other measure. These h igh-level decisions include long-range budgeting, short-range budgeting, the order­ ing o f building p r io r it ie s , and personnel a llo c a tio n among uni ts . Type 2. A uthority A llo catio n Decisions These decisions are the con stitu tio n al decisions o f an organiza­ tio n and bear on the question: Vlho decides who decides? They include formal a llo ca tio n o f a u th o rity as in a co n s titu tio n and the informal allocations as they occur between the Board and the President. Type 3. Personnel Selection Decisions These decisions involve the process of selecting persons to conduct the a ffa ir s of the In s titu tio n . Decisions o f th is type should be distinguished from the decisions regarding selection of the raw m aterial to be processed, the student. Type 4. Lower-Level Resource A llocation Decisions These are resource a llo c a tio n decisions dealing with the d i s t r i ­ bution of resources w ithin a u n it or functional area, rath er than o verall a llo c a tio n among units as 1n Type 1 decisions. They include the assignment o f fa c u lty members to college conmlttees, to th e ir classes and to departmental chairmanships, the assignment 20 of students to committees, and the a llo c a tio n of funds w ith in u n its ; e .g ., department, adm inistrative areas, student groups. Type 5. In s titu tio n -le v e l Production Decisions These decisions bear on the production o f the in s titu tio n a l product; I . e . . the graduates. They include the selection o f the raw m aterial (the students), the manner o f processing the mate­ r ia l (the curriculum ), the standards fo r acceptance o f the finished product (degree requirements), and the lim its o f a c c e p ta b ility o f the product (grounds fo r academic dism issal). Type 6. U nit-Level Production Decisions These are production decisions relevant to s p e c ific a c t iv it ie s , such as conducting classes, operating an adm inistrative o f f ic e , conducting research, and planning student a c t iv itie s (Helsabeck, 1972, p. 5 ). Given these d istin ctio n s among the types o f decisions, one can then Imagine an organization th a t has l i t t l e v a ria tio n among ways in which the d iffe r e n t types of decisions are made. For example, 1n one organization the president may make v ir tu a lly a ll decisions of a ll types. In another, everyone acting together may make a ll types of decisions, as in a "town meeting" form of decision making or 1n a commune. Both the autocratic and pure democratic examples vary l i t t l e across types o f decisions, and can be thought of as simple systems. In c o n trast, organizations may have a mixture o f decision­ making structures fo r d iffe re n t types of decisions. The president and board of trustees may make some types o f decisions, the fa c u lty other types, and the students s t i l l other types. This system has more v a ria tio n in decision-making structures across decision types, and is labeled a compound system. Dimensions o f e ffe c tiv e decision making.--T h e e ffe c tiv e organ­ iza tio n is one th a t can successfully gain resources, a rriv e a t c o lle c ­ tiv e goals, and convert the resources into goal attainm ent without 21 disregarding the in terests o f Individual members. Four types or dimensions of effectiveness are resource a c q u is itio n , goal form ation, goal attainm ent, and membership s a tis fa c tio n . Each o f these Is described below. Yutchman (1967, p. 898) defined organizational effectiveness 1n terms o f the organization's c a p a b ility , in e ith e r absolute o r r e la ­ tiv e terms, to acquire scarce and valued resources from the environ­ ment; I . e . , an e ffe c tiv e organization is one th a t is a good bargainer in dealing with external sources. I t 1s clea r th a t fo r any organiza­ tio n to accomplish it s goals, i t must have resources. Among, colleges, fo r example, one can expect d ifferences in t h e ir c a p a b ilitie s to acquire the scarce and Important resources o f money, good students, and good fa c u lty . This type o f effectiveness Is referred to as "e ffe c ­ tiv e resource a c q u is itio n ." When an organization can tran s la te control o f the college through power in to building consensus through the use o f inform ation, such an organization has the capacity to e ffe c t action 1n It s own behalf. This type of effectiveness in decision making refers to the capacity both to set and to a tta in goals— " e ffe c tiv e goal formation" and "e ffe c tiv e goal attainm ent." The absence of systematic bias against the values o f any group is a fourth type o f effectiven ess, labeled "membership s a tis fa c tio n " (Helsabeck, 1972, p. 6 ). As i t is practiced today, the decision-making process is highly centralized from the top down. Richardson e t a l . (1972) disagreed with this approach, contending th a t e ffe c tiv e decision making is a 22 process th a t Includes true Involvement* whereby the p articip an ts agree to be bound by the re su lts . They stated: The crucial nature of the declsIon-making process becomes Immediately apparent as we analyze the nature o f a u th o rity . Our problem is to make c erta in th a t the values o f the In d i­ vidual are consistent with the purposes o f the organization. We must consider that In the decision-making process no one Individual or group exercises absolute a u th o rity (p. 89). Systems Theory According to Richardson e t a l . (1972), The to ta l societal environment can be viewed as being com­ prised o f four systems: (1) eco lo g ical; (2) b io lo g ic a l; (3 ) in d iv id u a l; and (4 ) so cial. The e x p lic it content of each system and the sum of th e ir various in teractions make up the to ta l environment, which creates demands fo r p o lit ic a l action through a process of information feedback. . . . The p o litic a l process is the avenue fo r the conversion o f needs in to govern­ mental responses or solutions to problems (p. 6 ). Viewed as a system, the community college becomes "a set o f interdependent parts e xis tin g to accomplish one or more goals, which takes in certain inputs and transforms those Inputs in to outputs" (Callahan and Labe, 1973). Although community colleges as open systems are exposed to many sources o f influence in th e ir in te ra c tio n with the external environ­ ment, not a ll such inputs are absorbed. The general term fo r the s ele c tiv e mechanisms by which external influence is rejected or accepted is called coding. Through the coding process the world is s im p lifie d into a few meaningful and sim p lified categories. The nature o f the functions performed by the system determines its coding mechanisms, which in turn perpetuate th is type o f functioning (Emery and T r is t , 1960, pp. 2 2-23 ). 23 The w ritings o f Buckley (1967) supported th is concept. He suggested th a t the behavior o f complex, open systems is not a simple and d ire c t function o f impinging external forces, but ra th e r, as open systems become more complex, more independent, or autonomous, more determ inative behavior develops w ith in them. Older and/or larg er community colleges could perhaps be characterized In th is way. Such susterns, he stated , come to perform the operations of (1) tem porarily adjusting the system to external contingencies, (2) d ire c tin g the system toward more congenial environments, and (3) permanently reor­ ganizing aspects o f the system i t s e l f to deal more e ffe c tiv e ly with the environment. The a b ilit y of a community college to have self-determ in atio n w ith in It s environment was also suggested by Weick (1969). He concep­ tu a lize d the external environment as being t o t a lly derived from what man chooses to perceive. His phrase "enacted environment" caught the d is tin c tio n he made; i . e . , man "creates" the environment to which the system then adapts. The human actor does not "react" to an environ­ ment, he "enacts" i t . In th is study, the th eo retical basis fo r examining external influence on community colleges re lie s upon an open systems approach to organizations, as outlined by Kat2 and Kahn in The Social Psychol­ ogy o f Organizations (1966). Open systems are viewed as those that accept and respond to inputs ( e .g ., resources, support, e tc .) and closed systems as those th a t are assumed to be s e lf-s u ffic ie n t and can function w ithin themselves (B e rrien , 1968, p. 15). T rad itio n al organizational theories have tended to view human organizations as 24 closed. This approach has led to an over-concentration on p rin cip les o f In tern a l organizational functions, w ith consequent f a ilu r e to develop and understand the processes o f coping, adapting, and feed­ back, which are essential to survival (Katz and Kahn, 1966, p. 29). The open systems approach as discussed by B errien , Buckley, Easton, and Katz and Kahn suggests th a t i t is the system's recogni­ tion and handling of influence from external sources th a t allows the system to continue to e x is t w ith in Its environment. I t was concluded th a t the notion of an open system as one th a t is related to and makes exchanges w ith it s environments is more relevant to the study than th a t of a closed system, although components, subunits, o r processes of a s p e c ific system may be "closed." Emery and T r is t in "Socio-Technical Systems" (1960) viewed Influence as a normal condition of an in s titu tio n 's existence w ithin its environment. Community colleges, in in teractin g w ith th e ir external environment, make exchanges th a t are based on t h e ir adminis­ tra to rs ' perceptions of influence from external sources. These authors and others have developed models o f systems theories th a t can be developed in to a framework o f explaining and predicting how community colleges perceive and respond to sources of influence in th e ir external environments. The Insight these theories provided about the relationships of open systems with t h e ir environ­ ments paved the way fo r understanding concepts of power and Influence as p a rtic u la r subsets of in te rre la tio n s h ip s . 25 Theories o f Power and Influence According to Polsby (1962), "power is conceived . . . as one dimension of social l i f e along which people may be s t r a t if ie d ; hence, power Is o f central in te re s t to those engaged in mapping social stru ctu re and social change" (p. 11). U n til re c e n tly , attempts to study and explain the action of s o c ia l, the economic, and p o litic a l environment on subsystems o f the envi­ ronment by analyzing relationships o f power and influence have been concerned solely w ith outcomes and have not been h o lis tic in approach. Max Weber (1947) f i r s t opened the way fo r new developments in the study o f th eo retical treatment of power. Although he viewed power p rim a rily in in s titu tio n a l terms, his focus on the stru ctu ral sources and d is trib u tio n o f power into typologies allows one to distinguish between the basis and instruments o f power. Weber’ s special emphasis on leg itim ate power or authority has g re a tly increased understanding of formal organizational relatio n sh ip s. As such, these concepts are helpful in understanding the re la tio n s h ip between community colleges and external sources th a t have superior-legal power over them. How­ ever, Weber's works do not fu lly explain a ll the relationships encountered in the operation of a conmunity college. His th e o re tic a l model and typology o f power do not deal with nonforma 1 kinds o f influence and power, adaptive a b i lit ie s of in s titu tio n s , or the process o f In s titu tio n a l response to external sources o f influence. Later th e o ris ts , building upon the Weberian paradigm, expanded t h e ir framework to include a f u l le r range o f power relationships that might be useful in analyzing a community college. Among those who 26 contributed broader typologies o f power are Simon (1957)* Kelman (19 58 ), Franch and Raven (1959), Etz1on1 (1961), Cartwright (1965), Katz and Kahn (1 9 6 6 ), and Gamson (1968). Although the terms o f these various typologies d if f e r , they s u b s ta n tia lly overlap so that a single conceptual scheme can be developed fo r describing the dimensions of perceived influence from external sources. Another blend o f theories o f power and influence Is found In the lite r a tu r e and studies on conmunity power. These studies represent an attempt by sociologists and p o litic a l s c ie n tis ts to chart the com­ plex in teraction by which various groups In the community influence governmental p o lic y. Such studies have provided methodological and conceptual assistance in designing th is research. Dahl's study of New Haven, Connecticut (1961), presented one o f the most comprehensive e ffo rts to develop an em p iric ally based theory o f p lu r a lis tic in f lu ­ ence as I t operates w ithin a community. He proposed th a t there are u su ally, although not always, m u ltip le centers o f power, none o f which is completely sovereign. In a d d itio n , these centers o f power do not overlap or coalesce consistently from issue-area to 1ssue-area; i . e . , the environment is p lu r a lis t ic . The power and Influence of leaders are s ig n ific a n tly lim ite d by other leaders and by those whom they lead (Dahl, 1961). These theories are in agreement with the con­ cep tualizatio n o f open systems and th e ir environmental relatio n sh ip s. They w ill be drawn upon la te r 1n th is study, p a r tic u la rly as community college local environmental relationships are mapped out and analyzed. Kimbrough (in Richardson e t a l . , 1972) described two studies o f rural counties th a t exhibited a monopolistic s tru ctu re. He found 27 that whether the pattern o f power 1s competitive or monopolistic may not u ltim a te ly prove to be a major consideration in establishing a theory o f power. The one thread th a t appears to run through power analysis is that predominant power exis ts in variatio n s o f informal structures. This e s o te ric , informal nature o f power may, in the fin a l analysis, be the common base fo r a concept o f social power that accounts fo r a ll of the big decisions and projects a t the local school d is t r ic t level (Kimbrough, p. 39). The theo retical w ritings and empirical studies th a t have d e a lt with the influence re la tio n s h ip among Individuals and groups o ffe r understanding fo r in te rp re tin g the problem at the m icro-level of analysis. Research In social psychology and group dynamics has assisted in understanding the in te ra c tio n occurring 1n human r e la ­ tionships. Organizational and Adm inistrative L ite ra tu re A general understanding o f how community colleges operate w ithin th e ir external environment is provided by those w rite rs and researchers who have taken an open systems approach in considering organizations. S e ile r 's (1967) scheme fo r analyzing organizations with regard to the environmental penetration o f systems has a useful app lication fo r cofmunity colleges. His view was th a t the degree of openness o f a system is c r it ic a l to it s survival and s t a b ilit y of growth. S e ile r stated: I f an organization is so open to the events occurring around i t th a t i t responds to every s h iftin g wind, i t cannot develop any intern al s t a b ilit y and momentum. Conversely, i f a system 28 Is not responsive to external events, the resu lts o f It s In te r ­ nal s t a b ilit y eventually become marketless (pp. 2 4-25 ). Several studies th a t have d e a lt with the point S e lle r made about 1nstitutIonal-environm ental relationships have been used to devise dimensions fo r measuring the response patterns o f community colleges. Emery and T r ls t , 1n "Social-Technical Systems" (1960) and "Causal Texture of Organizational Environments" (1965), suggested th a t the cumulative e ffe c t o f coping with the environment, mainly by In t e r ­ nal elaboration and d iffe r e n tia tio n , Is generally to make the system independent of an increasing range of the predictable functions 1n It s Inputs and outputs. At the same tim e, however, th is condition renders the system less able to cope with newly emergent and unpre­ dicted changes th a t challenge it s primary ends. Furthermore, the environmental context in which organizations e x is t 1s I t s e l f changing at an Increasing ra te and toward increasing complexity (Emery and T r is t , 1965). Aguilar (1967), in Scanning the Business Environment, pre­ sented an empirical view o f these th e o re tic a l concepts. He found th a t the businesses studied had p o te n tia lly boundless amounts o f Influence and, ty p ic a lly , such organizations would seek information by scanning the environment. Several a rtic le s on in tero rg an izatio n al relatio n s also suggest stru ctu ral and adaptive mechanisms (fo r example, Litwak and Hylton, 1962). These w ritin g s provide a framework fo r describing the in te ra c tio n of community colleges with th e ir external environments. Most o f the lit e r a t u r e o f higher education re la te d to the study 1s composed p rim arily o f case studies and descrip tive w ritin g s o f the 29 adm inistrative process and In s titu tio n a l In te ra c tio n with s p e c ific external sources. Many books, a r tic le s , and d issertations deal with a single re la tio n s h ip between the environment and In s titu tio n s of higher education. They encompass such subjects as tru stees, a c c re d ita tio n , federal funding, sponsored research, and s ta te coordi­ nation , and are generally lim ite d to exploring and describing a single re la tio n s h ip , e sp ecially with respect to the in s titu tio n 's h is to ric a l development. A lim ite d number of w ritin g s are somewhat more in te ­ g ra tiv e in approach, but deal e s s e n tia lly with the adm inistrative aspects Involved ra th e r than the dimensions of influence. Two excel­ le n t books th a t c la r if y the re la tio n s h ip between the two-year college as an In s titu tio n and the society i t was created to serve are Blocker, Plummer, and Richardson's The Two-Year College: A Social Synthesis (1965) and C lark's The Open Door College: A Case Study (1960). In th e ir popular discourse on the two-year co lleg e, Blocker, Plummer and Richardson probably best conceptualized the thrust o f the present study when they observed th a t: The environment o f the two-year college includes, 1n the broadest sense, a wide range o f in d iv id u a ls , groups and agencies— a ll impinging, 1n varying ways, on the co lleg e's organization and operation. The parents o f college students Influence programs by th e ir close association and willingness to provide fin a n c ia l support. On a higher le v e l, the state government may require a l l two-year colleges to be branches o f the s ta te u n iv e rs ity . Federal le g is ­ la tio n can put special emphasis on one part o f the curriculum , or may insure an abundance o f In stru cto rs in one area w hile creating shortages in others. The Interactions o f these groups with the college and among themselves make up the environment in which the college func­ tions as an organic social In s titu tio n . Misunderstanding or m isin terp retatio n o f the functions and needs o f the In s titu tio n by one or more such groups can create 30 dislocations In college programs and p o lic ie s that complicate the whole course o f In s titu tio n a l development. On the other hand, widespread support and understanding by these groups can stim ulate rapid and healthy growth o f the college and Its services to the community. As mentioned e a r lie r , the works by Baldridge, using a p o l i t i ­ cal model and sociological analysis 1n looking a t an In s titu tio n o f higher education, were also of considerable help in understanding the relationships to be studied. These were Power and C o n flic t in the U niversity and "Environmental Pressure, Professional Autonomy, and Coping Strategies in Academic Organizations." The case studies pro­ vided a v a rie ty o f in s ig h ts , as did his generalizations about in tern a l power and influence and his analysis of external environmental pressures. Some o f the studies dealing w ith the in tern a l decision-making structure of colleges and u n iv e rs itie s have questioned respondents about the Involvement of s p e c ific sources o f poten tial external influence in s p e c ific decision areas. A major lim itin g fa c to r of some o f these studies is th e ir tendency to view the in s titu tio n as a closed system w ith a f i n i t e power p o te n tia l. Thus, the conclusion o f many o f these studies th a t the external environment has l i t t l e influence is not surprising. Several recent research e ffo rts have provided valuable In fo r ­ mation about s p e c ific external sources o f influence and community colleges in New York. Two surveys on c o lle c tiv e bargaining in New York State community colleges— W illiam McHugh's New York Community College C o lle ctiv e Negotiation Contract Survey and George A ngell's "C o llective Negotiations in Upstate New York"—provided d escrip tive 31 Information on this aspect o f external Involvement. The formal relationships of process and structure between community colleges and the s ta te were described 1n several other sources: M. M. Chambers, Higher Education in the F if t y States; W illiam Morsch, S tate Community College Systems; Usdan. Minor and Hurwltz, Education and S tate P o li­ t ic s ; and Ensign's comprehensive study o f tw en ty-five conmunity col­ leges in New York State and th e ir external environments. In its document e n title d "The Coordination of Post-Secondary Education Services," the Michigan State Board o f Education adopted fiv e basic re s p o n s ib ilitie s : 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. To engage in comprehensive and continuous planning and coordination a t the post-secondary le v e l, Involving both long-range and short-range goals. To develop a state-w ide system fo r c o llec tin g appropriate information from both public and p riv a te in s titu tio n s , as well as government agencies. To approve or disapprove a ll proposals fo r the e s ta b lis h ­ ment o f new public in s titu tio n s , and to approve o r disap­ prove the establishment of new programs or the d isco n tin ­ uance of e xis tin g programs at public in s titu tio n s . To review and make recornnendations concerning operating and c ap ital budgets o f public in s titu tio n s . To administer o r coordinate s ta te and federal programs resu ltin g in grants to post-secondary in s titu tio n s or students attending those in s titu tio n s . In e ffe c t, the document described a means fo r "planning and coord1nation of post-secondary education 1n Michigan in the form of the State Board of Education, which has adopted a State Plan, and has c le a rly defined it s basic re s p o n s ib ilitie s ." But, in essence, the State Board of Education's "planning and coordination" responsi­ b i l i t i e s re la tiv e to conmunity colleges represent the most graphic and p o te n tia lly the most powerful m anifestation o f external influence and c o n tro l. 32 Summary In this chapter, the research and lite ra tu re on the external pressures surrounding an open systems organizational stru ctu re were reviewed and discussed. P o litic s , I t was determined, 1s a very real and even necessary part of the c o lleg e scene. Various organize* tio n a l decision-making models, designed to achieve the objectives of the In s titu tio n , were reviewed. For the most p art, i t was determined that the tra d itio n a l hierarchical decision-making process is s t i l l mostly operational today but a more broadly p a rtic ip a tiv e one is gaining ground. The impetus fo r a more dem ocratically run in s titu tio n seems to be the "open systems" approach to organizations, whereby the system accepts and responds to information feedback from various sources. This makes fo r a more open and adaptable organization. But power and influence are s t i l l major and persuasive factors in any decision-making process. Power was examined from the stand­ points o f Weber's le g itim a te a u th o rity , Dahls' community power, and Kimbrough’ s monopolistic power, with the Informal nature o f power being of major significance. Higher education case studies and books on external influences were also discussed. The writings o f B locker, Plummer and Richardson most e ffe c tiv e ly examined the re la tio n s h ip o f the corrniunity college s p e c ific a lly to its external environment. In add itio n , valuable works of Baldridge on power and c o n flic t, and o f Chambers, Morsch, and Ensign, upon whose work th is study was based, were reviewed. 