Higher education system governance: an exploratory study of presidential decision making in the kentucky community and technical college system

Statement of the Problem

The characteristics of higher education systems position them as unique among postsecondary institutions. Variations in the organizational structure of higher education systems implies variations in their governance. As such, higher education systems face challenges associated with making decisions, coordinating work, and sharing governance of the system with multiple campuses and constituents, including faculty and staff, trustees, and community leaders. Due to variations across higher education systems that

present multiple challenges, governance must be examined within the context of the higher education system.
The organizational structure of higher education systems presents challenges for how decisions are made and who is involved in the decision making process. In particular, the role and function of the system differs from that of the campuses in that systems are “…allocators, coordinators, and regulators” (Lane, 2013, p. 11). These organizational arrangements impact how decisions are made and whether decisions are aligned within a higher education system.
Previous research on decision making in community college systems has examined where decision making occurs, focusing on specified decision areas occurring at either the system level or campus level (Henry & Creswell, 1983; Ingram & Tollefson, 1996). Because community college systems are comprised of multiple campuses, many of which have differing missions, programs, and enrollments, there are decisions for which effective coordination of work involves a level of shared decision making among leaders in the system. Moreover, shared decision making results in a level of alignment of decisions across the system.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this exploratory study was to explore presidential decision making in KCTCS by examining the location of decision making in the system and how presidential decision making is shared between the KCTCS president and college presidents for academic, administrative, and personnel decision areas.

Two primary research questions guided this exploratory study. The first phase of this study used quantitative data to examine the location of decision making for academic,
administrative, and personnel decisions to answer the first research question. Survey data showing areas where decision making was shared between the KCTCs president and college presidents, as well as areas where the location of decision making could not be sufficiently concluded, were used to develop an interview protocol employed in the second phase of research. The second phase further explored how the KCTCS president and college presidents share academic, administrative, and personnel decision making, as well as how state economic, political, and social contexts and the roles of the KCTCS Board of Regents and college boards of directors influence decision making.

1. 
   What is the location of decision making in the Kentucky Community and Technical College System for specified academic, administrative, and personnel decisions?
   
2. 
   How do the KCTCS president and college presidents in the Kentucky Community and Technical College System share academic, administrative, and personnel decisions for the system and colleges?
   

Additional questions guided the study and aided in exploring presidential decision making in KCTCS. These questions attended to the particular contextual and situational factors relevant to presidential decision making based on the review of literature.

3. 
   How do the state economic, political, or social contexts influence academic, administrative, and personnel decision making within the community college system?
   
4. 
   What roles do the KCTCS Board of Regents and college boards of directors play in system-level and college-level decision making?