| New realities on campus and a blurring of boundaries between academe, government, and business have led colleges to explore alternative leadership approaches, such as hiring presidents from outside academe. This qualitative study of four liberal arts colleges headed by presidents with previous careers in government or corporate law examines expectations and experiences in institutional decision-making. Initially skeptical faculty, trustees, and administrators often came to believe that their nontraditional presidents were well suited to college leadership. Although the presidents' approaches sometimes clashed with the academic-governance process, eventually they learned to navigate long-established patterns of decision-making on campus. The data show that these presidents found ways to adapt to traditional academic governance, rather than to impose the methods of a previous career environment.; Through its research design, this study set out to examine the expectations and actual experiences of nontraditional presidents and constituents in the governance systems of four liberal arts colleges. On all campuses, constituents described aspects of traditional, academic shared governance as the "ideal" way to go about decision-making. Key aspects of this included broad-based consultation, consensus-building, and respect for the college's democratic decision-making system, including an appreciation for faculty prerogatives in academic areas.; Primarily through interviews with a broad-based set of representatives from four institutions, the data show that nontraditional presidents worked to adapt to established academic decision-making patterns, rather than the reverse. The study examines how and to what extent the presidents engaged in broad-based consultation and explores whether the alliances they develop with experienced members of the community as one means of learning about college decision-making. Significant aspects of their progress included efforts to learn and show respect for academic decision-making practices, recognizing the powerful role of faculty members in decision-making, turning their "nontraditional" professional skills to advantage, and making use of previous ties to their colleges. In instances where presidents abrogated well-established processes or ignored expected channels of communication, their constituents became defiant and often blamed the president's nontraditional characteristics for perceived missteps.; Overall, each of the nontraditional presidents was a recognized success in moving his or her campus toward short-term and long-term goals. Faculty members, trustees, and administrators on all four campuses reported that their presidents had achieved impressive goals and had raised the quality, image, and future prospects of their institutions. |