33 F in a lly , the ro le o f the Michigan State Board o f Education was defined in terms o f it s co n stitu tio n al re s p o n s ib ility fo r the coordination of post-secondary education in Michigan. In Chapter I I I , the research design is explained, along with the general procedures o f the study. In a d d itio n , the ro le and func­ tio n o f the conmunity college president and board chairperson are described. CHAPTER I I I RESEARCH DESIGN AND PROCEDURES OF THE STUDY Introduction Man, being the quixotic and f a c ile animal he is , has always been—and s t i l l is —a most d i f f i c u l t and unpredictable subject o f research and experimentation. The problem is compounded when one attempts to probe his personal feelin g s and perceptions in an e ff o r t to establish some v a lid ity fo r a p a rtic u la r occurrence or dramatize in some scien­ t i f i c a l l y s ig n ific a n t fashion certain trends and d ire ctio n s. The dilemma faced In th is instance was made more d i f f i c u l t because o f the small sample and complexity o f the questionnaire in q u irie s . In structuring the questionnaire, the purpose was to pose questions and s itu a tio n a l statements th a t would e l i c i t from the respon­ dent his perceptions or judgmental reactions of how his college had been influenced by selected sources a t the lo c a l, s ta te , and national le v e ls . As the community college movement gains greater momentum each y e a r, evolving q u ite d is tin c tly from it s ju n io r college designa­ tion and inclusion in local school d is t r i c t stru ctu res, a s im ila rity of adm inistrative and governance requirements weaves a common thread throughout a ll o f the in s titu tio n s . In many respects, except fo r geographical lo c atio n , a person could not t e l l one pragm atically conceived and modernly b u ilt community college from another. 34 But, 35 there are d is tin c tio n s among community colleges in Michigan, as elsewhere, although such d is tin c tio n s are often subtly designed and not e a s ily Id e n tifia b le . Among other thing s, "the college movement has h is to r ic a lly shown an unusual w illingness to change it s character to respond to new types o f students and new educational needs” (B e lts , 1973). The present study was designed to explore the influence o f perceived external sources upon selected Michigan community colleges. The General Procedure o f the Study The following steps were taken to implement th is study: 1. Selecting a topic and developing cru cial questions to be research and answered. 2. Adapting the questionnaire instrument—Research Design Questionnaire on External Influences--and establishing construct v a lid ity . 3. Selecting a representative cross-section o f Michigan com­ munity colleges. 4. Contacting the president and board chairperson o f each comnunity college selected and obtaining th e ir commitment to p a rtic ip a te in the study. 5. C ollecting questionnaire and personal interview data. a. Questionnaires were mailed to each p a rtic ip a n t fo llo w ­ ing a personal telephone c a ll. b. P articip an ts were contacted and v is ite d in a personal in terview . 36 c. The questionnaire Items were used as a basis fo r Interview discussions and data c o lle c tio n . 6. Questionnaire resu lts were recorded, analyzed and In t e r ­ preted; these resu lts and In terview discussions were summarized. Description of the Sample Employed The present study was lim ite d to six (Glen Oaks, West Shore, Oakland County, Schoolcraft, Grand Rapids, and Wayne County) o f the twenty-nine community colleges in Michigan. These in s titu tio n s were selected from the standpoint o f geographical lo c a tio n , population density, and socio-economic le v e ls . Two o f the community colleges were chosen to represent each o f the follow ing categories: r u r a l, suburban, and urban. In contemplating the task of in te rp re tin g perceptions o f Michigan's community college presidents and board chairpersons on various external influences impinging upon th e ir decision-making ro les, 1 t was considered essential to provide fo r an examination o f the d iffe r e n tia l e ffe c t of the co lleg e's geographical location and socio-economic setting upon these perceptions. Michigan is a densely populated s ta te ; and i t 1s economically variegated from heavy industry in urban areas, to extensive farming In rural areas, to p rim a rily bedroom communities 1n the suburbs. The socio-economic levels range from poverty-w elfare incomes in urban ghettos, to modest minimal Incomes in rural a g ric u ltu ra l communities, to above-average Incomes 1n m iddle-class, a fflu e n t suburban areas. 37 Because o f the vast differences in l i f e s ty le s , outlooks, and Incomes, and the possible Impact such factors might have on the com­ munity college modus operandl, two r u r a l, two suburban, and two urban community colleges were selected to provide source data. The commu­ n ity college president and board chairperson were chosen as the in s t i­ tu tio n al p articip ants fo r th is study because they are the pivotal individuals in the college structure and must possess the force o f character and leadership s k ill to inspire and guide board members into e ffe c tiv e and p o sitive decision making fo r th e ir co lleg e. Instrumentation Employed and Methods Used to C o llect Data Survey Questionnaire The lit e r a t u r e revealed some conceptual models fo r determining the environmental influences acting upon community colleges and fo r understanding the patterns of responses to external influences. The instrument chosen fo r adaptation and use in the present study was based upon a conceptual model, Research Design Questionnaire on Exter­ nal Influence, designed by Ensign (1972) fo r his study o f a s im ila r nature in New York s ta te . The instrument id e n tifie d three sources o f external influences— lo c a l, s ta te , and n a tio n a l—and eig h t probable perceptions of influence. The Ensign instrument was selected because the re fe rra l groups and organizations with potential influence were s im ila r in makeup to the various sources in Michigan. The Michigan groups that were included in th is study, because of th e ir assumed in flu e n tia l positions in the s ta te , were the Michigan Education Asso­ c ia tio n , the State Board of Public Community and Junior Colleges, and 38 the Michigan Association o f School Adm inistrators. No additional source group on the local and national levels were included other than those suggested by Ensign. In addition to adapting the Ensign instrument, ideas found 1n the research and lite r a tu r e on open sys­ tems, Institu tio nal-en viro n m ental re la tio n s , and power and Influence were embodied 1n the development o f the research model fo r th is study on the perceived personal and In s titu tio n a l responses o f six M ichi­ gan community college presidents and board chairpersons. This adapted survey questionnaire (see Appendix), as discussed in Chapter I I , was used to c o lle c t data from the college presidents and board chairpersons about th e ir perceptions o f the influence from sources 1n the external environment. Before c o lle c tin g the d ata, of course, i t was necessary to gain in s titu tio n a l cooperation and approval. F ir s t, the community college president and tru stee chairperson of each college were contacted to obtain th e ir permission and support. A personal le t t e r was sent to each o f them explaining the study, f o l ­ lowed by a personal phone c a ll and the mailed survey questionnaire, and culminating in a personal in terview . The questionnaire contained a to ta l o f t h ir ty - s ix questions or s itu a tio n a l statements to which the presidents and board c h a ir­ persons were asked to respond. A ll questionnaires (100 percent) were returned following the personal interview . The responses o f the presidents and chairpersons were recorded, c o lla te d , and analyzed in a series o f tab les. In ad dition , many d ire c t quotations were transcribed from the personal interview 39 notes and analyzed in terms o f the d iffe re n t levels of in flu e n c e n ational* s ta te * and lo c a l— along with some general perceptions. V alidation o f the Questionnaire Instrument In establishing construct v a lid ity of the questionnaire instrument and determining those items th a t should be modified or elim inated, the instrument was tested w ith six scholars d ir e c tly involved in the community college and higher education movement— two associate superintendents with the Michigan Department o f Educa­ tio n , Dr. Robert Huxol and Dr. F erris Crawford; two Michigan Department of Education community college consultants, Dr. Curtis Murton and Dr. David Bland; and two community college adm inistrators, Dr. Calvin Moore of Oakland Cormunity College and Dr. Roy P h ilip s o f Wayne County Community College. Each o f these ind ivid u als made s ig n ific a n t contributions in the form o f w ritte n c ritiq u e s on the Instrument and made suggestions about the d ire c tio n o f the study which were incor­ porated in the research model of this study. Personal Interviews Although the hard data fo r this study, as presented in the series of ta b le s , emanate from an analysis o f the survey question­ n a ire , the personal interviews were most revealing and seemingly more "down to e a rth ." As outlined in the Interview Guide (Appendix D ), a series of structured questions was asked o f each In d iv id u a l, w ith the interviewee given wide la titu d e to expand upon his responses. The interview er used the previous response as a le a d -in to the next question. 40 The Six Selected Community Colleges Glen Oaks is a sm all, rural a g ric u ltu ra l community college located in the southern p a rt of the s ta te — C e n tre v ille , Michigan, St. Joseph County. was about 1,154. 47,400. As o f September 1974, enrollment a t Glen Oaks The e n tir e county population is approximately The community is r u r a l, and median income is about $9,643 per year. West Shore Community College is located in the western part of the s ta te near Lake Michigan and s itu a te d ju s t outside o f Scottv i l l e , Michigan, Mason County. The colleg e d is tr ic t is comprised of the Mason Intermediate School D is tr ic t and the Manistee, W a lk e rv ille , and Weare-Crystal School D is tr ic ts . In September 1974, enrollment at the community c o l l e g e r s about 761. The to ta l population of Mason County is about 22,600 and is p rim a rily rural and a g ric u ltu ra l. The median income is about $7,685 annually. Oakland Community College, with it s four fa r-flu n g campuses, is located throughout Oakland County 1n southeastern Michigan, suburban D e tro it: The Southeast Campus In Royal Oak and Oak Park, Auburn H ills Campus in Auburn Heights, Highland Lakes Campus 1n Union Lake, and Orchard Ridge Campus in Farmington comprise the Oakland Convnunity system. As of September 1974, the combined enrollment o f these four campuses was 16,264. Oakland County, one of the most a fflu e n t counties in the United States, w ith an assessed valuation of $5.1 b ill io n , has a population o f about 907,870. Each campus is located in a comfort­ able, modern, suburban bedroom community, the median income o f these communities being upward o f $14,000 per year. 41 Schoolcraft Comnunlty College Is located in Livon ia, the largest D e tro it suburb, northwest Wayne County. Is composed o f fiv e public school d is tr ic t s : C ity , Livonia, N o rth v llle , and Plymouth. September 1974 was 6,922. The college d is t r i c t C la re n c e v ille . Garden The college enrollment in The county comprises 124 square miles with a population o f about 250,000. The median annual income 1s about $11,350. Grand Rapids Junior College, the oldest ju n io r college 1n Michigan, is located in the western p art o f the s ta te , in the c ity of Grand Rapids, Kent County. A d m in is tra tive ly , i t is s t i l l operated by the Grand Rapids Board o f Education and Superintendent, from whom the president o f the college receives his a u th o rity . Located in downtown Grand Rapids, the college p rim a rily serves the c it y . In September 1974, Grand Rapids Junior College had an enrollment of 5,916. The median Income of Kent County is around $10,692 y e a rly , and the population is approximately 411,044. Wayne County Community College system is located In the largest urban center in Michigan—D e tro it, Wayne County, in the southeastern p art o f the s ta te . The college c a rrie s out it s functions and a c tiv itie s in numerous public high schools, some churches, and various public buildings w ithin the c ity o f D e tro it. enrollment in September 1974 was 13,836. The combined The population o f Wayne County is about 2,669,604; and the median income of th is heavily saturated automobile and in d u s tria l center is around $11,351 annually. 42 The Role and Function o f the Community College President The president is the top adm in istrative o ffic e r fo r the board of trustees and implements the p o lic ie s they e s ta b lis h . He Is responsible fo r establishing an in s titu tio n a l philosophy and fo r managing, coordinating, and leading the college in its e ffo rts to a tta in the co lleg e's goals and ob jectives. As Richardson e t a l. (1972) stated , "A central re s p o n s ib ility of the president which relates to everything else he undertakes is the establishment o f an in s titu tio n a l environment conducive to learning" (p. 127). Other essential functions o f the president include: keeping the board of trustees Informed and up to date, raisin g money, balanc­ ing the budget, re c r u itin g , and maintaining a h ig h -q u a lity s t a f f . The president acts as a v ita l lin k between the community and the c o l­ lege. Harper (1974) stated: "The president must be comnltted to the 'people' college concept of a comprehensive in s tit u tio n —which Includes the three areas o f programming— the academic, the continuing educa­ tio n , and the vocational-occupational-career" (p. 22). Richardson e t a l . (1972) explained, "The effectiveness o f the executive o ffic e r depends upon his a b i lit y to d is trib u te d is s a tis fa c tio n evenly to the end that a ll constituencies, both in tern al and e x te rn a l, re ta in con­ fidence in his im p a rtia lity and judgment" (p. 134). Of course, the individual assuming the position of the commu­ n ity college president brings to the ro le his own p erso n ality, shaped by his own experiences and philosophy and by the expectations o f those around him. Blocker (1972) stated , 43 The In te ra c tio n o f personality c h a ra cte ris tic s with external variables and expectations determines the contour o f the ro le the president w ill play in his organization. These variables may be economic, s o c ia l, p o lit ic a l, or personal. Thus, both Internal and external factors Impinge upon behavioral outputs and the w ell-being of the organization (p. 254). A presid en tial re s p o n s ib ility that Is becoming Increasingly important as the significance of the community college grows 1s th a t o f communicating and in te rp re tin g In s titu tio n a l purposes and programs to external constituencies. Blocker fu rth e r stated , The understanding o f in s titu tio n a l roles and re s p o n s ib ilitie s by le g is la to rs (s ta te and fe d e ra l), the s ta te and federal bureaucracies, local comnunity leaders, and the general popu­ la tio n 1s essential fo r in s titu tio n a l well being and support (p. 255). The Role and Function o f the Community College Board o f Trustees Chairperson A continuing and ever-perplexing problem in college adminis­ tra tio n is the delineation o f a u th o rity and re s p o n s ib ility between the o ffic e o f the president and the board o f tru stees. What is the difference between policy making and adm inistration? In Michigan, as in most s ta te s , the comnunity college board of trustees is the elected body that 1s le g a lly responsible fo r the d ire c tio n and guidance of the colleg e. goals and objectives of the college. The trustees estab lish the To carry out objectives and achieve stated goals, the board of trustees hires a president and delegates th is re s p o n s ib ility to him and the adm inistrative s ta ff . Since the board of trustees is a policy-making body, i t is responsible fo r making sure the president manages and operates the in s titu tio n w ithin the framework of those p o lic ie s (Harper, 1974, p. 2 2 ). Hence, 44 the major re s p o n s ib ility o f the board of trustees is the selection of a president, who runs the college and 1s accountable to the board o f trustees. munity* The board o f tru s te e s . 1n tu rn , Is accountable to the com­ its primary functions are to tra n s la te the needs o f the com­ munity In to p o lic ie s th a t w ill meet those needs and to Insure the In te g rity o f the college in the face o f external demands (Blocker e t a l . , 1965, p. 181). Summary Chapter I I I included a discussion o f the research design and procedures o f the study. Instrumentation used in the study and methods used to c o lle c t the data were explained. The ra tio n a le for choosing the six community colleges fo r the study was given, as were descriptions of each o f the selected colleges. The ro le and function of the community college president and the board of trustees were outlined. Chapter IV contains an analysis and in te rp re ta tio n o f the data gleaned from the questionnaire and interview responses. CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF THE DATA The areas Investigated in the present study pertain to selected aspects of external influence on community colleges from n atio n al, s ta te , and local le v e ls . In providing answers to the ques­ tio n n a ire , each respondent was requested to base responses on his experiences and perceptions o f situations in his college during the past year. For purposes of analyzing the data, responses were grouped and interpreted according to the nature of the question and the area o f concern in Tables 1 through 16. The frequency of responses was recorded on a standard of N*6, w ith six community college presidents and six board chairpersons responding in two categories of s ix each. The responses were then tabulated in individual tables in percentages ranging from 2 ero to 100 fo r s ix respondents: 0 percent = no response, 17 percent = one response, 33 percent = two responses, 50 percent = three responses, 67 percent * four responses, 87 percent = f iv e responses, and 100 percent = s ix responses. Question number 12 com­ bined three sets o f responses o f both presidents and board c h a irp e r­ sons with N=12. The series o f questions a t a ll three le ve ls of external influence—n a tio n a l, s ta te , and lo c a l—attempted to e l i c i t the per­ ceptions o f the respondents p rim a rily from e ig h t perspectives: 45 46 1. How much external influence is exerted by each level upon the community college in general. 2. How much external influence is exerted by the various sources id e n tifie d , s p e c ific a lly upon the goals, methods and programing o f the colleg e. 3. What is the predominant d ire c tio n in which external in f lu ­ ence is exerted. 4. What is the frequency with which external Influence is exerted . 5. What is the predominant form taken by th a t external i n f1uence. 6. What is the nature o f external influence exerted. 7. What are the various mechanisms used by the college to handle external influences. 8. In what way does the college attempt to handle external influence. Following are the analyses of Table Series 1-6 and 7-21, rep­ resenting the major findings regarding the perceptions of six commu­ n ity college presidents and board chairpersons in Michigan on external influences. A key to abbreviations used in the tables follow s. National Sources of Influence: USOE = United States O ffice of Education AACJC = American Association of Comnunity Junior Colleges Acer. Assoc. = American College Accrediting Association UNION = AFL-CIO, MEA Acad. Assoc. = Academic associations FOUND = Philanthropic foundations State Sources o f In flu en ce: GOV = Governor or Executive O ffice LEG = State Legislature 47 MBE = Michigan Board of Education SBPC&JC 3 State Board fo r Public Community & Junior Colleges HOE 3 Michigan Education Department MCCA * Michigan Coirinunlty College Association MASA * Michigan Association of School Administrators MEA 3 Michigan Education Association SP In t 3 Special in te re s t groups PP = P o litic a l p a rtie s (In dividu als o r groups CC = Community colleges UNIV = Four-year colleges and u n iv e rs itie s Local Sources o f In flu en ce: ADV-COMM = Advisory committees VOTERS 3 Community voters PARENTS = Community parents STUDENTS 3 Local youth (high school students & peers o f your students) SEC-SCHS 3 Public and private secondary schools UNIV = Local fo u r-y ea r colleges and u n iv e rs itie s BUS-CORP = Business and corporate groups UNIONS 3 Labor groups (AFL-CIO, UAW, e tc .) PP 3 P o litic a l p a rtie s (in dividu als or groups) SP In t 3 Ethnic and special In te re s t groups CIV-ORG = C ivic organizations (R otary, Chamber o f Commerce, e tc .) ALUMNI 3 Alumni MEDIA = News media 48 Questionnaire Responses The Research Design Questionnaire on External Influences con­ tained a series o f th ir ty - s ix questions about evenly divided among the three influence le v e ls — n a tio n a l, s ta te , and lo c a l. In analyzing the results and categorizing the various responses emanating from the o rig in al set o f tables (Appendix A, Tables 2 8 -3 3 ), three add itio nal s ig n ific a n t sets of tables were developed: 1. Table Series 1-6—This set of tables determined the level exerting the greatest external in flu en ce—n a tio n a l, s ta te , lo c a l- - in each o f six categories as perceived In d iv id u a lly by the six conmunity college presidents and board c h a ir­ persons. 2. Table Series 7-21--T h is second set of tables determined, in rank order, the organizations or groups (source) w ith in each level exerting the greatest external influence as per­ ceived in d iv id u a lly by the six community college p re s i­ dents and board chairpersons. 3. Table Series 22-27— This th ird series o f tables* part of the o rig in a l s e t, is based upon interview data and sum­ marizes the perceptions of the presidents and chairpersons on s p e c ific issues a t each level commanding the most a tte n tio n , the comnunity college as a change agent, the p o sitive and negative factors re la tin g to external sources o f influence, and ways they would do things d iffe r e n tly in the fu tu re . In Table Series 1-6 responses are tabulated fo r each of the choices ("No Influence," "Moderate In flu en c e," e tc .) fo r each level (n a tio n a l, s ta te , lo c a l) separately fo r the presidents and board chairpersons. The responses were tabulated and th is to ta l divided by the number o f responses to determine the percentages. In Table Series 7-21, to determine the degree of influence exerted by the various groups and organizations (source) w ith in each level as perceived by the presidents and board chairpersons, each choice was given a numerical value from one to fou r: 1— No Influence; 2—Moder­ ate Influence; 3— Considerable Influence; 4 --M ajo r Influence. This number value was m u ltip lie d by the number of responses which, when added together, equal the to ta l as indicated separately under president or board c h a ir­ person. To gain Immediate Impact as to the convergent or divergent per­ ceptions of the presidents and board chairpersons, and the r e la tiv e In f lu ­ ence of the group or organization, the tabulated outcomes are rank-ordered from the most to the least In flu e n tia l external group or organization a t the n atio n al, s ta te , and local le v e ls . 