The New University President: Communicating a Vision, Cultural Competency, and Symbolic Cultural Forms DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Elizabeth Anne Wiser, M. Graduate Program in Education The Ohio State University 2009 Dissertation Committee: Professor Ada Demb, Advisor Professor Leonard Baird Professor Tatiana Suspitsyna Copyright by Elizabeth Anne Wiser 2009 ABSTRACT University presidents are the institutional leaders responsible for guiding the direction of an institution. The president serves both as the symbolic leader of a university and as one responsible for directing change. When a new president arrives, the institution assumes and prepares for change and a new direction.
One measure of presidential effectiveness is the ability for a president to develop and communicate a vision. A new president can assist in making a vision understandable for a campus community by using images and symbols that not only represent the culture of the institution but also create a picture of the direction for the institution. An effective vision is one that creates meaning for the members of the institution and that illustrates direction in a way to which the campus community can relate (Nanus, 1998). This inquiry examined the ways in which a new university president uses the existing cultural symbolic forms to communicate a vision.
A model of presidential cultural competency was developed to illuminate the dynamics of how a president understands and uses the culture to present an institutional vision. The results illustrate the importance of a new president learning the culture through listening in order to develop a level of trust with the campus community. Through understanding the culture, through performing the culture, and through feedback from the campus community, the new president develops a level of cultural competency ii that supports the president’s ability to communicate and implement a new institutional vision. The president uses tools to understand the culture, such as listening, conversation, observation, hearing stories, and the feedback received from campus community members.
The campus members consider the presidential actions and decisions. Trust develops when actions are viewed as culturally congruent. As trust develops, the president can make decisions that may change the institution. When the president’s actions demonstrate an appreciation for the institutional values, beliefs and underlying assumptions, then the president can bring about change.
The central insight revealed by this study is the critical importance of a president understanding the culture and relating the vision to the institutional culture. The goals of this inquiry are to illuminate how institutions handle presidential transitions and how new presidents pay attention to institutional culture when attempting to bring about institutional change. The results can help inform Boards of Trustees to better appreciate the complexity of selecting a new president and the importance of selecting the appropriate match for the institution. Finally, the results can assist new presidents in examining the process of understanding the culture and using cultural symbolic forms to develop and communicate a vision.
iii Dedicated to Waller Byrd Wiser, Ph. 1923 - 1997 Scholar, administrator, and father Who shone the light on the path for me iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The decision to pursue the Ph. developed during my tenure at Capital University at which time numerous presidential transitions illustrated the need to examine institutional culture and presidential change more deeply. I am forever grateful for the opportunity that the late President Josiah Blackmore afforded me to become a Vice President and to see the role of the president more closely.
My mentors and colleagues at Capital, including Dr. Ron Volpe, Shea McGrew, the late Vern Truesdale, Dr. Dolph Henry, Kim Ebbrecht, and Dr. Stephen Bahls, several of whom became university presidents, were wonderful supporters and models for strong leadership.
The quality of the faculty in the higher education and student affairs program at The Ohio State University when I completed my coursework inspired me to develop a love for the academic side of higher education. Because of the nurturing and incredible example of faculty members like Dr. Mary Ann Danowitz, and Dr. Patti Lather, I found the depth and breadth of the higher education research and the inquiry that supports our profession.
You are responsible for the excitement and engagement I felt in this program. I am incredibly grateful for the dedication and support of my dissertation committee members who both challenged me and guided me through this process. Leonard Baird and Dr. Tatiana Suspitsyna are incredible scholars and demonstrate an v exemplary dedication to developing scholars.
I am very thankful to them for their willingness to serve on my committee when their loads are significant and my long distance relationship presented challenges in the last year. This inquiry and the completion of this degree would not be possible with the unwavering commitment and support of my adviser, Dr. Our relationship has spanned nearly 15 years, from completing the master’s thesis, to Ph. coursework, independent studies, general exams, and finally seeing this dissertation come together.
You stayed with me through my personal highs and lows, and you never gave up on me. I share this milestone with you, because without your belief that I could do this, I would not have finished. Thank you for the gift you have given to me. The value of graduate work is paid in the incredible relationships that develop through this shared process.
I am grateful for those scholars who came before me whose work I admired. Allen Delong, Elisa Abes and Tammy Maltzan, you are my role models and I thank you for laying the groundwork for those of us who followed. Allen, your friendship and our time together in UAFYE were unforgettable. I cannot thank my Ph.
cohort enough for holding my hand through two years of coursework. Jen Gilbride- Brown, Brad Van Den Elzen, Amee McKim, and Dong Li, thank you for your wisdom and continual support. You taught me so much. Jen, thank you for writing with me, for crying with me, and for making me laugh.
You are an amazing scholar and it was your example that showed me that this effort is attainable. And an added thank-you to Anne Krabacher who was always there to lend an extra hand and words of encouragement. vi A huge debt of gratitude goes to Kathy Titus-Becker who is my cheerleader, my peer reviewer, my writing pal, and my friend. Kathy, your friendship and unwavering support meant the world to me.
When I had nearly given up, you kept me going through the example of your own work and through your belief in me. Thank you for holding my hand and seeing me to the end. This study would not have been possible without the willingness of the leadership of Midwestern College. The president, the senior leadership and the talented faculty opened their doors to my inquiry.
