| What exactly are the criteria for determining the administrative effectiveness of a college president or dean? On what basis can one university president or dean be regarded as more effective than another? For the purpose of quality control, as well as to facilitate the choice of appropriate evaluation systems, it is essential to understand the basis on which administrators in Christian higher education are evaluated in terms of their performance.;A study by Heck et al. (2000) points out the fact that "little previous research exists in the area of administrative effectiveness." (p. 663). Downey (2000) further argues that college administrators "have escaped scrutiny in relation to responsibility and accountability" (p. 2). Rosser et al. (2003) observed that the evaluation of deans has not been guided by firmly established assessment practices that are systematically fair and accurate (p. 2). An objective and efficient assessment, therefore, cannot be possible unless there is a clear understanding of the conceptual foundation of administrative effectiveness in higher education (Ebmeier, 1991, p. 247; Gialamas, 2011, p. 1).;This study provides a broad understanding of the conceptual framework that serves as the basis on which college or university administrators' role effectiveness is evaluated within the general context of Christian higher education. The integration of social science research and biblical-theological perspectives in this study proffers three key domains as being responsible for leadership effectiveness in Christian higher education: (1) "Lead Self"; (2) "Lead Others"; and (3) "Lead the Institution". A number of specific leadership effectiveness characteristics are identified and examined dealing with the academic presidents', deans', and other upper-level administrators' roles. Implications and applications are made not only for college or university presidents and deans but for several stakeholders, including governing boards, chief administrators and academic leaders, faculty, students, agencies responsible to promote character formation, as well as those responsible for regulatory and fiduciary affairs. It is hoped that this research will aid Christian higher education administrators in understanding the key variables and processes that are essential for improving their performance effectiveness and advancing their institutional vision and goals. |