49 Table Series 1-6— Most Influentla1~Teve1s Determination o f the most In flu e n tia l le v e l—n a tio n a l, s ta te , lo c a l— impacting upon decision making of the six comtiunlty college presidents and six board chairpersons. Table 1 .—How much Influence has each of the follow ing le v e ls — n a tio n a l, s ta te , local--had on your~college's goals, methods, and programs during the past year? Presidents National No Influence Moderate influence Considerable influence Major influence Total State Local No. %_ No. 1L No. *_ 10 17 6 _3 28 47 17 8 n 59 16 14 10 39 17 12 13 50 22 15 36 100 8 44 12 10 74 100 78 100 Board Chairpersons National No influence Moderate influence Considerable influence Major influence Total Comment: State Local No. %_ No. %_ No. 2L 11 17 8 JL 31 47 22 0 12 40 16 _4 17 56 22 6 12 43 20 _3 15 55 26 4 36 100 72 100 78 100 Of the three levels o f external influence researched— n a tio n a l, s ta te , and lo c a l— both the corrmunity college presidents and board c h a ir­ persons perceived the local le ve l as wielding the greatest o v e ra ll impact on the college during the past year. The combined to ta ls o f "considerable" and "major" influence fo r presidents a t the local level 50 equal 37 percent compared to 30 percent a t the s ta te le v e l; s im ila r ly , fo r board chairpersons '’considerable” and "major" equal 30 percent fo r local compared to 28 percent fo r the state le v e l. This is an In terestin g fin din g In lig h t o f or in sp ite o f the growing trend toward Increased s ta te dominance o f the community college. The national level appeared to exert modest influence throughout. Table 2 . — During the past y e a r, external levels have, to varying degrees, acted upon your college. How frequently have the following le v e ls — n atio n al, s ta te , lo c a l— exerted influence on your college during the past year? Presidents National Not a t a ll Occasionally Almost constantly Continuously Total Local State No. %_ No. %_ No. % 11 20 4 3 29 53 11 7 17 43 23 17 13 37 16 9 17 49 22 12 38 100 12 31 17 11 72 100 75 100 Board Chairpersons State Total Comment: No. % 11 50 14 .1 78 14 64 18 4 100 r Not a t a ll Occasionally Almost constantly Continuously Local %__ o National No. 7 20 6 3 19 56 17 8 11 39 15 _7 15 54 21 10 36 100 72 100 The s ta te level is perceived to be most in flu e n tia l when determining how often the college has to respond or react to influen ce. 51 This finding Is expected, given the statu to ry and regulatory auth ority of the s ta te in re la tio n to comnunlty colleges. This relatio n sh ip becomes re a d ily apparent when you consider budgetary requirements and the related contacts necessary between the community c o lle g e , the state le g is la tiv e bureau, and the governor's o ffic e . Table 3 . — In thinking over your responses, what has been the nature of influence on your college from each of the following le v e ls —n a tio n a l, s ta te , lo c a l— during the past year? Presidents National No influence Strongly favorable Favorable Unfavorable Strongly unfavorable Total State Local No. JL No. %_ No. %_ 9 25 0 64 11 0 10 12 40 9 J 14 17 55 13 1 16 16 56 11 1 100 72 100 14 14 48 9 _L 86 0 23 4 _0 36 100 Board Chairpersons National No. No influence Strongly favorable Favorable Unfavorable Strongly unfavorable Total Comment: 11 5 18 0 _0 34 %_ 32 15 53 0 __ o 100 State No. %_ Local %_ No. 11 4 51 6 _± 14 5 68 8 5 12 7 52 2 _0 16 10 71 3 0 76 100 73 100 With few exceptions, i t appears obvious th a t the nature of influence from a ll three levels is generally favorable. Board 52 chairpersons perceive more favorable Influence a t the s ta te and local levels* less from the national le v e l. The greatest degree o f unfavor­ able influence perceived a t a ll levels is registered by presidents. This is understandable, Inasmuch as i t is the president who 1s always on the "cutting edge" o f funding cutbacks, accreditation decisions* and facu lty negotiations. 53 Table 4 . —An in s titu tio n has various means a v a ila b le fo r dealing w ith external levels o f influence. What have been the mechanisms used by your college to handle influence from each o f the following le v e ls -n atlo n al* s ta te , lo c a l—during the past year? National Level Presidents No mechanisms Informal contacts Lobby groups Media Other Total Board Chairpersons No. %_ Mo. %_ 16 9 9 0 _2 44 25 25 0 6 10 16 10 0 _0 28 44 28 0 0 36 100 36 100 State Level Presidents No mechanisms Informal Public re la tio n s Advisory Other— formal Total Board Chairpersons No. %_ No. %_ 10 22 7 3 30 14 31 10 4 41 15 49 13 5 18 72 100 11 35 9 4 11 72 100 Local Level Presidents No. No mechanisms Open meeting Advisory committee Org. membership Public re la tio n s Formal contacts Informal contacts Information system Total 5 13 2 3 9 22 10 14 6 17 3 4 11 28 13 18 78 100 Board Chairpersons No. %__ 7 24 0 4 4 10 25 _9 83 8 29 0 5 5 12 30 11 100 54 Comment: Overall 1t appears th a t both presidents and board ch airp er­ sons perceive u t iliz in g informal contacts at a l l levels to handle external influences. However, analyzing each source c lo s e ly , some s ig n ific a n t differences are revealed between the two educational leaders. At the national level a surprising 44 percent of the p re s i­ dents' responses indicated "No Mechanisms" employed. Board chairper­ sons registered 28 percent "No Mechanisms" a t the national le v e l. One possible explanation fo r th is disparate perception is that presidents have minimum contact with national sources as compared with greater concentration on local and s ta te sources. Board chairpersons may not be as cognizant of th is minimum contact. Both the presidents and chairpersons agree on state source mechanisms— "Informal Contacts" followed by formal procedures. The category "Other: Formal Contacts" was not included in the question­ n a ire , but most interviewees added "Formal." Although the public re la tio n s person is considered a formal contact, much o f what he does is executed in an informal way. A difference appears a t the local le v e l, however, with the presidents preferring formal contacts f o l ­ lowed by "Use o f Information Systems" and "Open Meetings." Board chairpersons, consistent throughout, perceived "Informal Contacts" as the most prevalent mechanism followed by "Open Meetings." 55 Table 5 . —The various levels of external influence acting upon a community college do not a l l act 1n the same way. Some external sources a t d i f ­ fere n t levels support the actions o f the college* others protest actions o f the colleg e, demand that action be taken or not taken. For each o f the following le v e ls — n a tio n a l, s ta te , lo c a l—what do you think has been It s predominant d ire c tio n o f Influence upon your co lleg e's goals, methods and programs during the past year? Presidents National Supported college Protested Demanded action Demanded inaction Not sure Total State Local No. *_ No. *_ No. %_ 20 1 5 1 _9 56 3 13 3 25 50 6 18 4 22 54 6 9 1 JS 69 8 12 1 10 36 100 36 4 13 3 11 72 100 78 100 Board Chairpersons Nati onal No. Supported college Protested Demanded action Demanded inaction Not sure Total Comment: 12 2 8 1 11 36 Local State No % No % 33 6 22 3 36 39 1 8 3 21_ 54 1 11 4 30 53 4 6 1 H 68 5 8 1 18 100 72 100 78 100 L . _ Support fo r the decisions o f the college was perceived at a ll levels by both presidents and board chairpersons. Uncertainty as to whether groups support or f a i l to support the college a t a ll levels was more pronounced among board chairpersons, possibly because they are not exposed d a ily to the various positions taken, as are the p re s i­ dents. The "Action Demanded" a t both the national and state levels 56 re fle c ts regulatory and budgetary requirements o f these two sources. Both the presidents and board chairpersons perceived the local level lending greatest support to the colleg e. Table 6 . — Influence on a community college may take many d iffe re n t forms. How would you characterize the predominant basis or form o f external influence from each o f the following level s » n a tlb n a l, s ta te , lo c a l—during the past year? Presidents National No influence Rational use of information Formal/legal requirements Reward fo r compliance Threat fo r non-compliance Total State Local %_ No. No. %_ No. 11 9 6 8 _2 31 25 17 22 5 12 27 20 6 J_ 17 38 28 8 9 16 43 11 4 __4 21 55 14 5 5 36 100 72 100 78 100 Board Chairpersons National No influence Rational use o f information Formal/legal requirements Reward fo r compliance Threat fo r non-compliance Total Comment: Local State No. %__ No. 10 10 7 5 _4 28 28 19 14 11 12 30 19 4 1 _ 36 100 72 No. %__ 17 42 26 6 9 19 45 5 7 _2 24 58 6 9 3 100 78 100 The purpose o f th is item was to determine the predominant form of external pressures, prompting the college to react in a certain way. The predominant form through which influence was exerted at a ll levels as perceived by the presidents and chairpersons was the "Rational 57 Use o f Inform ation," persuasion and/or exp e rtise . E s s e n tia lly , the understanding between the conmunity co lleg e, the three external le v e ls , and the many organizations and groups w ith in them appears to stem from cooperative working re latio n sh ip s. I t is a t the local level where the use o f Information and persuasion Is most pronounced, as i t is applied to the presidents and chairpersons. Summary In analyzing the preceding six tables to determine the most in flu e n tia l le v e l--n a tio n a l, s ta te , or 1ocal--as perceived by six com­ munity college presidents and board chairpersons, i t appears th a t the local level 1s foremost in four o f the tables and comparable to the state level in one (Mechanisms U t iliz e d ) . Only in "Frequency o f Influence" is the local source less in flu e n tia l and the state prominent. In a l l tables, national influence Is perceived as being less than e ith e r local or s ta te . Although state agencies possess c o n s titu tio n al and budgetary a u th o rity over Michigan community colleges, the p o s itiv e and substantial consideration accorded local sources such as advisory councils, unions, u n iv e rs itie s , and voters re fle c ts the growing Impor­ tance o f accommodating local concerns and requests. Id e a lly , th is 1s the essence of the community colleg e, meeting the needs o f those closest to i t — it s constituent c itiz e n s . Table Series 7-11 — National Sources of Influence Determination of the most in flu e n tia l organization or group (source) w ithin each o f the three le v e ls — n a tio n a l, s ta te , and lo c a l. Responses are rank ordered separately fo r presidents and board c h a ir­ persons . 58 Table 7 . — How much influence has each o f the follow ing national sources had on your co lleg e's goals, methods and programs during the past year? 1. 2. 3. 4. No influence Moderate influence Considerable influence Major influence National Sources Presidents Board Chairpersons A ccreditation Association 20 Accreditation Association 18 U.S. O ffic e of Education 12 U.S. O ffice of Education 14 American Association o f Cofrinunity Colleges 12 Unions 12 Unions 11 American Association of Community Colleges 11 Academic associations 10 Academic associations Foundations 11 8 Foundations 8 59 Table 8 . —During the past year various external sources, to varying degrees, acted upon your co lleg e. How frequently has each of the following national sources exerted influence on your college during the past year? 1. 2. 3. 4. Not a t a ll Occasionally Almost constantly Continuously Nationa Sources Board Chairpersons Presidents Accreditation Association 16 A ccreditation Association 19 Unions 15 Unions 15 U.S. O ffice of Education 12 U.S. O ffic e of Education 12 American Association of Community Colleges 11 American Association o f Community Colleges 11 Academic Associations 11 Academic Associations 11 Foundations 8 Foundations 9 60 Table 9 . — In thinking over your responses, what has been the nature o f influence on your college from each o f the follow ing national sources during the past year? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. No influence exerted Strongly favorable Favorable Unfavorable Strongly unfavorable National Sources Board Chairpersons Presidents Accreditation Association 19 A ccreditation Association 16 U.S. O ffic e o f Education 19 U.S. O ffice o f Education 15 Unions 16 American Association of Community Colleges 15 Academic Associations 13 Academic Associations 16 American Association of Community Colleges 14 Unions 8 Foundations 10 Foundations 8 61 Table 10.— The various sources o f external influence acting upon a com­ munity college do not a ll act in the same way. Some external sources support the actions of the college* others protect action o f the c o lle g e , while others demand that action be taken, or not taken. For each o f the following national sources what do you think has been its predomi­ nant d ire ctio n o f influence? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Has supported the actions of the Has protested the actions o f the Has demanded actions be taken by Has demanded actions not be taken Not sure college college the college by the college National Sources Presidents Board Chairpersons Unions 17 Unions 17 Accreditation Association 16 A ccreditation Association 16 U.S. O ffice o f Education 14 American Association of Community Colleges 14 American Association of Community Colleges 12 U.S. O ffic e o f Education 13 Academic Associations 12 Academic Associations 13 Foundations 7 Foundations 7 62 Table 11.--In flu e n c e on a community college may take many d iffe re n t forms. How would you characterize the predominant basis or form o f external influence from each of the following national sources during the past year? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. No Influence was exerted Rational use o f Inform ation, persuasion, or expertise Use o f formal or legal requirements Use o f reward or promise o f support (fo r compliance) Use o f coercion or th re a t (fo r non-compliance) National Sources Board Chairpersons Presidents U.S. O ffice of Education 21 Unions 22 Accreditation Association 21 A ccreditation Association 19 American Association of Conmunity Colleges U.S. O ffic e of Education 15 12 14 12 Unions 12 American Association of Community Colleges Foundations 12 Academic Associations Academic Associations 11 Foundations 9 The Host In flu e n tia l National External Sources The various national accrediting associations are perceived both by the presidents and board chairpersons as possessing the most pervasive overall influence as a national organization. With cursory examination one might question such a prominent position accorded the accreditation associations but upon closer examination, including knowledge o f the cornnunlty college functions and goals, a more thorough understanding emerges. two primary functions: Community colleges in Michigan are geared to 63 1. preparing students fo r tra n s fe r to fo u r-year u n iv e rs itie s , and 2. providing students with opportunities to acquire functional s k ills and knowledge to proceed d ir e c tly in to employment. In both instances, the u n iv e rs itie s and employing firms are e s s e n tia lly concerned w ith the q u a lity and accred itatio n status o f the preparatory courses of study. Acceptance or re je c tio n o f the student usually is predicated on whether or not the courses taken have been evaluated and the In s titu tio n accredited (or not accredited) by recog­ nized national accreditation associations in the various fie ld s . The community college 1s p a r tic u la rly sen s itive to th is procedure due to its programming in technical courses (o ften fe d e ra lly funded) coupled with the curriculum innovation and expansion often taking place, and the constant search by the community college fo r q u a lifie d and knowledge­ able in s tru c tio n a l personnel. Following a d is ta n t second to the accrediting groups 1s the U.S. O ffic e o f Education, the presidents' choice, and national unions fo r the board chairpersons. The two switch the above around fo r th e ir th ird choices, presidents indicating unions and board chairpersons the U.S. O ffic e of Education. Selection of the U.S. O ffic e o f Education by the presidents somewhat follows the pattern above fo r the accredi­ tatio n associations given the regulatory and evalu ative au th o rity o f the U.S. of Education fo r program funding. I t is extremely s ig n ific a n t, however, th a t board chairpersons recognize the powerful potential o f national union organizations. 64 The American Association o f Community and Junior Colleges seems to exert moderate influence as do the academic associations. I t Is In terestin g to note here th a t academic associations, once the focus o f fa c u lty organizing, appear to be giving way to the more teachercentered fa c u lty unions. F in a lly , in a ll instances except one, national foundations, with th e ir low p r o file and non-d1rective approach, are perceived as exerting the le a s t influence upon the community colleg e. Table Series 12-16-State Sources o f Influence Table 12.—How much in f 1uence has each o f the follow ing state sources had on your co lleg e's goals, methods and programs during the past year? 1. 2. 3. 4. No influence Moderate influence Considerable influence Major influence State Sources Presidents Community College U niversities Legislature Special In te re s t Groups Michigan Community College Association Governor's O ffic e Mich. Department of Education Michigan Education Association Michigan State Board o f Education State Board, Community and Junior Colleges P o litic a l P arties Michigan Association of School Administrators Board Chairpersons 22 22 20 16 15 14 14 14 13 12 10 8 Legislature Governor's O ffic e U n iversities Mich. State Board of Educ. Michigan Community College Association Mich. Department o f Education Community Colleges State Board, Conmunity and Junior Colleges P o litic a l Parties Michigan Education Association Special In te re s t Groups Michigan Association of School Administrators 21 16 15 14 14 13 13 12 12 10 9 7 65 Table 13-— During the past year various external sources, to varying degrees, acted upon your college. How frequently has each of the following state sources exerted influence on your college during the past year? 1. 2. 3. 4. Not a t a ll Occasionally Almost constantly Continuously State Sources Presidents Legislature Board Chairpersons 21 Legislature 20 Governor's O ffic e 16 Mich. Board of Education 15 U n iversities Mich. Department o f Education 15 14 Government 16 Michigan Education Association 14 Michigan Community College Association 14 Mich. Department of Education 14 Community Colleges 14 Mich. Board o f Education 13 Special In te re s t Groups 13 State Board, Community and Junior Colleges 12 13 P o litic a l Parties Michigan Education Association 11 Special In te re s t Groups 11 P o litic a l Parties 11 State Board, Community and Junior Colleges 11 6 Michigan Association of School Administrators 7 Michigan Community College Association 20 U niversities 19 Community Colleges 16 Michigan Association of School Administrators 66 Table 1 4 .— In thinking over your responses* what has been the nature o f Influence on your college from each o f the follow ing s ta te sources during the past year? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. No Influence exerted Strongly favorable Favorable Unfavorable Strongly unfavorable State Sources Board Chairpersons Presidents M1ch. Department o f Education 20 Mich. Board o f Education 20 Governor's O ffice 19 Governor's O ffic e 18 Michigan Education Association 19 Legislature 19 Legislature 18 Community Colleges 18 Mich. Board of Education 18 U n iversities 18 U n iversities 17 State Board, Community and Junior Colleges 18 State Board, Corrmunity and Junior Colleges 15 Mich. Department o f Education 17 Special In te re s t Groups 15 P o litic a l Parties 17 Community Colleges 15 Michigan Community College Association 15 Michigan Community College Association 15 Special In te re s t Groups 15 P o litic a l Parties 14 Michigan Education Association 14 Michigan Association o f School Administrators 8 Michigan Association of School Administrators 8 67 Table 1 5 .—The various sources of external Influence acting upon a com­ munity college do not a l l act 1n the same way. Some external sources support the actions o f the college* others protect action o f the college* while others demand th a t action be taken* or not taken, fo r each o f the follow ing state sources what do you think has been It s predominant d ire c tio n o f Influence? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Has supported the actions o f the college Has protested the actions o f the college Has demanded actions be taken bythe college Has demanded actions not be taken by the college Not sure State Sources Board Chairpersons Presidents Legislature 16 Mich. Department o f Education 20 19 Governor's O ffice 15 U n iversities 19 Michigan Education Association 15 Legislature 18 U n iversities 14 Michigan Education Association 16 Mich. Board o f Education 13 Mich. Department of Education 13 Michigan Community College Association 13 State Board* Community and Junior Colleges 11 Governor's O ffice Michigan Community College Association 15 Community Colleges 12 Mich. Board of Education 11 State Board, Community and Junior Colleges 11 Special In te re s t Groups 11 Special In te re s t Groups 10 Community Colleges 11 P o litic a l Parties Michigan Association of School Administrators 10 P o litic a l P artiey Michigan Association o f School Administrators 6 9 8 68 Table 1 6 .— Influence on a comrninity college may take many d iffe re n t forms. How would you characterize the predominant basis or form o f external influence from each o f the following s ta te sources during the past year? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. No Influence was exerted Rational use of inform ation, persuasion, or expertise Use o f formal or legal requirements Use of reward or promise o f support (fo r compliance) Use o f coercion or th re a t (fo r non-compliance) State Sources President Board Chairpersons Legislature Governor*s O ffice 21 Legislature 22 20 Governor's O ffic e 21 Mich. Board of Education 19 P o litic a l Parties 19 Michigan Education Association 19 Mich. Board o f Education 17 Mich, Department o f Education 17 Mich. Department o f Education 15 U n iversities 15 Michigan Education Association 15 U n iversities 14 State Board, Community and Junior Colleges 13 12 State Board, Community and Junior Colleges 15 Michigan Community College Association 13 P o litic a l Parties 13 Michigan Cormunity College Association Community Colleges 12 Special In te re s t Groups Special In te re s t Groups 11 Michigan Association o f School Administrators 10 Community Colleges Michigan Association of School Administrators The Most In flu e n tia l State External Sources Both the presidents and board chairpersons consider the s ta te le g is la tu re to be the most in flu e n tia l source a t the state le v e l. Simply stated , the le g is la tu re is "where the money is ." And although the governor recormnends, the le g is la tu re s ta tu to ria l ly has fin a l 12 12 8 69 authority fo r providing s ta te funds to match w ith local funds fo r Michigan's community colleges. The next most in flu e n tia l source fo r presidents is u n ive rs i­ t ie s , undoubtedly due to the considerable Influence the fou r-year schools have over student tra n s fe r and admission matters. Board c h a ir­ persons perceive the governor's o ffic e and the Michigan S tate Board o f Education as wielding g reater Influence than u n iv e rs itie s . But p re s i­ dents perceive the Michigan Department of Education as more in flu e n ­ t i a l than the State Board o f Education. These perceptions seem to follow a pattern throughout th is study. That 1s, policy-making bodies tend to give g reater deference to each other ( i . e . , State Board of Education and Community College Trustee Board; and adm inistrative agencies likew ise—State Superintendent A, Department o f Education and College President A, Community C ollege). Next in order of influence fo r the presidents, but less so fo r the board chairpersons, is the expanding organizational e ffo r ts of the Michigan Education Association. The presidents, coming in to d ire c t contact with th is organization a t the negotiations ta b le , are acutely aware of it s expanding power in the s ta te . Quite important in perceived influence by both the presidents and board chairpersons are other community colleges in Michigan, the bond o f common objectives exertin g considerable Influence on the actions o f each individual college. The State Board fo r Public constitutio n al body but exerts fa r Conmunity and Junior Colleges Is a less influence than the State Board 70 of Education or the Michigan Department o f Education (Superintendent o f Public In s tru c tio n ). Moderate influence is exerted a t the s ta te level by the Michigan Community College Association, it s primary function being to dissemi­ nate information and keep member colleges informed on le g is la tio n . P o litic a l p arties and special In te re s t groups were also id e n tifie d as having moderate influence but the im plications here seem to be that most presidents and board chairpersons declined to id e n tify with e ith e r of these groups. F in a lly , the Michigan Association o f School Adm inistrators, an educational organization dominated by K-12 small-town superintendents, appeared to be the le a s t in flu e n tia l. 71 Table Series 17-21-Local Sources o f Influence Table 1 7 .