Foundations of Higher, Adult and Professional Education

Class Listserve: EDHP500-L@usc.edu

    This class is intended to provide entree to some of the more vexing issues in higher education. In particular, the course will focus on organizational change and productivity. How might we reform the organization to better meet societal needs? We will discuss organizational change and productivity by way of the following six themes:

1.     Access, equity and affirmative action
2.     Faculty productivity
3.     Strategy and high performance
4.     Colleges costs
5.     Governance
6.     Decision-making

    There are 2 course requirements. First, you will write a mid-term paper that pertains to the first three themes. Second, you will hand in a final paper that focuses on all of the themes.

    This is a course that demands participation. You need to have read all class assignments prior to class and be prepared to discuss and debate the issues. Since all of us participate in academe in one way or another (e.g. as administrators, teachers, students, and taxpayers), you will have opinions on many of the topics. I encourage you to speak your mind! I expect, however, that we will listen to one another's ideas and back up our opinions with the research literature.

Your grade will be figured in the following manner:

Mid-term:                                             20%
Class participation and facilitation:     30%
Final paper:                                          50%

Please Note:

1. I do not intend to give incompletes. All papers are to be handed in on time. Late papers will be marked down.
2. I expect you to attend every session.
3. I expect you to arrive to class on time.
4. Each individual will be responsible for facilitating the readings of one class.

Readings and Speakers: We are fortunate to be at a research university and in a city replete with scholar-practitioners who have keen insights about the nature of academic life. Throughout the course we will have guest lecturers who will offer their informed opinions about the specific topics at hand. There are two texts in addition to a reading packet:

Tierney, William G. (1998) Tenure matters: Rethinking faculty roles and rewards (ABS)

Tierney, William G. (1999) Building the responsive campus: Creating the high performance colleges and universities (BRC)

Orfield, Gary and Miller, Edward (1998) Chilling admissions: The affirmative action crisis and the search for alternatives

CLASS SCHEDULE

June 30

Introduction

Tierney, "Introduction" (BRC)

 

Topic 1: Access, equity and affirmative action

July 5

Tierney, "The parameters of affirmative action: Equity and excellence in the academy"

Garcia, "Where’s the merit in the SAT?"

Greve, "Hopwood and its consequences"

Greve, "Ruling out race: A bold step to making colleges color-blind"

 

July 7

Matsuda and Lawrence, "On meritocracy"

Myers, "Why diversity is a smoke screen for affirmative action"

Orfield and Miller, "Chilling admissions"

 

Topic 2: Faculty productivity

July 12

Tierney, "Chapter 5" (BRC)

Byrne, "Academic freedom without tenure?"

Chemerinsky, "Is tenure necessary to protect academic freedom?" (ABS)

Benjamin, "Declining faculty availability to students is the problem - but tenure is not the explanation" (ABS)

McGee and Block, "Academic tenure: An economic critique"

 

July 14

Tierney, "Chapter 4" (BRC)

Tierney, "Introduction: Tenure matters" (ABS)

Engstrand, "Tenure wars" (ABS)

Tierney, "Leveling tenure: Locating tenure and other controversies" (ABS)

Leslie, "Redefining tenure" (ABS)

Dworkin, "Why academic freedom?"

Topic 3: Strategy and high performance

July 19:

Guest Speaker: Lloyd Armstrong, Provost, USC

Duderstadt, "Revolutionary changes: Understanding the challenges and the possibilities"

Strategic Plan of USC

Four-Year Report on the 1994 Strategic Plan of USC

Garvin, "Building a learning organization"

Levin, "Raising productivity in higher education"

Massy and Wilger, "Improving productivity: What faculty think about it - and its effect on quality"

Cameron and Whetten, "Measuring organizational effectiveness and quality: The second generation"

Tierney, " Chapter 1" (BRC)

 

July 21

Johnstone, "Enhancing the productivity of learning"

Mintzberg, "The strategy concept I: Five Ps for strategy"

Mintzberg, "The strategy concept II: Another look at why organizations need strategy"

Mintzberg, "The fall and rise of strategic planning.

Tierney, "Chapter 3" (BRC)

********Mid-term exam handed out: DUE JULY 26********

July 26

Guest Speaker: William H. Pickens, Executive Director, California Citizens Commission on Higher Education

Matthews, "The transformation of higher education through information technology: Implications for state higher education finance policy"

California Citizens Commission on Higher Education, "Toward a state of learning" (Final Report). To be handed out in class

Breneman and Finney, "The changing landscape: Higher education finance in the 1990’s"

Pickens, "A brief primer on higher education finance in California"

Johnstone, "Financing higher education: Who should pay and other issues."

Martinez and Nodine, "California: financing higher education amid policy drift."

********Mid-term exam handed in********

July 28

Mumper, "State efforts to keep public colleges affordable in the face of fiscal stress"

Tierney, "Chapter 6" (BRC)

McPherson and Schapiro, "Toward improved public policy for higher education finance"

Zumeta, 1997 State higher education finance and policy developments

 

Topic 5: Governance

August 2

Guest Speaker: John Slaughter, Former President, Occidental College
Melbo Professor of Higher Education, University of Southern California

Hines, "The governance of higher education"

Cohen and March, "Leadership in an organized anarchy"

Tierney, "Chapter 2" (BRC)

Dougherty, "The community college at the crossroads: The need for structural reform"

August 4

Guest Speaker: Steven B. Sample, President, USC

DiBaggio, Sample & Haaland, "Confessions of a public university refuge"

Rhodes, "The art of the presidency"

Jones, Ewell and McGuinness, "The challenges and opportunities facing higher education"

Breneman, "The challenges facing California higher education"

Topic 6: Decision-making

August 9

Guest Speaker: Michael Jackson, Vice President for Student Affairs, University of Southern California

Casper, "Restructuring the school of humanities"

USC Student Affairs, "Criteria for resource allocations"

Bolman and Deal, "Modern approaches to understanding and managing organizations"

Chaffee, "Listening to the people we serve"

Barr and Tagg, "From teaching to learning: A new paradigm for undergraduate education"

******** Final Exam handed in********

This page was last updated on 06/13/99
Forward any questions or comments to the Webmaster