Grendel and His Mother

3092 Words7 Pages

Introduction

The most powerful members of any higher educational institution seem to be the governing board. The board creates and maintains the final authority of the institution. The board holds the definitive accountability for the educational institution. They have the authority to employ, evaluate, and dismiss all presidents and other administrative heads; however, what factors influence that process (AGB, 1998)?
The board delegates a certain amount of authority, however limited, to the president. The president of an institution’s job is to manage the institution, and his or her role is supported by the needs of the board and faculty. The president is responsible to the board, the students, and the faculty. Unfortunately, the length of the term held by many presidents has declined. Very important reasons that have been related to this fact are the demands from the faculty, and students, the politics of the boards, and budgetary issues. All of these reasons seemingly played a part in the case that I have chosen to examine.
The threat to institutional autonomy is at stake. If a university’s ultimate authority can be challenged, this creates an unstable chain of command, or an unclear set of checks and balances. If all university regulations can be challenged, then what are the “set” rules for policies at the institution?
Some questions I will address throughout the course of this paper are what political power must one have to challenge the board? What factors influence the process of the board’s authority to employ, evaluate, and dismiss all presidents and administrative heads? What are some of the causes of the limited presidential terms?

Statement of Purpose
I intend to explore this topic through a review of literature. I will use this literature to create a background of the issue explaining the incidents that led to my topic. I will also analyze the similar case that I have found in my literature review section. Once I have explored my issue through my background of my issue, and my literature review, I will then assess the database that I have used for this paper. After I have explored the issue, and assessed it, I will then cite my major conclusions and findings. Finally, I will give the conclusions that I have drawn from my research.

Literature Review
Institutional Autonomy
There were other factors that contributed to the unfolding of the institutional event. Dr. Jefferson was a former governing board member, and her husband is a congressman.

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