— How much influence has each o f the follow ing local sources had on your c o lleg e 's goals, methods and programs during the past year? 1. 2. 3. 4. No influence Moderate influence Considerable Influence Major Influence Local Sources Presidents Board Chairpersons Advisory Committees 21 Advisory Committees 21 U n iversities 18 Voters Business Corporations 18 Students 15 15 Secondary Schools 16 14 Secondary Schools 14 U n iversities 14 Parents Students Unions 14 Business Corporations 14 14 Unions 14 P o litic a l Parties 14 P o litic a l Parties 13 Alumni 14 13 Voters 13 Media Special In te re s t Groups 12 Media 13 Parents 11 Special In te re s t Groups 11 C ivic Organizations 11 C ivic Organizations 9 Alumni 7 72 Table 1 8 .— During the past year various external sources, to varying degrees, acted upon your co lleg e. How freq u ently has each o f the f o l ­ lowing local sources exerted influence on your college during the past year? 1. 2. 3. 4. Not a t al 1 Occasionally Almost constantly Continuously Local Sources Board Chairpersons Presidents Advisory Committees 22 Advisory Committees 17 Voters 17 Voters 15 U n iversities 17 U n iv e rs itie s 15 Unions 14 Students 14 Media 14 Media 14 Secondary Schools 13 Secondary Schools 13 P o litic a l Parties 13 Unions 13 Students Business Corporations 12 Parents 12 12 Business Corporations 12 Civic Organizations 11 P o litic a l Parties 12 Alumni 10 C ivic Organizations 11 Special In te re s t Groups 9 Special In te re s t Groups 10 Parents 7 Alumni 10 73 Table 1 9 .— In thinking over your response, what has been the nature o f Influence on your college from each o f the follow ing lo cal sources during the past year? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. No Influence exerted Strongly favorable Favorable Unfavorable Strongly unfavorable Local Sources Presidents Board Chairpersons Unions 20 C ivic Organizations 18 Business Corporations 18 Media 18 Voters 17 Voters 17 Parents 17 Business Corporations 17 U n iversities 17 Unions 17 P o litic a l Parties 16 P o litic a l Parties 17 Media 15 Students 16 Advisory Committees 14 U n iv e rs itie s 16 Secondary Schools 14 Advisory Committees 15 C ivic Organizations 14 15 Students Special In te re s t Groups 13 Parents Secondary Schools 14 12 Special In te re s t Groups 13 Alumni 11 Alumni 10 74 Table 2 0 .—The various sources of external influence acting upon a community college do not a ll act 1n the same way. Some external sources support the actions o f the colleg e, others protest action of the c o lleg e , while others demand th a t action be taken,or not taken. For each of the following local sources what do you think has been its predominant d irectio n of Influence? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Has supported the actions o f the college Has protested the actions o f the college Has demanded actions be taken by the college Has demanded actions not be taken by the college Not sure Local Sources Board Chairpersons Presidents Unions 17 Advisory Committees 16 Advisory Committees 16 U n ive rs ities 15 Voters 15 P o litic a l Parties 15 Parents 15 Voters 14 U n iversities 15 Media 14 Media 15 Students 12 P o litic a l Parties 13 Business Corporations 12 Students 12 Unions 12 Secondary Schools 12 Special In te re s t Groups 12 Business Corporations 12 Parents 11 Alumni 12 Secondary Schools 11 Civic Organizations 11 C ivic Organizations 11 Special In te re s t Groups 10 A1umn i 6 75 Table 2 1 .— Influence on a comnunity college may take many d iffe r e n t forms. How would you characterize the predominant basis or form o f external influence from each o f the follow ing local sources during the past year? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. No influence was exerted Rational use o f Inform ation, persuasion, or expertise Use of formal or legal requirements Use of reward or promise o f support (fo r compliance) Use of coercion or th rea t (fo r non-compliance) Local Sources Presidents Board Chairpersons Unions 19 Unions 17 Students 15 Voters 16 P o litic a l Parties Advisory Coirmittee 15 U n ive rs ities 16 14 P o litic a l Parties 15 U n iversities 14 15 Parents 13 Media Business Corporations Secondary Schools 13 Parents 13 Business Corporations 13 Advisory Committee 12 Voters 12 Secondary Schools 11 Civic Organizations 12 C ivic Organizations 11 Media 11 Special In te re s t Groups 10 Special In te re s t Groups 10 Students 9 Alumni 10 Alumni 6 14 The Most In flu e n tia l Local External Sources Again the presidents and board chairpersons both agree as to the primacy of local community college advisory corTmittees as exertin g the greatest influence a t the local le v e l. The general assumption made re la tiv e to the importance of advisory committees is that a broader base of c itiz e n p a rtic ip a tio n is assured. As indicated by the presidents 76 and board chairpersons, advisory committees' input Is earnestly sought as to the nature and d ire c tio n of the college program and ob jectives. In a more r e a lis t ic vein, the fe e lin g was also expressed th a t broad c itiz e n support 1s only needed when bonds are Issued or during m lllage campaigns. This fe e lin g , however, is quickly evaporating as advisory corrvrrfttees become stable and valuable sounding boards and review panels fo r community college p o licies and programs. Although the presidents and board chairpersons form a consensus on th e ir perceptions of many groups throughout th is study, the areas where they d if f e r follow a general p attern . Presidents have a ten­ dency to acquiesce more toward the structured element—the bureaucracy, established agencies such as the u n iv e rs itie s and the corporate world. Board chairpersons, on the other hand, being representatives of the e le c to ra te , lean more toward the unstructured element—c itiz e n s , com­ munity representatives, and local organizations. The second choice o f in flu e n tia l local sources perceived by the presidents are teacher unions, a response to the increasing impor­ tance of negotiations and fa c u lty unionization. Although the d i f f e r ­ ence is s lig h t, board chairpersons id e n tifie d voters as next 1n in f lu ­ ence, with u n iv e rs itie s fo r both presidents and board chairpersons holding a strong th ird position as an in flu e n tia l source. P o litic a l parties held a middle position throughout, along with roughly equivalent moderate influence exerted by parents, stu­ dents, secondary schools, and business corporations. C1v1c organlza- tin s were highlighted in one isolated instance but remained o f modest influence throughout, as did special In te re s t groups and the media. 77 I t Is an In te re s tin g observation to note the apparent decline o f c iv ic organizations such as the Rotary, K1wan1s, Chamber of Commerce, e t c ., a t one time of more considerable Influence lo c a lly , and s t i l l are In c erta in rural communities. But membership today appears to be fo r social purposes only, th e ir influence giving way to a more peopleoriented approach. F in a lly , the alumni element was perceived as an in s ig n ific a n t source of influence lo c a lly , probably because community college alumni, generally a "no nonsense," job-or1ented group, f a i l to id e n tify with the community college as alumni and c e rta in ly not comparable to the u n ive rs ity "old time" tra d itio n . Sunwary Considering the various organizations and groups exerting influence upon the community college w ithin each o f the three primary le v e ls --n a tio n a l, s ta te , and lo c a l— the six community college p re s i­ dents and six board chairpersons Interviewed were 1n general agreement as to which o f these sources appeared to be the most in f lu e n t ia l. At the national le v e l, accred itatio n associations were con­ sidered the most prominent external influence by v irtu e of th e ir pro­ gram evaluation and approval a u th o rity . The s ta te le g is la tu re , holder of the purse s trin g s , prevailed as most in flu e n tia l a t the s ta te level with the s ta te u n iv e rs itie s , the governor's o f f ic e , the Michigan Board of Education, Department o f Edu­ c a tio n , and the Michigan Education Association close behind. 78 At the local le v e l* by an Impressive margin, community college advisory committees were deemed most In f lu e n tia l. The pace and com­ p le x ity o f modern society 1s such th a t the many and rnyrlad viewpoints o f the community can no longer be adequately voiced by the repre­ sentative college board o f tru stees; hence the need and Increasing importance of broad-based advisory committees reacting to and Impacting upon the coimwnlty college leadership. Table Series 2 2-26 -N arrative Responses to Questionnaire The follow ing tables are based upon interview data and sum­ marize the perceptions of the presidents and board chairpersons on sp e c ific issues a t each level commanding the most a tte n tio n * the com­ munity college as a change agent* the p o sitive and negative factors re la tin g to external sources o f influence* and ways they would do things d iffe r e n tly in the fu tu re . 79 Table 2 2 .— What specific Issues 1n your college have brought the most Influence from sources a t the n a tio n a l, s ta te , and local levels? National Level Presidents: Program funding Accreditation Sex discrim ination 3-50 2-33 1-17 Board Chairpersons: Program funding Accreditation Sex discrim ination 6-100 - - — - State Level Presidents: Mi 11age campaign D e fic it financing State aid appropriations Community college curriculum and accreditation 3-50 1-17 1-17 1-17 Board Chairpersons: State control o f funding New program approval Community college re d is tric tin g 4-83 1-17 1-17 Local Level Presidents: Career education program O rientation o f board members Conmunication with the community Student-teacher relatio n sh ip Extern-outreach programs 2-33 1-17 1-17 1-17 1-17 Board Chairpersons: Adequate funding Capital o utlay for construction Teacher s trik e s 3-50 2-33 1-17 80 Conment: At the national le v e l, the a llo c a tio n o f d o llars 1s undoubtedly the most potent influence wielded by federal o f f i ­ c ia ls . Although both the corrmunity college presidents and board chairpersons considered funding e s s e n tia l, presidents appeared more acutely aware of the recurring and arduous task of mounting a mi 11 age campaign among the c itiz e n ry . At the local le v e l, even though the presidents lis te d a wide range o f major Issues facing th e ir schools, a m ajority o f the c h a ir­ persons were concerned p rim a rily w ith funding sources fo r programs and buildings. T able2 3 .--Doyou perceive your comnunlty college as a change agent, b eneficial to the student body and the community which the college serves? Presidents: D e fin ite ly yes Yes Somewhat No 1-17 3-50 2-33 Board Chairpersons: D e fin ite ly yes Yes Somewhat No Comment: 1-17 4-67 1-17 I t is q u ite apparent th a t in s titu tio n s o f learn ­ ing are now being recognized by th e ir leaders as in s titu tio n s o f change. 81 Table 2 4 .- - L is t the major areas of change resu ltin g from your ro le as president or board chairperson that have had some measurable impact upon the community and/or the student population. Presidents: Overwhelmingly, the area of change id e n tifie d by fiv e o f the six presidents was: Expanded services provided c itiz e n s and students in the community bv the community c o lle g e . Some examples o f these services lis te d by the presidents w e r e : l i b r a r y services, c itiz e n Involvement in enrichment and cultu ral programs, adult education, day-care centers, fle x ib le school programs, and out-reach programs. In a d d itio n , some o f the presidents f e l t the follow ing factors generated b en eficial change fo r students and the community: the opendoor p o lic y , increased and improved industry-school re la tio n s pro­ grams, system approach to management and budgeting, and c o g n itiv e -s ty le learning methods. Board Chairpersons: The board chairpersons tended to agree somewhat with the perceptions held by the presidents. The s lig h t d ifferen ce was th a t the board chairpersons merely interpreted expanded services to mean increased educational opportunities in post-secondary tra in in g for many students who had heretofore been denied this p riv ile g e . In a d d itio n , the board chairpersons cited career education and c u ltu ra l enrichment as being s ig n ific a n t change fa c to rs . 82 Table 2 5 .- -Id e n tif y the p o sitive factors in your re la tio n s h ip with external sources o f influence. Presidents: There was a range o f answers depicting the p o sitive impact o f external influences, including: Working closely w ith surrounding industries in tra in in g and on-the-job programs. The generally healthy working re la tio n s h ip w ith fe d e ra l, s ta te , and local governmental agencies. (This fa c to r is c le a rly evident in the analysis of the questionnaire re s u lts .) Accrediting agencies and governmental monitoring programs have tended to keep the community college adm inistration a le r t and responsive to needed program and service m odifications and upgrading. Relations with and continuing support o f the press was lis te d as a positive outside fa c to r. The cooperation and assistance provided by the baccalaureate colleges in the s ta te . The assistance and support afforded, fo r the most p a rt, by the governor and le g is la tu re . Board Chairpersons: The expressions o f the board chairpersons were not as precise and d e fin itiv e as those factors Id e n tifie d by the presidents. Most of th e ir statements concerning p o sitiv e factors were g e n e ra litie s and bland pronouncements, lis tin g such factors as: Conmunity support fo r the conmunity c o lleg e , as re fle c te d in donations, g i f t s , and re -e le c tio n o f incumbent board members. Goals and objectives of the college shared with the community. One chairperson mentioned the mutual understanding established with governmental agencies. The chairpersons were Id e n tify in g the p o sitiv e and supportive feedback they received from the community fo r th e ir programs, service a c t iv it ie s , and o ve ra ll goals. 83 Table 2 6.--Id e n tify the negative factors in your relationship with external source representatives. Presidents: The presidents registered deep concern on two major issues generated by outside Influence, which they f e l t negatively affected the community college: The unpredictable and often negative expression of voters on needed m illage support during election time. The increasing unionization of fa c u lty . Board Chairpersons: Again, no clear-cu t or consistently agreed upon pattern emerged among chairpersons, as 1t did among the presidents. Two of the chairpersons d te d highly c r itic a l and biased media reporting o f the college programs and proposals as a d e fin ite negative fac to r. One individual was concerned about the fa c t that too much business and contact with external sources was conducted p riv a te ly , hence was not open to public scrutiny and knowledge. Another said the size and location of the col le g e --r u r a l, small town—tended to negate recognition and appreciation for its problems. 84 Table 2 7 .— In what ways, i f a t a l l , would you do things d iffe r e n tly in the fu tu re in responding to external sources o f Influence? Presidents: Again, the vein of agreement running through most of the presidents' perceptions regarding ways they could improve th e ir adm inistrations seemed to be: Long-range planning and coordination. Constantly Improved communication with a l l facets o f the comnunity, esp ecially including the black and m inority elements. Board Chairpersons: As indicated in previous assessment of the resu lts of these fiv e n arrativ e questions, no single pattern was endorsed by the chairpersonsThe following were id e n tifie d as events to which the chairpersons would take a d iffe re n t approach: Be more fle x ib le to union demands. Request increased mi 11 age support. In s titu te an e ffe c tiv e public relatio n s program to conmunicate purposes and programs o f the school to the community. Results o f the Personal Interviews Along with the survey questionnaire, personal interview s with each of the six presidents and six board chairpersons were a primary source of information and Ideas. Following is an analysis and in te r ­ pretation o f these in terview s, which lasted from an hour to three and 85 one-half hours. The Interviews are approached and reported not from the standpoint o f Id e n tifia b le p e rs o n a litie s , but rather from posi­ tions and roles o f a ru r a l, suburban, or urban community college adm inistrator and p o licy maker. The purpose o f the personal Interview was to: 1. C la r ify ideas and discuss points o f view regarding external influences upon the community colleg e. 2. V alid ate information in a personal, inform al, fa c e -to -fa c e s ettin g . 3. Attempt to better understand the personality and motiva­ tions of the respondents and hence th e ir responses. 4. Enhance or expand upon technical and narrowly defined information secured by means o f the questionnaire. Perceptions o f External Influences as Related by Two Rural Community College Presidents and Two Board Chairpersons I t is a widespread stereotype that ru ra l or country people are suspicious of outsiders, and generally do not tru s t them. This car­ rie s more sig nifican ce i f the outsider is in t h e ir te r r ito r y fo r any reason. Government or state o f f ic ia ls are e sp ecially suspect. Because o f these fa c to rs , compounded by the researcher's position with the State Superintendent's o ff ic e , the personal in t e r ­ views with the ru ra l college presidents and board chairpersons were not e n th u s ia s tic a lly received. This was not tru e in a ll cases, but in those instances o f caution and uncertainty, the interviews did not provide as much information as expected. 86 The presidents were extremely r e tic e n t, responding only to d ire c t In q u irie s , and ra re ly volunteering Information or personal perceptions. The board chairpersons were less reserved and, in f a c t, engaged In prolonged and c r it ic a l discussions on Issues they f e l t were important. Following 1s a series of perceptions and ideas about the impact of lo c a l, s ta te , and national influence exerted on the decision­ making processes of ru ral community college presidents and board chairpersons. National Sources of Influence Except fo r program funding, grants, and contract guidelines, the influence of the federal government and other national sources was modest a t the local le v e l; i t was too fa r away and Involved. State Sources of Influence According to Zoglin (1974): " . . . Government from a fa r has c erta in in tr in s ic drawbacks that cannot be overcome by even the most in te llig e n t and well meaning of public servants. Some aspects of any s itu a tio n can only be understood by those who are on the scene." The crux of extensive external influence as perceived by these respondents overwhelmingly was the statu to ry and regulatory posi­ tio n of the s ta te , esp e cia lly the governor, le g is la tu re , and the state board of education. One respondent said , "Department o f education influence was mostly negative p rio r to John Porter becoming superin­ tendent." 87 The constant search fo r stable and s u ffic ie n t funds to oper­ ate the school program was by a wide margin the primary concern and consideration o f both presidents and board chairpersons: The various regulations and in terp retatio n s of the Bureau of the Budget have a d ra s tic e ffe c t on comnunlty college budgets. Ninety percent of the revenue comes from the s ta te , about ten percent from local and other sources. [Many individuals a t the local level are] a fra id of le g is la to rs , State Board o f Education members and Department s ta ff ; but more than these three concerns, they fe a r the encroaching power of the teacher union organization movement. There is a place fo r the community college [ in our society] i f the state le g is la tu re would define the function and goals of the community college. Local Sources of Influence The ru ral community college presidents and board chairpersons perceived local sources of influence in terms o f c itiz e n support and approval, expressed as follow s: 1. Needed support in mi 11age campaigns. 2. Local people tend to coalesce around c r it ic a l or contro­ vers ia l issues. 3. Some community leaders of stature tend to give credence and moral support to community college programs and goals. Some General Perceptions o f the Purpose and Function of th e Community College a t the Rural Level Community colleges should not concentrate e n tir e ly on academics and the college tra n s fe r student. 