A STUDY OF FACULTY PERCEPTIONS REGARDING PARTICIPATION IN COLLEGE GOVERNANCE

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of higher education faculty toward their role in the participation in university governance, and to determine what the faculty perceived as their desired role.; The population included full time faculty members of state supported, historically black institutions located in the accreditation region of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.; The instrument used was an adaptation of the 1969 AAUP Survey on faculty participation in college and university government developed by the Survey Committee of Committee T.; The survey process was used for collecting the data. A tabulation was made of all responses to each of the items on the survey with respect to the demographic information obtained. The Chi square technique was employed to analyze the data. The .05 percent level or better, was accepted as the criterion for the significance of Chi square.; The following null hypotheses were tested at the .05 or better level or significance for each item: (1) The responses given on the desired form of faculty participation does not depend upon the current form of faculty participation in university governance. (2) There is no significant relationship between responses given on the current and desired form of faculty participation in university governance and the demographic variables of academic department, sex, degree held, age, tenure, rank, experience, number of years at the present institution, and membership in the faculty council.; The analysis of the data led to the following conclusions: (1) Faculty desire a greater involvement in decision making in their institutions in all areas of governance. (2) Female faculty and non-tenured faculty desired a greater degree of participation.; It was recommended that future studies in the area of governance be conducted to expand the findings.