I am particularly thankful to the president of the College as it was a generous act in the first year of a presidency to have a graduate student conducting this inquiry. I am forever grateful for the seven years of amazing administrative experience I gained in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and First Year Experience at The Ohio State University. Mabel Freeman gave me the opportunity to join the staff and provided me with a level of responsibility that helped me to grow as a professional. Mabel, you are a role model for me and you showed me a level of support for which I am thankful.
Jefferson Blackburn-Smith, I thank you for willingness to allow me to continue with my graduate work and your guidance in keeping me on track to completion. I am thankful for all my UAFYE colleagues, especially Stephanie, Allen, Bade, Eric, Christine, Keith, and Marco, you really made working in UAFYE an amazing experience. The gratitude of support is shared with the staff at the University of Vermont. I thank Chris Lucier, Vice President for Enrollment Management, who made it possible to complete this degree within a year of starting a new position.
The university’s support for vii the time to collect data and complete the research has been invaluable. I also am so thankful for the support and dedication of the UVM Admissions staff that have encouraged me along the way. I am so fortunate to have joined an outstanding group of colleagues. Since my daughter, Allison, began 8th grade and my son, Evan, began 6th grade, their mother has been a graduate student.
Now successful college students, their sacrifice and patience in sharing me with graduate work is so much appreciated. I share gratitude and sincere thanks to their father who made it possible for me to become a fulltime graduate student in order to jump-start the pursuit of this goal. Allison and Evan, your continual encouragement and belief in me mean so much. You are amazing individuals and I am so proud of you every day! I hope I will always demonstrate the same level of faith in everything you try as you have shown to me over these past eight years.
I am very grateful for the wonderful parents who have always exhibited the value of hard work and the importance of education. Both of them were pioneers in their own way with their educational paths. It is a real honor to share in the same process that my father followed 47 years ago. Dad, your dissertation sits close by as an inspiration and a model for academic excellence.
I don’t know if I will ever find the appropriate words to thank my partner, Patience Whitworth, who has been an unwavering support throughout this entire process. At the time that I was ready to quit, at the time I could not see that this was possible, you never lost faith. You have changed my life and have given me the gift of unconditional love. You’ve opened up a new world for me, which has allowed me the clarity of thought viii and focus to accomplish this goal.
I can only hope to match the support you have given to me when it is your turn. I can’t wait to see what’s next in our life journey. ix VITA May 23, 1960………………………….Born-Worchester, MA 1982………………………………., Educational Studies Emory University, Atlanta, GA 1982-1986.Admissions Counselor, Assistant Director, Associate Director, Admissions Office, Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, OH 1986-1988…………………………….Assistant Director, Admissions Office, Denison University, Granville, OH 1988-2001………………………………….Assistant Director, Senior Associate Director, Director of Admissions, Vice President for Enrollment Management, Capital University, Columbus, OH 1995., Higher Education Administration, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 2001-2003………………………………….Graduate Administrative Associate, Office of Undergraduate Admissions And First Year Experience, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 2003-2008…………………………………. Associate Director, Office of Undergraduate Admissions And First Year Experience, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 2008 – present…………………………….Director of Admissions, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT Fields of Study Major Field: Education x TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………….
v VITA………………………………………………………………………………… x TABLE OF CONTENTS………. xi LIST OF TABLES……. xvii LIST OF FIGURES…….………………………………………………………… xviii Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION…….…… 1 Statement of Purpose……………………………………. 9 Potential Strengths of the Study………………………………………………… 11 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………… 12 Chapter 2: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE…………………………………….
13 Definition of Culture……………………………………………………………. 16 Culture of an Institutional Stabilizer……………………………………………. 19 xi Symbolic actions……………………………………………………………. 21 Culture as a Vehicle for Change………………………………………………… 22 Presidential Leadership and Vision…………………………………………….
26 Institutional Vision……………………………………………………………… 30 Presidential Effectiveness………………………………………………………. 38 Purpose of the Study and Research Questions…….…………………………… 42 Site selection and sampling strategies…………………………………………. 43 Selection of the site………………………………………………………….… 44 Institutional history and mission……………………………………………… 46 Presidential history…………………………………………………………… 47 Sampling strategy…………………………………………………….……… 48 Criteria for participant selection…………………………………………… 48 Participants………………………………………………………………….………………………………… 50 xii Document analysis………………………. 53 Data Analysis and Interpretation………………………………………………… 56 Researcher Subjectivity……………………………………………………….
61 Dependability………………………………………………………………… 62 Confirmability………………………………………………………………… 62 Ethical Considerations…………………………………………………………… 62 Potential Limitations of the Study………………………………………………. 65 Summary………………………………………………………………………… 66 Chapter 4: FINDINGS……………………………………………………………… 68 Themes in the Findings………….……………………………………………… 69 Understanding the Institutional Culture…………………………………………. 70 Description of institutional identity………………………………………. 70 Strong community and care for students………………………………….
72 Participatory decision-making……….……………………… 73 Strong university governance…………………………………………………. 78 xiii It Begins With the Presidential Search…………………………………………. 79 Selecting the president………………………………………………………… 79 Presidential characteristics………………………………………………. 80 Summary……………………………………………………………………… 85 Presidential Fit….