88 The community college must serve the purpose and meet the needs of people In the community. I t needs more d e fin ite recognition o f Its basic functions. Vocational^technical programs should be accorded prime consid­ eration . [Conversely], I questioned the amount of money being poured into vocational-technical p ro je cts. [ I am a ] firm b e lie v e r In education fo r c h ild re n , not tra in in g . Emphasis should be on career exploration. Not much fun in study­ ing math i f you cannot see some ap p lica tio n . I f the high school 1s f a llin g , then the cornnunity college should work to remedy the d eficiencies o f these in s titu tio n s . Education is something fo r those with the desire and w i l l . Society is based on pragmatic in te lle c tu a l ism not idealism . America thinks only 1n terms o f bigness, hence big c itie s have more clout w ith le g is la to rs . The influence o f the big community college and u n iv e rs itie s Is tremendous. P o litic a l and social influence plays a large part in the opera­ tion and d ire c tio n of cornnunity colleges. Trustees are supportive but not too involved in p o litic a l In ­ fig h tin g ; they should become more active in th is respect. There is an o ften th in ly defined lin e of demarcation between policy development and policy adm inistration; hence many trustees tend to adm inister. A ll board o f tru stee members, upon e lectio n and as a condition to serve, should be required to p a rtic ip a te in preparatory and o rien tatio n sessions designed to inform and expand th e ir scope of ru le s, issues and ideas. Perceptions on External Influences as Related ~by Two Suburban Community College Presidents' and Two Board Chairpersons The suburban cornnunity college exem plifies the current commu­ n ity college movement—modern buildings and f a c i l i t i e s and sculptured and pleasant surroundings, d iv e rs ifie d curriculum u t iliz in g the la te s t 89 gadgets and equipment, and a v a rie ty o f corrvnunlty-oriented and c u ltu r a lly enriching a c t iv it ie s . K lester (1974) stated: "Community colleges have been denounced fo r tryin g to be a ll things to a ll men. and y e t the Carnegie Commission has suggested th e ir fu tu re lie s in being more comprehensive, not less." National Sources o f Influence Here again, throughout the course o f the various conversa­ tions with these presidents and board chairpersons, ra re ly did they mention any pressures brought to bear by national sources o f influence. Their primary focus, by necessity, was on state and local sources. The suburban contingent p re tty much agreed, but with some s ig n ific a n t differences 1n perception of the federal government and other sources o f national power as compared with the ru ra l college presidents and board chairpersons. The suburban representatives were not as disdainful and suspicious of national in s titu tio n s and organizations, and were more cognizant of possible favors and poten­ t i a l l y favorable and unfavorable influences of such groups. One suburban college president admitted that the p otential power of national sources o f influence was tremendous in many respects; fo r example, the "U.S. O ffice o f Education would have a lo t to say about the fin a n c ia l aid program," and "HEGIS would pass on a l l building planning." He also stated , "P rivate donations from some national foundations are important to us in many ways, e sp ecially in what l i t t l e experimental research we do." One president noted th a t national groups were recognized only in cases of "sp ecific and unique influences and issues." He cited as 90 examples the recently enacted T it le IX le g is la tio n , the wide influence o f organizations lik e NOW (National Organization o f Women), and federal guidelines such as those published by the U.S. Department of Labor and National Health In s titu tio n s . In con trast, n eith er suburban board chairperson perceived sources o f influence a t the national level to be q u ite as s ig n ific a n t as expressed by the two suburban presidents. This 1s understandable because college presidents are constantly and d ir e c tly Involved in seeking and securing needed funds. On numerous occasions this e n ta ils trip s to Washington to confer and consult not only with the U.S. O ffice o f Education, but the various educational and commer­ c ia l organizations and lobbyist groups headquartered there. of the presidents succinctly stated: As one "I use as many d o llars as I can get my hands on to provide educational opportunities fo r c itiz e n s in th is county." State Sources of Influence Sim ilar to the perceptions expressed by the ru ral presidents and board chairpersons, the suburban representatives also f e l t sources of state influence had considerable impact, e sp ecially the le g is ­ la tu re , governor's Bureau o f the Budget, State Board o f Education, and the Michigan Education Association. More so than the ru ral in t e r ­ viewees, the suburban presidents were highly c r it ic a l and even fe a r­ fu l of th is power and means of con tro l. The suburban board chairper­ sons expressed th is view also , but to a lesser exten t. The le g is la to r t e l l s you what you can do but also what you cannot. 91 The most in flu e n tia l fa c to r a t the s ta te level Is the approp­ ria tio n s committee. The Bureau o f the Budget only administers le g is la tiv e mandates. The president quoted above continued with an example o f how problems developed: L et's say a parent, not s a tis fie d when her son or daughter is not admitted to a c ertain program, c a lls or w rites her repre­ sentative or senator. He 1n turn c a lls me or contacts a board member. From here on in the problem can become real sticky. Another president stated th a t because the le g is la tu re has us "on 'c o n tro lle d growth'— no f l e x i b i l i t y is allowed 1n Student C redit Hours, which controls the budgetary d o lla rs . . . . The le g is la tu re should pay fo r 'service c re d it education,' but they consistently refuse to do so." The board chairpersons concurred with the presidents that the appropriations committee held a v it a l position because "anyone who allocates the money has tremendous power." The le g is la tu re is the prime influence on a college and local le g is la to rs can be extremely helpful in g ettin g the college what i t wants. P a rtic u la rly s ig n ific a n t were the viewpoints expressed In the suburban interviews re la tiv e to other s ta te sources o f Influence: Since the MEA [Michigan Education Association] has organized the fa c u lty there is a vast d ifferen ce in management of an in s titu tio n --more complex, more involved, slows decision-making and siphons o f f power of the president. [This change has had a] dramatic e ffe c t on how a president and s ta ff spend th e ir time. Labor re la tio n s has thrown in a great new configuration. A disappropriate amount o f time 1s spent on fa c u lty considerations as opposed to student concerns which is what college should be about. The s trik e issue tended to p o la rize board members from fac u lty because i t is an adversary s itu a tio n --th e issue o f negotiations. 92 The State Board of Education has l i t t l e col lege. influence on this 1 am opposed to th e ir coordination-planning ro le and approval of programs. They have th e ir hands f u ll with K-12 supervision. The State Board is the inappropriate agency to coordinate post secondary. [ I was] not aware of the State Board o f Education as a tremen­ dous force but more aware o f the community Junior College Board because of It s purpose and it s influence in r e d is tr ic tin g . The sm aller colleges in the s ta te dominate the Michigan Commu­ n ity College Association [MCCA]. Although we have more than one campus, outstate we have only one vote. P rim arily through its lobbyist services, the MCCA has tremendous influence although i t is an Independent organization. At one time a ll budget hearings were coordinated through the MCCA, but one president in d icated , " I demanded and received a personal hearing." Since that time a l l community colleges have received personal hearings. Local Sources o f Influence The suburban presidents and board chairpersons perceived external influence by local sources as extremely im portant, e sp ecially advisory committee feedback and voter support fo r m ill age and expansion. One chairperson stated th a t there was " l i t t l e d ire c t contact with the 'man on the s tr e e t.' Mostly I re lie d upon organizational viewpoints, and media inform ation." Another said: people come to me personally with an 'axe to g rin d .' fo r the people to be heard are: "Not very many Some channels le tte r s to board members, phone c a lls and requests to appear on agendas." One o f the presidents Indicated that he had " l i t t l e contact with the executives o f business because of the large businesses in the 93 community. I belong to the Chamber o f Commerce and the Economic Club o f D e tro it fo r the contacts, p o lit ic a lly and s o c ia lly ." Another commented* "The cornnunity college c itiz e n advisory coirmlttee has developed Into a major source o f local in flu en c e." Some General Perceptions o f the Purpose ~and Function!>f tne Community College a t the Suburban Level One suburban community college president stated: Education is a process o f searching fo r meaning, and th is is done form ally and in fo rm a lly . We must plan now fo r tomorrow's society. We are here to help people search fo r meaning, and prepare them fo r new or even "more" jobs. In th is p o s t-in d u s tria l and highly technological society, the two greatest areas of need and hence employment w ill be human services and communication. One board chairperson indicated: [There 1s] a lo t o f p o litic s in cornnunity colleges. P o litic s seems to get in the way o f much adm in istrative e ff o r t. One reason we are here is to s a tis fy the needs o f people. I don’ t see lack o f money as the number one problem. There are too many other issues. This college operates w ith money being fu n c tio n a l, the budget meeting the needs. Another board chairperson emphasized these factors: I f you are f u l f i l l i n g the "cornnunity college mission" you provide three essential services: (1 ) tra n s fe r curriculum , (2) voca­ tio n a l-te c h n ic a l curriculum , and (3) life -lo n g education. 94 Although we must prepare students in lib e ra l a rts more emphasis should be expended on the vocational-technical f ie ld . The community college provides a unique kind o f service as a sort o f "dry run" fo r those students seeking professional careers. I t acts as a sieve, s iftin g potential professional careerists and leaders from ordinary workers and follow ers. One o f the suburban presidents conceptualized the present-day community college as e ith e r " c ris is -o rie n te d or issue-oriented, one centered around perso n alities and the other around current issues." Perceptions on External Influences as Related by Two Urban Community College Presidents and Two Board Chair per so~nT The s ta te exerts the g reatest amount of formal influence upon the community college a t the urban le v e l; i t is also at th is le v e l, the c u ttin g edge of the m etropolitan, people-impacted c ity , th a t s e n s itiv ity to people achieves it s most essential th ru s t. For the most p a rt, the urban community college today lacks the sim p lic ity and unfettered tempo o f the p la in ly constructed ru ral college; nor does i t possess the dramatic f l a i r and kaleidoscopic a c tiv ity o f the ultramodern suburban community co lleg e, Rather, in the sw irling and unpredictable vortex of the urban scene, i t maintains an unsure and often chaotic pace, confined to ancient buildings and shackled in a legacy of societal neglect. But in a more d e fin itiv e and assertive way than any other type of community colleg e, the urban community college appears to be closer to people, closer to "where the action is" and hence to those needs, providing a service and f u l f i l l i n g the purpose o f what the 95 community college is a ll about— helping people to achieve and Improve educationally and s o c ia lly . Zoglin (1974) stated , The special essence o f the public two-year college is found in the name by which i t has come to be known: the Community College. This means ju s t what i t says: th is college w ill r e fle c t the values, the needs and the aspirations of the people i t serves. I t w ill be u ltra s e n s itiv e to th e ir wants and capable o f changing as ra p id ly as they change. National Sources of Influence Of the three levels o f external influence researched— lo c a l, s ta te , and n atio n al— the urban sector also rated the impact o f local and s ta te influence as more s ig n ific a n t than n a tio n a l. However, they were acutely conscious o f the regulatory and p o ten tial funding power o f the U.S. O ffic e o f Education and the regional leadership of the curriculum accrediting association. One urban college president was very much concerned about the possible ram ifications of T i t l e IX le g is la tio n on sex discrim ination: " I t w ill change [our] whole approach in the treatment o f women, esp e cia lly in a th le tic s . The basic dual organizational structure w ill soon change to one a th le tic program." In reference to accrediting agencies, he commented: The various accrediting agencies in th is country, esp ecially North Central Review teams, exert extensive pressure and are instrumental in shaping program content. In the past eighteen months no less than fiv e national accrediting organizations con­ ducted periodic reviews o f various programs in our college fo r program content and compliance. Some examples were: The North Central American Dental Association reviewed our newly developed Dental Hygenic Association Program; the American Radiological Association took a close look a t our Radiological Program; and the National In s titu te o f Health conducted a program review on our curriculum development grant re la te d to nursing programs. I f we fa ile d to meet acceptable standards then we are no longer 96 e lig ib le fo r federal funds. And the periodic reviews conducted by the professional associations could severely a ff e c t student credentials 1 f the programs f a ll s to receive a c c re d ita tio n . The other urban college president Indicates his Involvement with national groups was minimal except fo r fin an cial aid and veterans1 benefits: " I prefer personal contacts w ith congressmen and senators. I f I have a problem o r concern I usually give one o f them a c a ll and go over to ta lk things over with them." This approach was suggested by the board chairperson o f the same colleg e. Otherwise, he commented, they had l i t t l e contact with national organizations or in s titu tio n s . State Sources of Influence The fa c t th a t the state--through the o ffices o f the le g is ­ la tu re , the governor, and the State Board o f Education— is gaining greater control and a u th o rity over the community college today is accentuated 1n the m etropolitan areas. H is to r ic a lly , the urban ju n io r college has been a part o f the K-12 school d i s t r i c t stru ctu re, and hence has been included within th a t framework fo r funding and adm inistrative purposes. Except fo r a few Instances, a l l of that is changing and the urban community college is In a fie r c e ly competitive b a ttle fo r the c o n s titu tio n a lly mandated state d o lla r. As one urban college president declared, "We must competi­ t iv e ly and e ffe c tiv e ly defend our budget before various le g is la tiv e and executive agencies because roughly about 50 percent o f our funds are received from the s ta te appropriations committee." Community college operating funds come p rim a rily from three sources: local c itiz e n m illage assessed by the c o lleg e , student 97 tu itio n , and s ta te a id . Funds fo r cap ital outlay are an additional and separate appropriation. Another urban college president stated th a t "although the appropriations committee determines the amount o f funds granted, the executive bureau o f the budget generates almost as much influence in it s r e s tr ic tiv e administering o f le g is la tiv e funds. Both urban board chairpersons agreed with the above-stated perception. Regarding the State Board o f Education, the urban college president stated that Although the State Board c o n s titu tio n a lly oversees a ll educa­ tio n w ithin the s ta te , we have r e la tiv e ly l i t t l e contact with them. I perceive them p rim a rily as a body th a t deals with K-12 m atters. I p refer to re la te to a separate e n tity whose sole re s p o n s ib ility would be to deal with higher education. Otherwise the community college received second-class a tte n tio n . When i t was mentioned th a t such a group existed 1n the Commu­ n ity College State Board of Education, he rep lied th a t they carried no "substantive" in fluence, and there was l i t t l e lia is o n between th is group and the schools. One o f the urban board chairpersons revealed that "influence or assistance from the State Board of Education on the Community Junior College Board is n e g lig ib le . . . . survive fin a n c ia lly . We have been too busy tryin g to Rumors of what the State Board is going to do come from MCCA meetings, such as the re d is tric tin g controversy, but nothing ever happens." The other board chairperson voiced some serious concerns in th a t he f e l t there was 98 . . . substantial lack o f 1n-depth thinking on community-junior college matters on the p art o f the State Board o f Education and the Department. The State Board is unw illin g to tackle d i f f i ­ c u lt and controversial problems, fo r instance—school in teg ra­ tio n . The Community Junior College Board is not e ffe c tiv e because I t follows the d ic ta te s of the S tate Board o f Education. One urban board chairperson elected to the Executive Board o f the Michigan Coirmunity College Association admitted that i t provided useful services but was p rim a rily "an informational group." Local Sources o f Influence As implied above, th is level of Influence appeared to assume greater significance among urban community college presidents and board chairpersons than among those from the rural and suburban colleges. However, 1t is not th a t local groups and organizations hold so much power, but th a t the community college accords greater significance and credence to the needs of these elements o f the cornnunity. One urban college president indicated he considered his most important task was to "keep a fin g e r on the needs pulse o f the commu­ n ity ." As an example, he continued: We conduct seminars intended to upgrade industry personnel In ten industries In the area. Industry assumes 50 percent of the in s tru c to r's salary and in some instances, the cost o f mobile classrooms. We have the urban school serving rural areas in our "outreach program" in fourteen ru ral and suburban communities. Another urban president stated that The C itiz e n 's Advisory Committee meeting monthly is a crosssection o f the community and is recognized by the Board of Trustees as an organ re fle c tin g community feelings and view­ points. An urban board chairperson continued: 99 There are some key, unsung, but essential Ind ivid u als out there [In the community] upon whom I re ly a great deal. I f something comes up and I want to get some fe e lin g fo r 1 t, I contact someone outside of the college fo r th e ir opinions and viewpoints. I hold regular periodic meetings with the president. I am concerned only with changing the stru ctu re to acconvnodate people. Another urban board chairperson admitted th a t " c itiz e n concerns have a tremendous e ffe c t on [my] decision-making. little Colleagues have i f any influence upon my decision-making." A decidedly stronger fa c to r a t the local le v e l, as indicated in the questionnaire tab le s, was the Impact o f organized labor on the fa c u lty . In one Instance an urban college president expressed th a t he could appreciate the AFL-DFT or MEA position because th is was a union town, and having grown up In i t , he him self had once been a part o f th a t union movement, fie explained th a t the union a t his school had developed: . . . a small c liq u e , who runs the union. For purposes of a show o f power, unions might p re fe r a s tr ik e , however b r ie f , to imnediate settlem ent. Also, understanding with the AFL-CIO is essential in terms of any cooperative technical-vocational programs. The strength of the union and the r e a lit y o f fa c u lty s trik e s is an overriding fa c to r in many union-oriented urban centers. The master contract is the guiding force. But where there are strong unions, there are large and powerful industries and corporations. One o f the urban chairpersons expressed some disgruntlement because "corporations provide money to those established in s titu tio n s whereby they can gain advantages. However, they do tend to support [th e community colleg e] 1n terms o f le g is la ­ tio n ." He continued, Why is i t that [th e cornnunity colleg e] had to be born o f s t r if e and turmoil? Why a s ix -m illio n d o lla r store monument [downtown] serving no purpose but an Impoverished ego, ra th e r than a move­ ment serving and benefiting people? 100 Some General Perceptions o f the Purpose And Function o f the Community College a t the Urban Level Students tend to "p refer a change from the tra d itio n a l lockstep process o f learning to a more fle x ib le schedule." The K-12 schools in the s ta te are ahead o f the community colleg e In many respects* e sp ecially in the area o f classroom management* the w ritin g o f performance objectives. This has led to [ou r] cornnunity college now converting to developing performance objec­ tives fo r a l l classes. Teachers have to change and readapt t h e ir styles when necessary. One o f the urban college presidents characterized his board o f trustees as from "middle of the road to lib e r a l. naive about educational issues and p o litic s ." They are r e la t iv e ly He continued: As president I personally provide In -service tra in in g fo r board members through workshops and retreats but I c e rta in ly feel more intensive and systematic o rien tatio n fo r board members is necessary and desirable. The board is fragmented with no sense o f unity. They are a "react" board* not c r e a tiv e , and tend to maintain an adversary re la tio n s h ip with the adm inistrative s ta ff . 1 have to s e ll the school to them [th e board]. One of the urban board chairpersons, in response to the fa c t that most members o f trustee boards represented wealth and education in the community, replied th a t the trustee position "was a negative income fa c to r, hence i t f a ils to a ttr a c t low income In d iv id u als ." He added, "From a business standpoint, the Board position hurts because he cannot do business w ith the board." "Why serve then?" he was asked. societal re s p o n s ib ility . "Because o f the civic and I personally feel a need to serve the com­ munity I liv e in and grew up In by means o f some worthwhile endeavor other than work and play." 101 Summary The two ru ral community college presidents and two board c h a ir­ persons were not too much concerned w ith national sources o f Influence. They were suspicious but respectful o f state sources, and f e l t com­ fo rta b le and secure with th e ir lo cal contact sources o f support and r e f e r r a l. The two suburban presidents and two board chairpersons in d i­ cated a greater awareness o f the p o te n tia l of federal funds and an equally greater w illingness to seek such funds fo r th e ir colleges. They also recognized the extensive influence a t the state level by the le g is la tiv e and executive branches but appeared even more preoccupied with the increasing presence of the Michigan Education Association and it s state-w ide organizing e ffo rts . At the local le v e l, both the presidents and the board c h a ir­ persons emphasized the s ig n ific a n t roles o f the advisory committees and de-emphasized the influence o f most c iv ic clubs and organizations. The two urban community college presidents and two chairper­ sons appeared more conscious and considerate of urban funding and acc re d ita tio n sources than the other two types of educational leaders. However, they too perceived state and local sources as foremost. In p a rtic u la r the urban cornnunity college was concerned w ith competing with it s many more outstate s is te r conrnunity colleges fo r state d o lla rs . At the local le v e l, unionization is a way of l i f e fo r the urban school, followed by the f e l t need to e ffe c tiv e ly respond to the many concerns o f a very large and varied community. 102 Chapter V summarizes the study* pinpoints the major findings, Ite ra te s some im plications of the study and areas of fu rth e r research along with some personal impressions and observations. CHAPTER V SUMMARY OF THE STUDY AND CONCLUDING REMARKS The impetus o f th is study was the w r ite r's in te re s t in the cornnunity college as a social organization, responsive to the needs and desires o f the community; but influences and power d ic ta te policy in most in s titu tio n s in th is country. A basic objective o f the study was to examine perceptions of the decision-making process, paying p a rtic u la r a tte n tio n to the degree o f influence exerted upon community college presidents and board chairpersons by sources outside o f the 1n s titu tio n . A review o f the lite r a tu r e in the areas of power and influence and open systems theory revealed th a t a conceptual scheme could be devised fo r understanding how adm inistrators and o f f ic ia ls in commu­ n ity colleges perceive and respond to influence from sources in th e ir external environment. In th is study, the community colleges were viewed as open systems that in te ra c t with th e ir environment in an adaptive manner to sustain th e ir existence. Environmental influence is f e l t from s p e c ific external sources; such influence was considered as m u lti­ dimensional in nature. The conceptual framework used to determine perceptions of influence from external sources had fiv e dimensions: strength, frequency, basis, d ire c tio n , and favorableness, and three 103 104 le v e ls --n a t1 o n a l, s ta te , and lo c a l. The f i r s t two dimensions— strength and frequency—provided a global measure o f perceptions of influence from external sources. The la s t three o f these dimensions were intended to provide greater in sig h t Into and discrim ination among external sources. Summary of Major Findings 1. I t was assumed at f i r s t glance th a t the state source would be perceived as the most in f lu e n t ia l, due to It s budgetary con­ tro ls and statutory mandates. However, upon closer examination of the data I t appears th a t the presidents and board chairpersons are also very cognizant o f the local constituency and it s support, e sp ecially advisory conmlttees, unions, surrounding u n iv e rs itie s , and voters. Although the s ta te , c o n s titu tio n a lly and le g is la t iv e ly , served as the Instrument o f its c re a tio n , the community college 1s beginning to te s t it s own strength as i t establishes Its status and s o lid ifie s it s lo c a lly based power, building up a healthy resistance to s ta tu to ry sources of power— the le g is la tu re , governor, and the State Board o f Education. Hence one o f the major conclusions o f th is study is th a t local sources, as perceived by the six community college presidents and six board chairpersons, tend to exert the greatest degree o f external influence upon th e ir decision making. 2. Sources o f external Influence were not perceived as s in is te r or bothersome by the college presidents and board chairpersons. Except fo r the regulatory powers of the s ta te and the teacher organizing e ffo rts o f the Michigan Education Association, many external sources 105 were considered as p o sitive and v ita l aspects o f the decision-making process. Frequently the counsel of outside organizations and in s t i­ tutions is sought and th e ir positions on c r it ic a l Issues highly regarded. 3. In lin e with the above fin d in g , the community college presidents and chairpersons interviewed perceived most external sources as important and necessary lin k s in the open systems approach enhanced by th e ir in s titu tio n s . Hence such organizations and individuals exchange information and ideas with the c o lle g e , providing fo r inputs and subsequent outputs. 4. The aspect of power associated with external influences was quickly recognized and respected by the presidents and c h a ir­ persons, but they perceived dealing with i t in an informal and in d ire c t way. Most of them seemed to p re fe r personal contacts and Informal get-togethers over g o lf or c o c k ta ils . Findings Related to the Seven Questions Posed Under “Need fo r the Study1* I t was decided th a t the most appropriate way to explain the major findings o f the study would be to see to what extent these findings could be developed in to reasonable responses to the seven questions o r ig in a lly posed in the "Need fo r the Study" section. The questions are restated below, followed by a summary o f responses based on the personal interviews and questionnaire surveys o f the six cornnunity college presidents and six board chairpersons. 1. What in flu e n tia l outside groups or persons a t the n a tio n a l, s ta te , and local levels influence the deci­ sions of the Michigan cornnunity college presidents and boards o f trustees? 106 Most o f these "sources of influence" were authority-based, structured in s titu tio n s , re fle c tin g Weber's (1947) findings th a t these "leg itim ate" groups wielded the greatest degree of formal power. Needless to say, countless groups, In d iv id u a ls , and organizations tend to sway a cornnunity college president or board chairperson one way or another. However, as revealed by th is study, the most promi­ nent sources o f influence a t each level appeared to be: N atio nal--N atio n al accreditation associations U.S. O ffic e o f Education National fa c u lty unions American Association o f Community and Junior Colleges State —The state le g is la tu re State u n iv e rs itie s The governor's o ffic e The Michigan Department and S tate Board of Education The Michigan Education Association Local --Community college advisory committees Faculty unions State u n iv e rs itie s Voters 2. What primary considerations are entertained by cornnunity college presidents and tru stee chairpersons as they con­ sider courses o f action? The president seemed to be p rim a rily concerned about budgetary problems, hence to what extent he could receive s u ffic ie n t funds, especially from the s ta te and m illage e le c tio n s , to operate the c o l­ lege program successfully and plan fo r the fu tu re . Board chairpersons were also p rim a rily concerned w ith bud­ getary problems— not so much how to secure funds, but ra th e r in what manner the funds should be expended and the resu lts achieved. Board members are the representatives of the community and must respond to i t . 107 The ro le expectations entailed In the president's emphasis on Inputs and the board o f tru stee chairperson's emphasis on outputs were w ell defined by Blocker, Plurrmer, and Richardson (1965). 3. What are the major current educational policy problems perceived by the presidents and chairpersons in six Michigan contnunity colleges? As indicated in the questionnaire and succeeding interview s, the presidents and board chairpersons id e n tifie d the follow ing major educational policy problems a t th e ir community colleges: ml11age campaign, program funding, a c c re d ita tio n , sex d iscrim in atio n , career education programs, and c a p ita l outlay fo r construction. I t is in terestin g to note the s im ila r ity between major issues id e n tifie d by Harris (1975) as a re s u lt o f a Higher Education summer session and a th ir ty -s ta te tour of cornnunity colleges, and those outlined throughout th is study by Michigan educational leaders. In the March 13, 1975 Innovator p u b licatio n , H arris related : Everywhere there was discussion o f issues facing postsecondary education and, s p e c ific a lly , the public community co lleg e. Out o f these consultations there emerged [the follow ing issues]: Finance and [S ta te ] Control S tate Coordination— Promise or P e ril? An Eleventh Hour Look a t 1202 The Future of Voluntary Regional Accreditation Career Education The Community College and Life-Long Learning Impact of Faculty Unionism C la s s ific a tio n of Missions and Goals How Can Excellence and Standards Be Maintained? 4. Are the tr a d itio n a l procedures e ffe c tiv e fo r bringing about major p o lic y changes w ith in the community college? The tra d itio n a l ju n io r college, th a t is , the college th a t only selects, sorts and prepares students fo r the u n iv e rs ity , w ill not e ffe c t change as long as the in s titu tio n refuses to adapt to the needs 108 o f the community. I f the community college Is to be open to a ll mem­ bers o f the cornnunity, then Its programs and procedures must be realigned so that such an accommodation can take place. Conceptually, the open systems approach advanced by Katz and Kahn, B errien, Buckley and Weick is structured to respond f i r s t to the human need, as i t reacts to and in tera c ts in it s external environ­ ment. But th is is an ideal state that is ra re ly reached by most in s titu tio n s . T rad itio n and power are formidable or overcome. 5. Is the community college a change agent? Should i t be one? The community co lleg e, more than any other educational i n s t i­ tu tio n , should be a change agent. I t is one o f the few educational agencies th a t is people oriented. I t is young, aggressive, and often brash. There is s t i l l time to mold its structure so th a t f l e x i b i l i t y is b u ilt in to a stable foundation. Because o f it s "openness," it s acceptance of a ll students, and v a rie ty o f technical-associate career choices, the community college can make a d ifference in the l i f e choices and job d irections people have to make. This d ifferen ce Is esp ecially true fo r the have-nots in th is country--the Blacks, Latinos, Indians, and other eth n ic, r a c ia l, and sexual m in o ritie s . 6. Do the Michigan cornnunity college presidents and trustee chairpersons interviewed fo r th is study perceive the ro le of th e ir in s titu tio n s to be that of a change agent? In response to th is question, the presidents and board c h a ir­ persons f e l t the community college should be somewhat o f a change agent. Two of them said " d e fin ite ly yes," seven responded "yes," and three responded "somewhat," so the consensus seems to be "yes!" 109 Being a "change agent" 1s not a fa m ilia r or e a s ily accepted ro le o f public education 1n th is country. H is to r ic a lly , the schools have been conservative by nature and tend to maintain the status quo. The "public" preferred i t th is way, and community colleges have gen­ e r a lly followed s u it. However, as pointed out by Greiner (1967) and substantiated by the presidents and board chairpersons Interviewed, there is an emerging trend toward organizational change among commu­ n ity colleges in response to certain external environmental fa c to rs , such as the "open door" concept, e q u a lity of access, life -lo n g le a rn in g , and to ta l community services. 7. To what extent have external influences deterred or enhanced the thrust fo r change in community colleges? As interpreted by both the presidents and board chairpersons, the lack o f support by the voters 1n m illage elections often is a d eterrent to e ffo rts to change or improve the college. I t is not only voter re fu s a l, but voter apathy as w e ll. Many o f the presidents f e l t s ta te control and "interference" tend to hamstring th e ir e ffo rts to obtain funds fo r program change and/or the addition o f needed buildings. However, the p o s s ib ility fo r change is s t i l l very strong because o f the overall p o sitive r e la ­ tionship most community colleges have with fe d e ral, s ta te , and local government agencies. This same understanding exists between the commu­ n ity colleges and the press, other u n iv e rs itie s , and community c iv ic groups. 110 Im plications of the Study I t is extremely d i f f i c u l t and hazardous to general iz e research resu lts from a lim ited number of community college representatives in one sta te ; however, c e rta in c le a r impl ications o f th is study have surfaced. In p a rtic u la r, i t provided conceptual and p ra c tic a l understanding of how comnunity college presidents and board chairpersons perceived and responded to Influence from various sources in th e ir c o lle g e 's e xter­ nal environment. The multidimensional conceptual scheme used in th is study provided c la r ific a tio n and greater understanding o f the nature and c h a ra cte ris tic s o f influence from the three levels of external sources of influence. The in te rre la tio n s h ip s of the dimensions used in this study tended to support much of the theory and lite r a tu r e on power and i nfluence. A multidimensional approach to determining the nature and c h a ra cte ris tic s o f external sources o f influence provided the basic groundwork fo r in te rp re tin g a college president or board chairperson's responses to the external environment. The usefulness o f an open systems approach fo r understanding the response and in te ra c tio n o f community college leaders with sources o f influence in th e ir external environment seems to be implied by the findings of th is study. The c h a ra c te ris tic s o f an open system and it s adaptation and coping mechanisms provide a conceptual struc­ ture fo r studying how environmental perceptions a ffe c t and re la te to in s titu tio n a l dimensions. Ill Two dimensions of in s titu tio n a l response (responses by the presidents and board chairpersons) to external sources of Influence deserve further study by community col leges*-modes of response and o rien tation to the external environment. The colleges need more data on how e ffe c tiv e th e ir modes of response are with the various e xter­ nal sources. The o rien tation of the president and esp ecially board members to the external environment also seems worthy of more research. Each of them needs to be s k ille d in dealing with both people and facts. Their a b ilit ie s to comprehend and e ffe c tiv e ly decide on the myriad and c r itic a l Issues presented can be enhanced considerably 1f some e ff o r t is made to provide I n i t i a l and on-going tra in in g designed to assist them to receive and assim ilate Information, and to tran slate 1t in to viable conrnunity college programs and practices. Recommendations fo r Further Research Since this study was lim ited prim arily to probing the nature and characteristics of external Influence as perceived by conrnunity college presidents and board chairpersons, i t seems important to men­ tion f i r s t several suggestions from th is vantage point fo r further research. 1. A study of the effectiveness of community colleges In adapting to and coping with th e ir environment would be relevant. The approach and c r ite r ia used in such a study might consist of opinion surveys of the various external sources with regard to th e ir a t t i ­ tudes toward the college. In th is study, the attitu d es o f the college adm inistrative cabinet members and a ll trustee members could also be obtained. 112 2. Studies o f in tern al and external sources o f influence In te ra c tin g to determine the decisions and courses o f action by an In s titu tio n would be s ig n ific a n t. The results o f such research would be useful fo r understanding how such colleges adapt and change. More s p e c ific a lly , th is type of knowledge could provide b e tte r tools fo r adapting, reorganizing, and developing community colleges in a chang­ ing environment. 3. th is one: More than any other question, answers should be sought to Does i t make a d iffe re n c e , in the long run, how an in s t i­ tu tio n perceives and responds to it s environment? should be gathered. Longitudinal data Hypotheses regarding the persistence o f the per­ ceived influence from sources in the external environment need to be formulated and tested. The general notion th a t community colleges indeed are more receptive and open to community concerns than is the tra d itio n a l u n ive rs ity needs to be observed and analyzed over a period o f time. 4. I t appears much knowledge could be gained by substan­ t i a l l y increasing the sample size fo r the study. A ll community c o l­ leges in Michigan or a m u lti-s ta te study o f leaders' perceptions o f external influences would c e rta in ly increase the in sig h t and under­ standing of perceived environmental differences. 5. A second approach to studying perceived environmental influence is an in-depth case study o f one community college. Such a study would involve analyses of adm in istrato r, s t a f f , and student a ttitu d e s and behavior patterns in re la tio n to the college's per­ ceived environmental state and in s titu tio n a l response. At the same 113 tim e, th is type of research could allow a single researcher, as a p a rtic ip a n t observer, to explore the in s titu tio n and coirmunlty in more d e t a il. In e ffe c t, th is would use the college as a focal point in a community-influence type of study. Conclusion This research e ff o r t focused on six community colleges in Michigan and the data were collected by means of a dual approach—a survey questionnaire and personal interviews with the six community college presidents and six board chairpersons. The study revealed that state agencies were perceived to exert the most regulatory in flu en ce, by s ta tu te . But a s ig n ific a n t finding o f the study pointed up the major impact o f local sources upon college decisions, determining local spending (m illa g e ), and generating support fo r change, thereby gaining increased a tte n tio n from the community college leadership. The perceptions of the presidents and board chairpersons tended to coincide in many instances. In f a c t, in a ll In terview s itu a ­ tio n s , a healthy working relatio n sh ip and professional respect between the two in s titu tio n a l leaders was discerned. The presidents tended to be more p rotective of the in s tit u ­ tio n , less student orien ted , knowledgeable about how to cope with various sources of power and influence, and s p e c ific in th e ir responses about the function and objectives of the college. Board chairpersons tended to respond in broad, general terms r e la tiv e to the d ire c tio n of the college; they were more c itiz e n and student-concerned, less 114 cognizant about the sources of external in flu en c e, and prouder o f the college (as a sort o f c iv ic d u ty ), but also more c r it ic a l o f Its functioning. Some Personal Observations As a re s u lt o f the w rite r's e ffo rts In preparing th is study, certain personal observations and perceptions have been noted concern­ ing the community college leadership, and the present and future ro le o f the comnunity college in Michigan. In i t s newly emergent position as a recognized and necessary in s titu tio n , the w rite r gained some Impressions as he traveled across the s ta te to Interview the id e n ti­ fie d presidents and board chairpersons; in a d d itio n , i t Is the w rite r's judgment th a t the community college w ill be confronted w ith six cru cial educational issues in the wake of it s own dramatic development. The manner in which the community college responds to each o f these con­ cerns or adapts to the varying changes w ill provide the substance fo r its continued existence and the sum o f it s purpose. Based on the in terview and questionnaire experiences, the w rite r was heartened and encouraged by: 1. The enthusiasm expressed by the presidents and chairpersons in f u l f i l l i n g th e ir important ro le s , and 1n making a con­ trib u tio n to the community and to education. 2. The many and varied ranges o f technical and academic pro­ grams o ffe re d . 3. The in s ig h tfu l aspect of long-range program and plant planning professed by most o f the chairpersons and p re si­ dents, w ith emphasis on community needs and general endorsement o f the life -lo n g learning concept. 4. The outstanding physical p lant f a c ilit ie s o ffered by a ll but one of the community co lleg es, and even in th is one 115 exception, an ambitious fiv e -y e a r building and expansion program Is underway. However, the w r ite r was disturbed and disheartened by: 1. L i t t l e evidence on the p art o f the college leadership to re c ru it and employ black and other e th n ic -ra c ia l m inority educators in a leadership or in s tru c tio n a l capacity. With the exception o f one president and one board chairperson, a ll o f the presidents and board chairpersons were white males. 2. Almost a complete lack o f planning and preparation fo r fa c u lty unionization and n egotiations. The approach of many of them to th is current c r it ic a l development seems to be one of resentment and animosity. 3. An over-concentration on the necessity to acquire funds 1n order to in s titu te change and new a c t iv itie s . 4. L i t t l e evidence, except in two instances, on the part o f the college to make a special e f f o r t to reach out to pro­ vide services to a ll c itiz e n s regardless o f race, age, or geographic distance. Based on his own personal and professional experiences, as well as information gleaned from the questionnaire responses and personal interview s, the w rite r determined the follow ing six issues to be funda­ m entally s ig n ific a n t to community colleges in Michigan today: 1. The processes and procedures involved in providing equal access and opportunity to blacks, other e th n ic -ra c ia l m in o ritie s , and females, esp ecially in terms of curriculum and career planning, w ill c e rta in ly be one of the great problems facing community colleges and th is country during the la t t e r phase o f th is century, 2. On the other hand, the community c o lleg e , due to it s expansion and a c c e s s ib ility to most c itiz e n s , Is well timed to provide the labor market it s greatest demand— people trained 1n the technical and services fie ld s — tapping in the process a reservo ir o f neglected 116 manpower, e .g ., the marginal secondary student, the m inority student, the la te s ta r te r , the undecided student, e tc . 3. This major change 1n post-secondary education In Michigan, free public education through grade 14, w ill necessitate a thorough reassessment and restru ctu rin g of the secure and tra d itio n a l four-year u n iversity in Michigan. 4. Of more immediate impact w ill be the necessity fo r the conrnunity college to develop e ffe c tiv e and f a i r procedures fo r teacher negotiations and c o lle c tiv e bargaining, thereby preparing to respond In an In t e llig e n t manner to the ensuing c o n flic ts o f con fro n tation, fru s tra tio n , s trike s and compromise. 5. The local advisory committees, held in such prominence by the presidents and board chairpersons interview ed, can be an invaluable source of consultation and p o sitive community in tera c tio n i f 1t is duly established, a f a i r representation o f the community and properly u tiliz e d by the community college, 6. The impact o f external forces upon decision making In Michigan community colleges is a p o sitive fa c to r. This open systems approach to established resources and the community w ill enhance and expand the conrnunity college as an in s titu tio n f u l f i l l i n g It s assigned role of responding to the needs o f the people i t serves. The major value of th is research study was the insights and understandings gained regarding external influences upon the decision­ making m atrix as perceived by six Michigan conrnunity college presidents and six board chairpersons and how, in tu rn , they responded providing 117 channels o f assistance, cooperation, and acco u n tab ility so th a t the community co lleg e, as a social In s tit u tio n , can b e tte r achieve It s organizational objectives. APPENDICES 118 APPENDIX A APPENDIX TABLES 119 APPENDIX A APPENDIX TABLES Table28,--Ho**much influence has each of the following national, state, and local sources had on your college's goals, mthods, and programs during the past year? National Level AACJC USO£ ACCR-ASSOC UNION ACAD^ASSOC 3-50 2-23 1-17 5-83 FOUND Presidents: No Influence Moderate Considerable Major 1-17 4-67 1-17 6-100 4-67 2-33 1-17 6-100 2-33 2-33 2-33 5-87 1-17 Board Chairpersons: 1-17 5-83 2-33 4-67 No influence Moderate Considerable Major 2-33 4-67 4-6? 2-33 State Level LEG MBE SBPCiJC MDE 4-67 2-33 1-17 5-83 1-17 -- 6-100 4-67 2-33 MCCA MASA MEA SPInt PP 4-67 2-33 1-17 3-50 1-17 1-17 1-17 4-67 1-17 1-17 2-33 4-67 — -- 4-67 2-33 2-33 3-50 2-33 1-17 3-50 3-50 1-T7 4-67 1-17 — .. 5-83 1-17 3-50 3*50 CC UNIV 120 GOV Presidents: .. No Influence Moderate Considerable Major -- 5-83 2-33 4-67 — -- 4-67 1-17 1-17 -- -- — -4-67 2-33 2-33 Board Chairpersons: No Influence Moderate Considerable Major 3-50 -- .. .. 4-67 2-33 6-100 5-83 1-17 -- 5-83 5-83 1-17 -- — 1-17 Local Level ADV-CONN VOTERS PARENTS STUDENTS SEC-SCHS UNIV 6US-C0RP UNIONS PP SPInt CIV-Ott ALUWI MEDIA Presidents: No Influence Moderate Considerable Major — 1-1? 4-67 3-50 3-50 1-17 -- 1-17 3-50 1-17 1-17 1-17 3-50 1-17 1-17 — .. .. 3-50 2-33 1-17 2-33 2-33 2-33 3-50 2-33 1-17 5-83 .* 1-17 2-33 3-50 -- 4-67 2-33 4-67 2-33 — 1-17 4-67 5-83 2*33 - 1-17 3-50 3-50 2-33 — 1-17 4-67 — 4-67 — 1-17 2-33 3-50 1-1? -- 5-83 1-17 — 5-83 1-17 -- — Board Chairpersons: No influence Moderate Considerable Major -- ' 2-33 3-50 1-17 1-17 2-33 2-33 1-17 1-17 5-83 -- 3-SO 3-50 — 4-67 2-33 — — 1-17 1-17 4-67 4-67 -1-17 1-17 — Table 29.--During the past year, various external sources have, to varying degrees, acted upon your college. How frequently he* each of the following national, state, and local sources exerted Influence on your college during the past year? USOE National Level UNION AACJC ACCR-ASSOC ACAD-ASSOC 2-33 3-50 1-17 — 3-50 2-33 1-17 2-33 1-17 1-17 2-33 1-17 5-83 -- 4-67 2-13 — -- 1-17 3-50 2-33 1-17 2-33 2-33 1-17 1-17 5-83 3-50 3-50 ““ ~~ FOUND Presidents; Not at all Occasionally Almost constantly Continuously 6-100 -- .. — Board Chairpersons: 1-17 5-83 1-17 4-67 1-17 •• Not at all Occasionally Almost constantly Continuously --- -- — State Level GOV LEG HB£ SBPCIJC NDE NCCA NASA NEA SPInt PP cc UNIV ■p. 1-17 1-17 4-67 1-17 3-50 2-33 -- •• 5-83 1-17 — 4-67 2-33 6-100 3-50 3-50 -- 2-33 --- 2-33 1-17 2-33 1-17 1-17 5-83 -— 2-33 3-50 1-17 — .. 3-50 2-33 1-17 .. 1-17 3-50 2-33 -- 3-50 2-33 6-100 — 4-67 2-33 2-33 4-67 2-33 2-33 2-33 1-17 1-17 — 3-50 3-50 5-83 1-17 _ 4-67 Presidents; Not at ell Occasionally Almost constantly Continuously — 4-67 1-17 5-83 S-83 •• 1-17 4-67 2-33 *■ — Board Chairpersons: Not at all Occasionally Almost constantly Continuously — -- — -- — 1-17 -* ■* 3-50 3-50 •• Local Level ADV-CQW VOTERS PARENTS STUDENTS SEC-SCHS UNIV SUS-CORP UNIONS PP SPInt CIV-0R6 ALtmi NEDIA Presidents: Not at a ll Occasionally Almost constantly Continuously .. .. 2-33 4-67 1-17 1-17 2-33 2-33 ?-33 3-50 1-17 4-67 1-17 1-17 2-33 2-33 2-33 1-17 3-50 2-33 .. .. 6-100 4-67 2-33 1-17 3-50 2-33 2-63 1-17 — -- -- __ 2-33 3-50 1-17 6-100 — -- 1-17 3-50 1-17 1*17 1-17 3-50 3-50 3-50 — 2-33 — -- 1-17 5-83 — 2-33 4-67 — — 1-17 3-50 1*17 1-17 Board Chairpersons: Not at a ll Occasionally Almost constantly Continuously --- - •• .. 4-67 1-17 1-17 6-100 -- 5-83 1-17 *• 2-33 2-33 2-33 4-67 2-33 — ** *• 2-33 4-67 ” 4-67 2-33 — 4-67 2-33 Table 30.—In thinking over your responses, what his been the nature of influence on your college fro* each of the follewleg natlenal, state, and local sources during the past year? National level USOE AACJC ACCft-ASSOC UNION ACAD-ASSOC FOUND 1-17 — 5-83 4-67 -- — -- -- 2-33 1-17 3-50 — -- 5-83 — 1-17 Presidents: No influence Strongly favorable Favorable Unfavorable Strongly unfavorable -- 2-33 — 2-33 -* *• — -* 5-83 1-17 — 4-67 -— 5-83 1-17 -- 2-33 2-33 -- Hoard Chairpersons: No influence Strongly favorable Favorable Unfavorable Strongly unfavorable 1-17 1-17 4-67 — -- 1-17 1-17 4-67 — -- -2-33 4-67 — -- 2-33 — 2-33 --- -- 2-33 -- State Level GOV LEG NBE SBPCiJC NOE NCCA NASA NEA SPInt PP ee UNIV Presidents: No Influence Strongly favorable Favorable Unfavorable Strongly unfavorable --S-83 1-17 — — — 6-100 — -- — 1-17 4-67 1-17 -- --4-67 2-33 -- -3-50 3-50 — -- 5-83 -1-17 1-17 3-50 3-50 2-33 — 3-50 1-17 -- 2-33 — 4-67 — -- .. 3-50 3-50 — — .. 2-33 3-50 1-17 -- Board Chairpersons: No influence Strongly favorable Favorable Unfavorable Strongly unfavorable -6-100 -— -— 6-100 --- .. -4-67 2-33 -- 1-17 5-83 3-50 3-50 — -- 2-33 — 3-50 1-17 1-17 « 4-67 1-17 .. .. 6-100 ... -- .. « 6-100 6-1-- -- 2-33 3-50 -5-83 3-50 1-17 1-17 2-33 -- Local Level ADV-CONN VOTERS PARENTS STUDENTS 5EC-SCHS UNIV BUS-CORP UNIONS Presidents: No Influence Strongly favorable Favorable Unfavorable Strongly unfavorable — 4-67 2-33 --- 1-17 2-33 2-33 1-17 Board Chairpersons: No influence Strongly favorable Favorable Unfavorable Strongly unfavorable — 1-17 3-50 3-50 --■r — 1-17 S-83 -- 2-33 1-17 3-50 1-17 2-33 3-50 .. 2-33 3-50 1-17 — -6-100 -- -4-67 PP 1-17 5-83 -- SPInt CIV-OK ALUMNI MEDIA 3-50 — 3-50 2-33 — 4-67 3-SO 1-17 2-33 1-17 1-17 4-67 -- *-67 1-17 -- 1-17 1-17 4-67 -- 1-17 5-83 --- 1-17 2-33 3-SO 1-17 1-17 5-83 1-17 5-83 -- -- — 1-17 5-83 4-67 1-17 2-33 1-17 3-50 -- — 4-67 — — 6-100 — 2-33 . . — — 6-100 . . Tibi* 31 .--An Institution has various means available for dealing with external sources of Influence. Mhet mechanism have biin used by your college to handle Influence from each of the following national, state, and local sources during Uie past ytarT National Level Presidents: No mechanisms Informal contacts lobby groups Media Other USOE AACJC ACCR-ASSOC UNION ACAD-ASSOC 1-17 1-17 2-33 3-50 1-17 2-33 3-50 3-50 1-17 2-33 4-67 2-33 — 2-33 4-67 — -- — -- 3-50 -- Board Chairpersons: No mechanisms Informal contacts Lobby groups Media Other FOUND — 2-33 -- -- — — — 1-17 3-50 2-33 1-17 3-50 2-33 2-33 2-33 2-33 -- -- -- 1-17 3-50 2-33 — — 4-67 2-33 -- 1-17 3-50 2-33 — -- -- — — -- State Level GOV LEG Presidents: No mechanisms Informal contacts Public relations Advisory coHlttees Other: Formal contacts -- — 1-17 2-33 2-33 1-17 -- — 3-50 3-50 Board Chairpersons: So mechanisms Informal contacts Public relations Advisory coanfttees Other: Formal contacts 2-33 1-17 1-17 2-33 1-17 2-33 M6E SBPCWC 1-17 1-17 — — 2-33 1-17 2-33 -- 1-17 3-50 4-67 3-50 4-67 — -- — 1-17 3-50 5-83 -- -- NCCA MDE 3-50 2-33 1-17 2-33 NASA MEA SPInt 6-100 2-33 1-17 2-33 1*17 1-17 2-33 1-17 1-17 1-17 4-67 2-33 1-17 4-67 -- 6-100 PP CC -- — . . 5-83 1-17 2-33 3-50 — — — -- -- 4-67 -- -- 5-83 — 2-33 4-67 — — — — 1-17 — — 1-17 -- -- -- — 2-33 -- UNIV -- 6-100 — — 3-50 — — 4-67 2-33 — 1-17 3-50 Local Level ADV-COffl VOTERS PARENTS STUDENTS SEC-SCHS UNIV BUS-CQRP UNIONS Presidents: No mechanisms Open w tln g s Advisory comaittees Org. naefcership Public relations Formal contacts Informal contacts Information system Board Chairpersons: No mechanisms Open meetings Advisory amnlttees Org. mmibersMp Public relations Formal contacts Informal contacts Information system — -- . . - — 2-33 2-33 — - — — — 2-33 1-17 -• — -- -- - — — 1-17 2-33 1 17 3 50 -- *- -- 1-17 -- 2-33 1-17 1-17 2-33 .. 4-67 1-17 2-33 -- 5-83 S-83 4-67 -- — -- -- — -- 1-17 1-17 2-33 — -- -- 1-1? 1-17 -- -- 1-17 — PP -- 1-17 SPInt CIV-0R6 ALUM! m iA 3-50 3-50 -- 2-33 2-33 — -- 3-50 — — .. -- — . . — . . — 1-17 — — 3-50 1-17 4-67 . . 1-17 — — 1-17 3-50 1-17 2 33 3-50 1-17 2-33 -- - 1-17 2-33 1 17 -- 2-33 -- - • • -- -- - — -- 3 50 2 33 — 3-50 2-33 -- 1-17 3-50 — 1-17 - — -- 2-33 3-50 1-17 — 1-17 3-50 -- 3-50 1-17 1-17 -- 1-1? — — 2-33 — 2-33 — — 4-67 1*17 1-17 4-67 — — 1-17 3-50 — — -- 2-33 2-33 1-17 1-17 1-17 — — » 5-83 5-83 Table 32,*-The various sources of external Influence acting upon a conrnunity college do not a ll act 1n the saw way. Some external sources demand action of the college, and others demand that action not be taken. For each of the following national, state, and local sources, what do you think has been Its predominant Influence upon your college's goals, methods, and program during the past year? national Level UNION ACCR-ASSOC AACJC USOE FOUND ACAD-ASSOC Presidents: 5-83 Supported college Opposed college Demanded action Demanded Inaction hot sure 1-17 6-100 — 1-17 * * • • 2-33 - - - - — ~ -- - - - - - - - - — — — S-83 — — 2-33 2-33 1-17 1-17 - - 1-17 3-50 1-17 1-17 1-17 - - 3-50 2-33 1-17 2-33 — 1-17 2-33 1-17 1-17 3-50 5-83 * - 1-17 4-67 - - s1 Supported cot lege Opposed college Demanded action Demanded Inaction hot Sure hoard Chairpersons: — 1-17 — — — 2-33 — 5*83 2-33 State Level GOV LEG NBE SBPCiJC FOE NCCA 2-33 3-SO 5-83 5-83 2-33 2-33 1-17 1-17 4-67 1-17 1-17 NASA MEA SPInt PP CC UNIV 1-17 1-17 1-17 1-17 2-33 1-17 4-67 6-100 3-50 - - — 1-17 — 4-67 — — 2-33 — — — 2-33 1*17 — — 1-17 3-50 5-83 5-83 Presidents: - - - - — - - — - - *-67 --- 3-50 --- .. 1-17 1-17 3-50 — 2-33 -1-17 4*47 3-50 5*83 4-67 — - - - - — — — — — — — 6-100 — — Board Chairpersons: Supported college Protested action Dmanded action Dmanded inaction hot sure 2-33 — 1-17 1-17 2-33 - - 4-67 2-33 1-17 1-17 1-17 3-50 — 1-17 1-17 1-17 1-17 - - — 4-67 — — — . . — — • - 1-17 — — 1-17 4-67 — 3-50 — 1-17 Local Level ADV-CON* VOTERS PARENTS STUDENTS SEC-SCHS UHlV BUS-CORP UNIONS PP SPInt CIV-0K ALUmi MEDIA Presidents: Supported college Protested action Dmanded action Dmanded Inaction Not sure 4-67 4*67 1-17 1-17 3-50 6-100 2-33 3*50 -2-33 1-17 — 1-17 — 4-67 1-17 -* 1-17 — 5-83 1-17 -- 3-50 2-33 .. 4-67 — -- 5-83 — 1-17 6-100 4*67 6-100 4*67 — 4-67 1-17 1-17 2-33 — — -- 1-17 1-17 *- 5-83 3-50 5-83 3-50 6-100 --- 1-17 — 2-33 --- 1-17 2-33 1-17 1-17 — -- -- .. — -- .. 4*67 1-17 .. 4-67 1-17 1-17 2-33 1-17 1-17 — 3-50 5-83 .. 4-67 1-17 -- -- 2-33 1-17 Board Chairpersons: Supported college Protested action Dmanded action Dmanded Inaction Not sure --- -- -- — — 1-17 — •- — — — 6-100 2*33 « — — 124 Supported college Protested action Demoded action Dmanded inaction Not sure Tabic 33,—Influence on a community college may take many different forms. How would you characterize the predominant basis or form of external Influence from each of the following national, state, and local sources during the past year? national Level ACCR-ASSOC UNION USOE AACJC ACAD-ASSOC FOUND Presidents: HoHnTTJence Rational use of inf. Formal/legal requirements Reward for compliance Threat for noncompHance -3-50 3-50 -- 1-17 4-67 1-17 — — 1-17 -1-17 3-50 1-17 3-50 2-33 --1-17 2-33 3-50 1-17 — 4-67 Board Chairpersons: ftolnfTuence Rational use of Inf. Formal/legal requirements Reward for compliance Threat for nonccxepllance 4-6? 1-17 1-17 -- 1-17 3-50 1-17 1-17 -- *5-83 1-17 — 2*33 -- 2-33 3-50 5-83 -4*67 1-17 1-17 2*33 State Level GOV Presidents: No Influence Rational use of Inf. Formal/legal requirements Reward for compliance Threat for noncompliance LEG — -1-17 4-67 1-17 1-17 — — --- 3-50 3-50 4-67 5-83 -- Board Chairpersons: No Influence Rational use of Inf. Formal/lega! requirements Reward for coepliance Threat for noncompHance — — 2-33 SBPCIJC MBE MDE NCCA NASA MEA SPInt PP CC 5-83 2-33 1-17 2-33 3-50 1-17 3-50 1-17 — — 6-100 4-67 1-17 1-17 -- -- -- .. 5-83 1-17 4-67 1-17 1-17 3-50 2-33 5-83 1-17 -- -- 1-17 — -- 1-17 5-83 5-83 1-17 — — — — -- 3-50 3-50 -— — — — -— — -- 1-17 3-50 6-100 4-67 2-33 3-50 1-17 — -— -— -- — — — 2-33 4-67 1-17 2-33 — — — 1-17 2-33 1-17 -- -* — 1-17 — — -- — 6-100 *• ** 2-33 UNIV — — 4-67 2-33 — — __________________________________________ Local level_______________________________ ADV-COW VOTERS PARENTS STUDENTS SEC-SCHS UNIV BUS-CORP UNIONS PP SPInt CIV-ORG ALUMNI MEDIA Presidents: No influence Rational use of Inf. Formal/legal requirements Reward for compl lance Threat for noncompHance -• 4-67 2-33 — — 1-17 4-67 1-17 — -- 1-17 3-50 2-33 — -- 2-33 2-33 -1-17 1-17 1-17 3-50 2-33 — — .. 4-67 2-33 — — 1-17 3-50 2-33 — — 1-17 2-33 — 1-17 2-33 1-17 3-50 -2-33 -- 2-33 4-67 — --• 3-50 2-33 — — 1-17 2-33 4-67 — — Board Chairpersons: No influence Rational use of Inf. Formal/legal requirements Reward for compl lance Threat for ooncompl 1 ance 1-17 4-67 1-17 '' -- 2-33 2-33 2-33 — 1-17 4-67 -1-17 3-50 3-50 — — 1-17 5-B3 -— — 3-50 2-33 1-17 -5-83 — 1-17 1-17 2-33 — 3-50 1-17 3-50 — 1-17 2-33 4-67 — — 1-17 5-83 — — 6-100 — — 5-83 •• — •• — 1-17 1-17 5-83 — — — 126 Table 3 4 .—S im ila r to other in s titu tio n s , community colleges are subject to changes that take place w ithin th e ir environment. Decisions in these colleges may be Influenced by a number o f d iffe re n t sources in the external environment. In g en eral, how do you feel your college views its external environment? Presidents: Essential Important Bothersome but necessary 1-17 4-67 1-17 Board Chairpersons: Essential Important Bothersome but necessary 2-33 4-67 127 Table 3 5 .— During the past yea r, various decisions have no doubt been made at your college that have involved consideration of In d iv id u a ls , groups, or organizations external to the in s titu tio n . In g en eral, what part have these sources played In Influencing your c o lleg e 's goals, methods, and a c tiv itie s ? Presidents: Major 2-33 Moderate 4-67 Minor Board Chairpersons: Major 3-50 Moderate 2-33 Minor 1-17 Table 3 6 .- - I n general, how much influence do you feel your college has f e l t during the past year from external sources of influence a t the n atio n al, s ta te , and local levels? National State Local — 8-67 2-17 Moderate influence 8-67 4-33 8-67 Minor influence 4-33 — 2-17 Presidents and Board Chairpersons (N=12) Major influence 128 Table 3 7.—Personal data fo r presidents and board chairpersons. Presidents: Average years In the position 5.8 Average years as resident o f conrnunity 30.0 Average years 1n the state 35.8 Highest degree earned and major degree fie ld s of academic pursuit: ED.D. — 3 Ph.D. — 3 Average percentage of time spent dealing w ith sources of external Influence 39.1% Board Chairpersons: Employment: Business— smal1 Industry president C iv il organization d ire c to r County extension agent Corporation executive Educational adm inistrator 2 1 1 1 1 Average years 1n chairperson position Average years as resident of community 26.0 Average years 1n the state 33.8 Major degree and Law degree B.A. Ph.D. M. A. fie ld s o f academic pursuit: 1 3 1 1 Average percentage o f time spent dealing w ith sources o f external Influence Note: 4.1 «, h k * } ' b nours per weeK Information contained 1n th is table was obtained through the questionnaire d is trib u ted to presidents and board chairpersons. APPENDIX B LETTER TO COMMUNITY OF SCHOLARS 129 APPENDIX B LETTER TO COMMUNITY OF SCHOLARS TO: FROM: John W. Dobbs DATE: SUBJECT: Descriptive Study o f the Impact o f Informal and Formal External Influences on Policy Decision-Making a t Selected Conrnunity Colleges in Michigan: A D issertation As you are probably aware, I am beginning to gather data fo r my doctoral d is s e rta tio n . I am seeking to determine the degree to which c e rta in community colleges in Michigan are motivated in th e ir decision-making capacity by external influences, as perceived by the college president and board chairperson. I would lik e to request your assistance in th is e f f o r t . I would lik e to p ilo t te s t my questionnaire fo r content v a lid ity and r e l i a b i l i t y . As a distinguished adm inistrator and scholar in the f ie ld o f higher education, I place the highest value on your judgment and evalu ­ a tio n , and would appreciate your responses (as an assumed community college president or board chairman) to the attached questionnaire. As a re s u lt o f your p a rtic ip a tio n in th is experiment, I s h a ll attempt to adjust the instrument where appropriate to r e fle c t your input and ideas. I shall be in contact with you personally so that fa c e -to -fa c e discussion can take place. Many thanks in advance fo r your time and e f f o r t . I f you have any questions, please contact me in the Michigan National Tower or c a ll me a t (517) 373-3260. 130 APPENDIX C LETTER TO COMMUNITY COLLEGE PRESIDENTS AND BOARD CHAIRPERSONS RELATIVE TO QUESTIONNAIRE AND PERSONAL INTERVIEW; PERSONAL INTERVIEW GUIDE 131 APPENDIX C LETTER TO COMMUNITY COLLEGE PRESIDENTS AND BOARD CHAIRPERSONS RELATIVE TO QUESTIONNAIRE AND PERSONAL INTERVIEW: PERSONAL INTERVIEW GUIDE July 17, 1974 Mr. E. Dean Raven, Chairman Board of Trustees West Shore Community College County Extension Agent Computer Building S c o ttv ille , MI 49454 Dear Mr. Raven: My name is John W. Dobbs and I am a doctoral candidate in Higher Education Administration a t Michigan State U n iversity. My advisor is Dr. James Nelson, Professor of Higher Education a t MSU. I was referred to you personally by Dr. RobertHuxol, Associate Superintendent fo r Higher Education and Adult Continuing Education, Michigan Department o f Education. I am presently with the Michigan Department of Education as Special Assistant to the Superintendent fo r School and Conrnunity A ffa ir s , and D irector of Equal Educational Opportunity, The purpose of th is l e t t e r , however, is to request your assistance in assessing the impact o f various external influences upon how you make decisions a t West Shore Community College as Chairman of the Board of Trustees. I am interested only in your personal perceptions and ideas as you provide post-secondary education leadership fo r your constituent student body and community. Providing you grant my request, aspects o f the above in fo r­ mation w ill be developed as the major body of research fo r my intended d is s e rta tio n e n title d : Descriptive Study of the Impact of Informal and Formal External Influences on Policy Decision Making at Selected Community Junior Colleges in Michigan 132 133 Mr. E. Dean Raven Page 2 July 17, 1974 As key resource community college educational leaders fo r purposes o f the study, I have selected the presidents and board o f trustee chairpersons of six community colleges in Michigan, West Shore being one o f s ix . The other fiv e colleges are; 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Glen Oaks Community College Wayne County Community College Grand Rapids Junior College Oakland Community College Schoolcraft College - Livonia Hopefully, the results o f th is study w ill focus on the myriad and often complicated external public re la tio n s tasks demanded of community college presidents and board o f tru stee chairpersons, and w ill provide in the process a c learer understanding o f human motivations and a course o f action fo r fu tu re d irections designed to improve services to students and the community. With your permission and a t a time convenient fo r you, I would lik e to request the follow ing: 1. Questionnaire Completion - - Please complete the enclosed questionnaire. According to my v a lid a tio n responses, 1t should take no longer than 50 minutes. 2. Personal Interview — Do not return the questionnaire. I would lik e to use i t as a~Sasis f 3 r discussTon during the course of a personal in terview . The in te rv ie w , again, should not la s t more than an hour. At th a t tim e, in addition to the questionnaire, I would lik e to discuss other perceptions and fee lin g s not covered in the instrument. Please be assured th a t a ll questionnaire and interview inform ation shall be held in the s tr ic te s t confidence. I shall be contacting you by phone w ith in a few days a ft e r you receive th is correspondence. Thank you fo r your indulgence and I shall be in touch with you soon. S incerely, Im Tf. Dobbs, Special A ssistant to tihw. Sped, the Superintendent fo r School & the Community A ffa irs Michigan Department of Education 134 Nr. E. Dean Raven Page 3 July 17, 1974 P.S. I would lik e to v i s i t w ith you during the month o f August, 1974. Being cognizant of your very demanding schedule and impending vacation dates, please in d ic ate on the form below at least three possible dates convenient fo r you. When I have received suggestions from a ll p a r tie s , I ' l l be in contact with you fo r confirm ation. Many thanks. Date Time August August August ( I f August is not possible, please In d icate a September d a te .) September September 135 Personal In terview Guide The format o f the personal Interviews w ith the six community college presidents and six board chairpersons was as follows: 1. Each Individual had previously received the Questionnaire Instrument. 2. In the accompanying le t t e r he/she was requested to complete and re ta in the survey questionnaire u n til the personal in terv ie w . 3. When the personal in terview took p lace, each Individual was asked 1 f there were any questions he might have had on the survey questionnaire. Using th is as an entree, each person was asked to comment and discuss the follow ing areas o f in q u iry , according to his perceptions: a. The external group o r organization having the greatest Impact upon your decision making, from each o f three le v e ls : n a tio n a l, s ta te , and lo c a l. b. The major or c r it ic a l issue facing your community college today, and how i t was prompted or In it ia t e d . c. The purpose and function o f the cornnunity college w ith in your community, and the degree to which you fe e l that purpose is being accomplished. d. Do you consider the community college as a change agent? Do you fe e l i t should be one? Why or why not? APPENDIX D RESEARCH DESIGN QUESTIONNAIRE ON EXTERNAL INFLUENCES APPENDIX D RESEARCH DESIGN QUESTIONNAIRE ON EXTERNAL INFLUENCES DI RECTI ONS The g e n e r a l a r e a s b e i n g i n v e s t i g a t e d i n t h i s s t u d y concer n v a r i o u s a s pe c t s o f e x t e r n a l i n f l u e n c e on communi t y c o l l e g e s from s o u r c e s a t he n a t i o n a l , s t a t e , and l o c a l l e v e l s . In t h i s s t u d y , e x t e r n a l sources o f 1n f 1uence r e f e r s t o any o u t s i d e i n d i v i d u a l s , g r o u p s , or o r g a n i z a t i o n s whi ch may t end t o cause t he c o l l e g e d e c i s i o n makers t o a c t or n o t t o a c t d i f f e r e n t l y t h a n t h e y would have w i t h o u t sue an I n f l u e n c e havi ng been e x e r t e d and p e r c e i v e d . I n a ns we r i n g perception of responses a r e i d e n t i f i e d in t he q u e s t i o n s , base r e s p on s e s on y o u r e x p e r i e n c e and s i t u a t i o n s i n your c o l l e g e d u r i n g t h e past y e a r s . A c o n f i d e n t i a l and no i n d i v i d u a l o r i n s t i t u t i o n w i l l b t he a n a l y s i s or r e p o r t i n g o f t he d a t a . 1. S i m i l a r t o o t h e r i n s t i t u t i o n s , communi ty c o l l e g e s a r e s u b j e c t t o changes whi ch t a k e p l a c e w i t h i n t h e i r e n v i r o n m e n t . Decisio in t h e s e c o l l e g e s may be i n f l u e n c e d by a number o f d i f f e r e n t sources i n t he e x t e r n a l e n v i r o n m e n t . Iji g e ne r a 1 . how do you f e e l y o u r c o l l e g e vi ews i t s e x t e r n a l e n v i r o n me n t ? 2. Dur i ng t he past y e a r , v a r i o u s d e c i s i o n s have no doubt been madi a t y ou r c o l l e g e whi ch have i n v o l v e d c o n s i d e r a t i o n of i n d i v i d u a g r o u p s , or o r g a n i z a t i o n s e x t e r n a l t o t he i n s t i t u t i o n . Iji genei what p a r t have t h e s e sources p l a y e d i n i n f l u e n c i n g your coTTegi g o a l s , met hods, and a c t i v i t i e s ? 137 138 3. A l t h o u g h a communi ty c o l l e g e p r i m a r i l y s e r v e s needs a t t he l oc a and s t a t e l e v e l , i t i s t o some degr ee I n f l u e n c e d by s our ces a t the national l e v e l . I_n g e n e r a l , how much I n f l u e n c e do you f e e l y ou r c o l l e g e has f e l t d u r i n g t he p as t y e a r from e x t e r n a l sour ce o f i n f l u e n c e a t t he n a t i o n a l l e v e l ? SECTION I : Sour ces of Influence at the N at i on al ( F o r each s o u r c e , choose one r esponse and e n t e r space p r ov i de d t o t he l e f t . ) 4. Level its number in th e How much i n f l u e n c e has each of t he f o l l o w i n g n a t i o n a l sour ces had on your c o l l e g e ' s g o a l s , met hods, and programs d u r i n g t he past year? 1 2 3 4 No i n f l u e n c e Moder at e i n f l u e n c e Considerable influence Ma j o r i n f l u e n c e U. S. O f f i c e of E d u c a t i o n Ameri can A s s o c i a t i o n o f Community and J u n i o r C o l l e g e s Program or c u r r i c u l u m a c c r e d i t i n g a s s o c i a t i o n s N a t i o n a l f a c u l t y a s s o c i a t i o n s and uni ons (AAUP, NEA, AFT) P r o f e s s i o n a l and academi c a s s o c i a t i o n s F o un d a t i on s ( D a n f o r t h , F o r d , C a r n e g i e , e t c . ) Ot her ( P l e a s e s p e c i f y ) ______________ ________________________ 5. The v a r i o u s sources of e x t e r n a l i n f l u e n c e a c t i n g upon a communil c o l l e g e do not a l l a c t i n t h e same way. Some e x t e r n a l sour ces s u p p o r t t he a c t i o n s of t h e c o l l e g e w h i l e o t h e r s p r o t e s t t h e act1 o f t he c o l l e g e . Some e x t e r n a l sour ces demand a c t i o n o f t h e c o l l w h i l e o t h e r s demand t h a t a c t i o n not be t a k e n . For each o f t he f o l l o w i n g n a t i o n a l s o u r c e s , what do you t h i n k has been i t s predc i n a n t d i r e c t i o n o f i n f 1uence upon y our c o l l e g e ' s g o a l s , me t h o d s , and programs d u r i n g t h e p a s t y ea r ? 139 1 2 3 4 5 Has Has Has Has Not s u p p o r t e d t he a c t i o n s of t he c o l l e g e p r o t e s t e d t he a c t i o n s o f t h e c o l l e g e demanded a c t i o n s be t a k e n by t h e c o l l e g e demanded a c t i o n s not be t a k e n by t h e c o l l e g e sur e how i t st ands U . S . O f f i c e of E d u c a t i o n Amer i can A s s o c i a t i o n o f Community and J u n i o r C o l l e g e s Program o r c u r r i c u l u m a c c r e d i t i n g a s s o c i a t i o n s N a t i o n a l f a c u l t y a s s o c i a t i o n s and uni ons (AAUP, NEA, AFT) P r o f e s s i o n a l and academi c a s s o c i a t i o n s F o u n d a t i o n s ( D a n f o r t h , F or d, C a r n e g i e , e t c . ) Ot h e r ( P l e a s e s p e c i f y ) ______________________________ ________ 6. Dur i ng t h e p a s t y e a r , v a r i o u s e x t e r n a l sources h a v e , t o var yi ng d e g r e e s , a c t e d upon y ou r c o l l e g e . How f r e q u e n t l y has each o f t he f o l l o w i n g n a t i o n a l sour ces e x e r t e d i n f l u e n c e on y our c o l l e i d u r i n g t he p a s t y e a r ? 1 2 3 4 Not a t a l l Occasi o n a l l y Al most c o n s t a n t l y Continuously U . S . O f f i c e of E d u c a t i o n Amer i can A s s o c i a t i o n o f Community and J u n i o r C o l l e g e s Program or c u r r i c u l u m a c c r e d i t i n g a s s o c i a t i o n s N a t i o n a l f a c u l t y a s s o c i a t i o n s and uni ons (AAUP, NEA, AFT) P r o f e s s i o n a l and academi c a s s o c i a t i o n s Foundations ( D a n f o r t h , Ford, Car ne g i e , e t c . ) O t h e r ( P l e a s e s p e c i f y ) _________ _____________________________ 7. I n f l u e n c e on a communi ty c o l l e g e may t a k e many d i f f e r e n t f or ms How would you c h a r a c t e r i z e t h e predomi n a n t ba s i s o r f orm o f e x t e r n a l i n f l u e n c e from each o f t he f o l l o w i n g n a t i o n a l s our c e s d ur i n g t h e p a s t y e a r ? 1 2 3 4 5 No i n f l u e n c e was e x e r t e d R a t i o n a l use o f i n f o r m a t i o n , p e r s u a s i o n , or e x p e r t i s e Use of f o r ma l or l e g a l r e q u i r e m e n t s Use of r ewar d or pr omi se o f s u p p o r t ( f o r c o m p l i a n c e ) Use of c o e r c i o n or t h r e a t ( f o r n o n - c o m p l i a n c e ) 140 U.S. O f f i c e of Educat i on Ameri can A s s o c i a t i o n o f Community and J u n i o r C o l l e g e s Program or c u r r i c u l u m a c c r e d i t i n g a s s o c i a t i o n s N a t i o n a l f a c u l t y a s s o c i a t i o n s and uni ons (AAUP, NEA, AFT) P r o f e s s i o n a l and academi c a s s o c i a t i o n s F o u nd a t i on s ( D a n f o r t h , F o r d , C a r n e g i e , e t c . ) Ot h e r ( P l e a s e s p e c i f y ) _______________________________________ 8. I n t h i n k i n g over y o u r r e s p o n s e s , what has been th e n a t u r e o f i n f 1uence on y o u r c o l l e g e f r om each o f t he f o l l o w i n g n a t i o n a l sour ces d u r i n g t h e p a s t y e a r ? 1 2 3 4 5 No i n f l u e n c e e x e r t e d Strongly favorable Favorable Unfavorable Strongly unfavorable U. S. O f f i c e o f E d u c a t i o n Ameri can A s s o c i a t i o n of Community and J u n i o r C o l l e g e s Program o r c u r r i c u l u m a c c r e d i t i n g a s s o c i a t i o n s N a t i o n a l f a c u l t y a s s o c i a t i o n s and uni ons (AAUP, NEA, AFT) P r o f e s s i o n a l and academi c a s s o c i a t i o n s F o u n d a t i o n s ( D a n f o r t h , F o r d, C a r n e g i e , e t c . ) Ot h e r ( P l e a s e s p e c i f y ) _______________________________________ 9. An i n s t i t u t i o n has v a r i o u s means a v a i l a b l e f o r d e a l i n g w i t h e x t e r n a l sources o f i n f l u e n c e . What have been t h e mechanisms used by your col 1ege t o h a nd l e i n f l u e n c e from each o f t h e f o l l o w i n g n a t i o n a l s o u r c e s d u r i n g t h e p a s t y ea r ? 1 2 3 4 5 No mechanisms n e c e s s a r y Use o f i n f o r m a l c o n t a c t s Use o f a l obby group Use of t he medi a O t h e r ( P l e a s e s p e c i f y ) __________________________________________ U. S. O f f i c e o f E d u c a t i o n Ameri can A s s o c i a t i o n o f Community and J u n i o r C o l l e g e s Program o r c u r r i c u l u m a c c r e d i t i n g a s s o c i a t i o n s N a t i o n a l f a c u l t y a s s o c i a t i o n s and uni ons (AAUP, NEA, AFT) P r o f e s s i o n a l and academi c a s s o c i a t i o n s F o un d a t i o n s ( D a n f o r t h , F o r d, C a r n e g i e , e t c . ) Ot h e r ( P l e a s e s p e c i f y ) _______________________________________ 141 10 . How w o u l d you c h a r a c t e r i z e t h e way y o u r c o l l e q e o f the f o ll o w i n g n a tio n a l sources of in flu e n c e ? 1 2 3 4 5 de a1s w i t h eac No mechanisms n e c e s s a r y Very e f f e c t i v e Effective Ineffective Very i n e f f e c t i v e U . S . O f f i c e o f Educ at i on Ameri can A s s o c i a t i o n of Communi ty and J u n i o r C o l l e g e s Program o r c u r r i c u l u m a c c r e d i t i n g a s s o c i a t i o n s N a t i o n a l f a c u l t y a s s o c i a t i o n s and uni ons (AAUP, NEA, AFT) P r o f e s s i o n a l and academi c a s s o c i a t i o n s F o unda t i ons ( D a n f o r t h , F o r d , C a r n e g i e , e t c . ) Ot her ( P l e a s e s p e c i f y ) ___________________ ______________________ 11. What s p e c i f i c i s s u e s i n your c o l l e g e have b r o u g h t t he most i n f l u e n c e from s o u r c e s a t t he n a t i o n a l l e v e l ? Who are t he p r i m a r y i n d i v i d u a l s (by p o s i t i o n ) who handl e i n f l u e n c e f r om s o u r c e s a t t he n a t i o n a l l e v e l ? ISSUES 12. SOURCE OF I NFLUENCE PRIMARY INDI VI DUAL RESPONDING____ S i n c e a communi ty c o l l e g e s e r v e s needs a t t h e l o c a l and s t a t e l e v e l , i t is t o some degree i n f l u e n c e d by s o u r c e s a t t he s t a t e level. In g e n e r a l , how much i n f l u ence do you f e e l your c o l l e < has f e l t d u r i n g t h e past y e a r f r o m e x t e r n a l s o ur c e s of i n f l u e n < at the state l e v e l ? 142 SECTION I I : 13. Source o f influence at the state level How much i n f l u e n c e has each o f t h e f o l l o w i n g s t a t e s our c e s had on y o u r col 1e g e ' s g o a l s , me t h o d s , and programs d u r i n g t h e past y ea r ? 1 2 3 4 5 No I n f l u e n c e Very l i t t l e i n f l u e n c e Moderate i n f l u e n c e Considerable influence Major in f lu en c e Gov er nor or E x e c u t i v e O f f i c e State Legislature M i c h i g a n Board o f E d u c a t i o n S t a t e Board f o r P u b l i c Community & J u n i o r C o l l e g e s M i c h i g a n E d u c a t i o n Dep a r t me n t M i c h i g a n Community C o l l e g e A s s o c i a t i o n M i c h i g a n A s s o c i a t i o n o f School A d m i n i s t r a t o r s Michigan Education A s s o ci a ti on S p e c i a l i n t e r e s t groups P o l i t i c a l p a r t i e s ( i n d i v i d u a l s or gr oups ) Community c o l l e g e s f o u r y e a r c o l l e g e s and u n i v e r s i t i e s O t h e r ( P l e a s e s p e c i f y ) _______________________________________ 14. For each o f t he f o l l o w i n g s o u r c e s , what has been i t s pr edomi nam d i r e c t i o n o f i n f 1 uence on y o u r c o l l e g e ' s g o a l s , me t h o d s , and programs d u r i n g t h e p a s t y e a r ? 1 2 3 4 5 Has Has Has Has Not supported protested demanded demanded s u r e how the a ct i on s of the c o l l e g e the actions of the college a c t i o n s be t a k e n by t he c o l l e g e t h a t a c t i o n s not be t a k e n by t h e c o l l e g e i t s t a n ds Go v e r n o r or E x e c u t i v e O f f i c e State Legislature M i c h i g a n Board o f E d u c a t i o n S t a t e Board f o r P u b l i c Community and J u n i o r C o l l e g e s M i c h i g a n E d u c a t i o n D e p a r t me n t M i c h i g a n Community C o l l e g e A s s o c i a t i o n M i c h i g a n A s s o c i a t i o n o f School A d m i n i s t r a t o r s Michigan Education Ass oci ati on S p e c i a l i n t e r e s t groups P o l i t i c a l p a r t i e s ( i n d i v i d u a l s o r g r o u ps ) Community c o l l e g e s F o ur y e a r c o l l e g e s and u n i v e r s i t i e s O t h e r ( P l e a s e s p e c i f y ) ______________________________ _ 143 15. Dur i ng t h e p a s t y e a r , v a r i o u s e x t e r n a l sour ces h a v e , t o v a r y i m d e g r e e s , a c t e d upon your c o l l e g e . How f r e q u e n t l y has each o f t he f o l l o w i n g s t a t e s our c e s e x e r t e d i n f l u e n c e on y o u r c o l l e g e ? 1 2 3 4 Not a t a l l Occasionally Al most c o n s t a n t l y Continuously Gover nor o r E x e c u t i v e O f f i c e State Legislature M i c h i g a n Board o f E d u c a t i o n S t a t e Board f o r P u b l i c Community and J u n i o r C o l l e g e s M i c h i g a n Ed u c a t i o n Depa r t ment M i c h i g a n Community C o l l e g e A s s o c i a t i o n M i c h i g a n A s s o c i a t i o n o f School A d m i n i s t r a t o r s Michigan Education A s s o c i a t i o n S p e c i a l i n t e r e s t groups P o l i t i c a l p a r t i e s ( i n d i v i d u a l s o r gr oups) Community c o l l e g e s Four y e a r c o l l e g e s and u n i v e r s i t i e s O t h e r ( P l e a s e s p e c i f y ) _______________________________________ 16. I n f l u e n c e on a community c o l l e g e may t a k e many d i f f e r e n t f o r m s . How woul d you c h a r a c t e r i z e t he p r e d o mi n a n t b a s 1s o r f orm o f e x t e r n a l i n f l u e n c e from each o f t he f o l l o w i n g s t a t e sources d u r i n g t he p a s t y e a r ? 1 2 3 4 5 No i n f l u e n c e was e x e r t e d R a t i o n a l use o f i n f o r m a t i o n , p e r s u a s i o n , or e x p e r t i s e Use o f f or ma l o r l e g a l r e q u i r e m e n t s Use o f r e wa r d or pr omi s e o f s u p p o r t ( f o r c o m p l i a n c e ) Use o f c o e r c i o n or t h r e a t ( f o r n o n - c o m p l i a n c e ) ___ Gover nor o r E x e c u t i v e O f f i c e State L egislature Mi c h i g a n Board o f Education S t a t e Board f o r P u b l i c Community and J u n i o r C o l l e g e s M i c h i g a n E d u c a t i o n De p a r t me n t M i c h i g a n Community C o l l e g e A s s o c i a t i o n M i c h i g a n A s s o c i a t i o n o f School A d m i n i s t r a t o r s Michi gan Education A s s o c i a t i o n S p e c i a l i n t e r e s t groups P o l i t i c a l p a r t i e s ( i n d i v i d u a l s o r gr o u p s ) ___ Community c o l l e g e s Four y e a r c o l l e g e s and u n i v e r s i t i e s O t h e r ( P l e a s e s p e c i f y ) ____________________ __________________ 144 17- I n t h i n k i n g o v e r y o u r r e s p o n s e s , what has been t h e n a t u r e o f 1n f 1uence on y o u r c o l l e g e f rom each o f t h e f o l l o w i n g s t a t e sour ces? 1 2 3 4 5 No i n f l u e n c e e x e r t e d Strongly favorable Favorable Unfavorable Strongly unfavorable Gover nor o r E x e c u t i v e O f f i c e State Legislature M i c h i g a n Board o f E d u c a t i o n S t a t e Board f o r P u b l i c Community and J u n i o r C o l l e g e s Mi c h i g a n E d u c a t i o n Depar t ment M i c h i g a n Community C o l l e g e A s s o c i a t i o n Mi c h i g a n A s s o c i a t i o n o f School A d m i n i s t r a t o r s Mi c h i g a n E d u c a t i o n A s s o c i a t i o n S p e c i a l i n t e r e s t groups P o l i t i c a l p a r t i e s ( i n d i v i d u a l s or g r o u p s ) Community c o l l e g e s Four y e a r c o l l e g e s and u n i v e r s i t i e s O t h e r ( P l e a s e s p e c i f y ) _______________________________________ 18. An I n s t i t u t i o n has v a r i o u s means a v a i l a b l e f o r d e a l i n g w i t h e x t e r n a l sour ces o f i n f l u e n c e . What have been t h e mechani sms used by y o u r col l e g e t o h a n dl e i n f l u e n c e f rom each o f t he T o lT o w in g s t a t e sour ces? 1 2 3 4 5 No mechanisms n e c e s s a r y Use o f i n f o r m a l c o n t a c t s Use o f a p u b l i c r e l a t i o n s per son Use of c o l l e g e a d v i s o r y c ommi t t e es O t h e r ( P l e a s e s p e c i f y ) __________________________________________ Gov er nor o r E x e c u t i v e O f f i c e State L eg is la ture M i c h i g a n Board o f E d u c a t i o n S t a t e Board f o r P u b l i c Community and J u n i o r C o l l e g e s M i c h i g a n E d u c a t i o n Depar t ment M i c h i g a n Community C o l l e g e A s s o c i a t i o n Mi c h i g a n A s s o c i a t i o n o f School A d m i n i s t r a t o r s Mi c h i g a n E d u c a t i o n A s s o c i a t i o n S p e c i a l i n t e r e s t groups P o l i t i c a l p a r t i e s ( i n d i v i d u a l s o r g r o ups ) Community c o l l e g e s Four y e a r c o l l e g e s and u n i v e r s i t i e s Ot he r ( P l e a s e s p e c i f y ) _______________________________________ 145 19. How w o u l d you c h a r a c t e r i z e t h e of the f o l l o w i n g s t a t e sources 1 2 3 4 5 way y o u r c o l 1 ege of influence? deals with each No mechanisms n e c e s s a r y Ver y e f f e c t i v e Effective Ineffective Very i n e f f e c t i v e Go v e r n o r or E x e c u t i v e O f f i c e State Legislature M i c h i g a n Board o f E d u c a t i o n S t a t e Board f o r P u b l i c Community and J u n i o r C o l l e g e s M i c h i g a n E d u c a t i o n Depa r t ment M i c h i g a n Community C o l l e g e A s s o c i a t i o n M i c h i g a n A s s o c i a t i o n of School A d m i n i s t r a t o r s Michigan Education A s s o c i a t i o n S p e c i a l i n t e r e s t groups P o l i t i c a l p a r t i e s ( i n d i v i d u a l s or g r o u p s ) Community c o l l e g e s Four y e a r c o l l e g e s and u n i v e r s i t i e s O t h e r ( P l e a s e s p e c i f y ) __________________________ ____________ 20. What spec i f i c i s s u e s i n y ou r c o l l e g e have b r ou g ht t he most i n f l u e n c e from sour ces a t t he s t a t e l e v e l ? Who a r e t h e p r i ma r y i n d i v i d u a l s ( by p o s i t i o n ) who h a n d l e i n f l u e n c e f rom sources a t t he s t a t e l e v e l ? ISSUES 21. SOURCE OF INFLUENCE PRIMARY I NDI VI DUAL RESPONDING_____ Si nce a communi ty c o l l e g e s e r v e s needs a t t h e l o c a l and s t a t e l e v e l , i t i s t o some degr e e i n f l u e n c e d by sour ces a t t h e l o c a l level. I n g e n e r a l , how much i n f 1uence do you f e e l y o u r c o l l e g e has f e l t d u r i n g t h e p a s t y e a r f r om e x t e r n a l sour ces o f I n f l u e n c e a t t he 1o c a l 1e v e l ? 146 SECTION I I I : 22. Sources o f influence at the local level How much i n f l u e n c e has each of t h e f o l l o w i n g l o c a l y our c o l l e g e ' s g o a l s , met hods, and programs d u r i n g 1 2 3 4 sources had t h e p as t ye< No i n f l u e n c e Mo d e r a t e i n f l u e n c e Considerable influence Major i n f l u e n c e ____ A d v i s o r y c ommi t t e es Community v o t e r s Community p a r e n t s Local y ou t h ( h i g h school s t u d e n t s & pee r s o f your s t u d e nt ! P u b l i c and p r i v a t e secondar y s chool s Local f o u r - y e a r c o l l e g e s and u n i v e r s i t i e s Busi ness and c o r p o r a t e groups Labor groups ( A F L - C I O , UAW, e t c . ) P o l i t i c a l p a r t i e s ( i n d i v i d u a l s or gr oups) E t h n i c and s p e c i a l i n t e r e s t gr oups ~____ C i v i c o r g a n i z a t i o n s ( R o t a r y , Chamber of Commerce, e t c . ) A 1umn i News media O t h e r ( P l e a s e spec i f y ) _____________________________ 23. For each o f t h e f o l l o w i n g s o u r c e s , what has been i t s predomi nai d i r e c t i on of i n f 1uence on your c o l l e g e ' s g o a l s , me t hods, and programs d u r i n g t he p a s t y e a r ? 1 2 3 4 5 Has Has Has Has Not supported protested demanded demanded sur e how t he a c t i o n s of t h e c o l l e g e the a c t i o n s of the c o l l e g e a c t i o n s be t ak en by t h e c o l l e g e t h a t a c t i o n s not be t a k e n by t h e i t s t a nds college A d v i s o r y c ommi t t e e s Community v o t e r s Community p a r e n t s Local y out h ( h i g h school s t u d e n t s & peers o f y our s t u d e n t ! P u b l i c and p r i v a t e secondar y s cho ol s Local f o u r - y e a r c o l l e g e s and u n i v e r s i t i e s Busi ness and c o r p o r a t e groups Labor groups ( A F L - C I O , UAW, e t c . ) P o l i t i c a l p a r t i e s ( i n d i v i d u a l s o r gr oups) E t h n i c and s p e c i a l i n t e r e s t gr oups C i v i c o r g a n i z a t i o n s ( R o t a r y , Chamber o f Commerce, e t c . ) A1umni News medi a Ot h e r ( P l e a s e s p e c i f y ) _______________________________________ 147 24. How f r e q u e n t l y has each of the f o l l o w i n g l o c a l sour ces e x e r t e d i n f l u e n c e on y o u r c o l l e g e d u r i n g t he p as t y e a r ? 1 2 3 4 Not a t a l l Occasionally Al most c o n s t a n t l y Continuously A d v i s o r y c ommi t t e es Community v o t e r s Community p a r e n t s Local y ou t h ( h i g h school s t u d e n t s & peer s o f your s t u d e n t * P u b l i c and p r i v a t e s ec onda r y school s Local f o u r - y e a r c o l l e g e s and u n i v e r s i t i e s Bus i ne s s and c o r p o r a t e groups Labor groups ( A F L - C I O , UAW, e t c . ) P o l i t i c a l p a r t i e s ( i n d i v i d u a l s or gr oups ) E t h n i c and s p e c i a l i n t e r e s t groups C i v i c o r g a n i z a t i o n s ( R o t a r y , Chamber o f Commerce, e t c . ) Al umni News media ________________ Other (Please s p e c i f y ) 25. I n f l u e n c e on a communi t y c o l l e g e may t a k e many d i f f e r e n t f o r ms . How woul d you c h a r a c t e r i s e t he p r e d o mi na n t ba s i s o r f orm o f e x t e r n a l i n f l u e n c e f r om each o f t h e f o l l o w i ng l o c a T sour ces during the past year? 1 2 3 4 5 No i n f l u e n c e was e x e r t e d R a t i o n a l use of i n f o r m a t i o n , p e r s u a s i o n , or e x p e r t i s e Use o f f or ma l or l e g a l r e q u i r e m e n t s Use o f r ewar d or pr omi se of s u p p o r t ( f o r c o m p l i a n c e ) Use o f c o e r c i o n or t h r e a t ( f o r n o n - c o m p l i a n c e ) A d v i s o r y c ommi t t ees _ _ _ _ Community v o t e r s Community p a r e n t s _____ Local yout h ( h i g h school s t u d e n t s & peer s o f your s t u d e n t s P u b l i c and p r i v a t e sec onda r y school s Local f o u r - y e a r c o l l e g e s and u n i v e r s i t i e s _____ Busi ness and c o r p o r a t e gr ouos Labor groups ( A F L - C I O , UAW, e t c . ) P o l i t i c a l p a r t i e s ( i n d i v i d u a l s or g r o ups ) . Et h ni c and s p e c i a l i n t e r e s t groups C i v i c o r g a n i z a t i o n s ( R o t a r y , Chamber o f Commerce, e t c . ) A1umni News media Other (Please s p e c i f y ) _______ _______________________ 148 26. In t h i n k i n g over y our r e s p o n s e s , what has been t h e n a t u r e o f i n f 1uence on your c o l l e g e from each o f t he f o l l o w i n g sour ces? 1 2 3 4 5 No i n f l u e n c e e x e r t e d Strongly favorable Favorable Unfavorable Strongly unfavorable A d v i s o r y c ommi t t ees Community v o t e r s Community p a r e n t s Loca l yout h ( h i g h school s t u d e n t s & peers o f y our student s P u b l i c and p r i v a t e secondar y s c h o o l s L o c a l f o u r - y e a r c o l l e g e s and u n i v e r s i t i e s B u s i n e s s and c o r p o r a t e groups Lab o r groups ( A F L - C I O , UAW, e t c . ) P o l i t i c a l p a r t i e s ( i n d i v i d u a l s o r gr oups ) E t h n i c and s p e c i a l i n t e r e s t gr oups C i v i c o r g a n i z a t i o n s ( R o t a r y , Chamber o f Commerce, e t c . ) Al umni News media Ot h er (Please s p e c i f y ) ___________________ _________ 27. What have been the mechani sms used by y our col 1ege t o handl e i n f l u e n c e from each o f t F e f o l 1owing l o c a l sour ces? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 No mechani sms n e c e s s a r y Use o f open meet i ngs ( Boar d of T r u s t e e s ) Use o f a d v i s o r y c o mmi t t e e s Use o f membership i n l o c a l groups Use o f p u b l i c r e l a t i o n s person Use o f f o r ma l c o n t a c t s Use o f i n f o r m a l c o n t a c t s Use o f an i n f o r m a t i o n system t o o b t a i n dat a Ot her ( P l e a s e s p e c i f y ) ^ ________________ A d v i s o r y commi t t ees Community v o t e r s Community p a r e n t s Loca l yout h ( h i g h school s t u d e n t s & peers o f your s t u d e n t s P u b l i c and p r i v a t e secondar y s c h o o l s Lo c a l f o u r - y e a r c o l l e g e s and u n i v e r s i t i e s Bu s i n e s s and c o r p o r a t e grouos L a b o r groups ( A F L - C I O , UAW, e t c . ) P o l i t i c a l p a r t i e s ( i n d i v i d u a l s o r gr oups) E t h n i c and s p e c i a l i n t e r e s t gr oups C i v i c o r g a n i z a t i o n s ( R o t a r y , Chamber of Commerce, e t c . ) A1umn i News media Ot her (Please s p e c i f y ) ___ ____ 149 28. How w o u l d you c h a r a c t e r i z e t h e of the f o l l o w i n g l o c a l sources 1 2 3 4 way y o u r c o l l e g e of influence? deals with each Ver y e f f e c t i v e Effective Ineffective Ve r y i n e f f e c t i v e A d v i s o r y c ommi t t e es Community v o t e r s Community p a r e n t s Local y out h ( h i g h school s t u d e n t s & peer s o f your s t u d e n t s ) P u b l i c and p r i v a t e s ec onda r y s cho o l s _____ Local f o u r - y e a r c o l l e g e s and u n i v e r s i t i e s Busi ne ss and c o r p o r a t e groups Labor groups ( A F L - C I O , UAW, e t c . ) P o l i t i c a l p a r t i e s ( i n d i v i d u a l s or groups) E t h n i c and s p e c i a l i n t e r e s t groups C i v i c o r g a n i z a t i o n s ( R o t a r y , Chamber o f Commerce, e t c . ) Al umni ___ _ News media O t h e r ( P l e a s e s p e c i f y ) _____ _ _____ _____________ ___ 29. What s pec i f i c i s s ues i n y our c o l l e g e have b r o u g h t t h e most i n f l u e n c e from sour ces a t t h e l o c a l l e v e l ? Who a r e t he p r i m a r y i n d i v i d u a l s (by p o s i t i o n ) who h a n d l e i n f l u e n c e from sour ces a t t he l o c a l l e v e l ? I SSUES 32. SOURCE OF I NFUJENCE: PRIMARY I NDI VI DUAL RESPONDING ____ Do you p e r c e i v e y o u r communi ty c o l l e g e as a change a g e n t , b e n e f i t o t h e s t u d e n t body and t h e communi t y whi ch t h e c o l l e g e s er v e s ? 150 33. L i s t t he ma j o r a r e a s of change r e s u l t i n g f r om t h i s r o l e t h a t ha had some me a s u r a b l e i mpa ct upon t h e communi ty a n d / o r t he st uden population. 34. I d e n t i f y the p o s i t i v e f a c t o r s sour ce r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s . in y o u r relationship with externa 35, I d e n t i f y the n e g a t i ve f a c t o r s sour ce r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s . in your r e l a t i o n s h i p with externa 36. In what ways* i f a t a l l , would you do t h i n g s d i f f e r e n t l y f u t u r e i n r e s p o n d i n g t o e x t e r n a l sour ces o f i n f l u e n c e ? I n t he 151 PLEASE COMPLETE Present Years position: in this position: Year s as a r e s i d e n t common i t y : Years in t h i s Highest Ma j o r of t h i s state: degr ee e a r ne d : field of study: What p e r c e n t a g e o f your t i me i s spent d e a l i n g w i t h sources of e x t e r n a l i n f l u e n c e ? NOTE: Let me r e p e a t t h a t a l l r esponses t o t he Q u e s t i o n n a i r e and a l l i n f o r m a t i o n g a t h e r e d as a r e s u l t from t h e p e r s o n a l i n t e r v i e w s h a l l be z e a l o u s l y g u a r d e d , and m a i n t a i n e d i n t he ut most c o n f i d e n c e . BIBLIOGRAPHY 152 BIBLIOGRAPHY A guilar, Francis J. Scanning the Business Environment. Macmillan Company, 1967. New York: Angel 1, George W. "C o llective Negotiations in Upstate New York." Junior College Journal 42 (October 1971): 9-11* Baldridge, J. V ic to r, ed. Academic Governance. McCutchan Publishing Corporation, 1971. Berkeley, C a lifo rn ia : ________ . Power and C o n flic t in the U n iversity: Research in the Sociology of Complex Organizations. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1971. B elts, Lee J. "The Evaluation o f Open Education." Junior College Journal, March 1973. Bennis, Warren G. 1966. Changing Organizations. Community and New York: Berrien, F. Kenneth. 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