EDHE 854 Governance, Administration, and Politics, Spring 2016
Course Section:
Meeting Time and Place:
Course Credit Hours:
Not Applicable
Per Doctoral Course Schedule
Three (3) Credit Hours
Faculty Contact Information:
Office Hours
E-Mail:
Telephone:
Benjamin Brown, PhD
Thursday 12 pm - 6 pm (class week)
Friday 1 pm – 4 pm
Other times – On-line (24/7)
benjamin.brown@lmunet.edu, or
bbrown1@aol.com (preferred)
615-496-66531
I.
Course Description: This course examines the governance structures used in higher education. Specific
attention will be directed toward state governing boards / coordinating boards; institutional governing
boards; and the federal government’s role in American higher education. International systems of higher
education will also be discussed. Candidates will be expected to become familiar with administrative
processes and systems. The course will also examine the role that politics plays in higher education and
various strategies for managing political loss and leveraging political advantage.
II.
Course Objectives
Develop an understanding of organization and governance in higher education.
a. Apply basic organizational principles to the practice of administration in higher education.
b. Articulate how governance is currently being implemented at various institutions of higher
education.
c. Describe the interplay between higher education governance, administration, and educational
politics.
d. Identify strengths and limitations of different administrative approaches to governance in higher
education.
e. Translate organizational and administrative theory into plans for practice to achieve specific
organizational policy goals.
f. Enhance academic savvy about acting within and changing organizations and systems.
III.
Texts/Materials for the Course:
a. Birnbaum, R. (1991). How Colleges Work. The Cybernetics of Academic Organization and
Leadership.San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
b. Brown, M.C. (Ed.) (2010). Organization & Governance in Higher Education (6th Edition).
Boston:Pearson Custom Publishing.
c. Readings for the course other than required texts (located under “course materials”), course
syllabus, and assignment overviews will be available on Blackboard.
IV.
Course Requirements, Assessment (Learning Outcomes) and Evaluation Methods:
Revised 6/6/2015Page 1 of 8
Attendance Policy:
At the graduate level, direct interaction with the course instructor and with other candidates is integral to
each candidate’s ability to acquire, integrate, and obtain a better context for, the knowledge and skills that
the course is designed to deliver. Therefore, each candidate is expected to attend each class and to interact
with the professor and other candidates when possible and appropriate during, as well as outside of, class
hours throughout the course. However, in the event a candidate is unable to attend a regular class session
due to circumstances beyond his or her control, the professor may request a face-to-face or Web-based
meeting to ascertain the extent to which the candidate has met the course obligations and to assign
additional study should such be required. Candidates who violate the policy will be given the option to
accept a lower grade for the course or to accept an incomplete until the attendance requirements have been
met (unless a class absence qualifies for make-up assignments under ADA requirements).
Learning Outcomes:



Candidate demonstrates values congruent with the disposition and practices of the education
profession.
The candidate demonstrates in-depth general and content-specific knowledge of a high quality and
distinguished educator.
The candidate serves as a leader in the education profession.
Requirements / Assignments:
A. Directed Research (DR) within the Doctoral Program1. The candidate is expected to have a
thorough understanding of the structure, design, requirements and accountabilities as delineated within
the document entitled Directed Research (DR) within the Doctoral Program. As this document
provides an outline for the work that the candidate will undertake within this course, she should review
the text carefully and direct any questions or request any clarifications as might be required to ensure
she is able to execute the work as delineated within this document.
B. Directed Research Project. The requirements for the design and development of the research project
are carefully set forth in the Directed Research (DR) within the Doctoral Program. Through an
expansive review of the literature, the candidate should strive to create a piece of work that will add
value to the area of study through its contribution of new ideas; redirection to possible alternatives;
questioning of current practice; and/or in other ways as might be identified by the candidate as
bringing significant benefit to the organization and/or party being researched.
The purpose of a directed research project is to explore a theoretical or experimental research problem
towards a well-defined goal. DR requires personal, one-to-one interaction between faculty and
candidate according to a mutually agreed-to format and research plan. The interaction can be by
telephone, email, and office visits, or any form of electronic communication. Obviously, regular, direct
personal interaction is strongly preferred. The exact assignment for DR is by agreement between the
faculty member and candidate. It can be original research on a defined topic, a project, programming in
support of a project, or any other learning experience at the appropriate level. If deviations from the
plan occur during the term, the faculty member and candidate must both agree to changes in the
research plan.
Over a term, the candidate will explore a mutually agreed upon research topic and present deliverables,
which will include a written paper. Regular, frequent, meetings will be scheduled and weekly progress
reports will be submitted for purposes of monitoring project progress. Although the amount of time
required for the project will vary from week to week, the candidate should expect to spend an average
of at least 15 hours per week for a three credit graduate level directed research project. Because much
of the work is unstructured, it is mandatory that the candidate takes the initiative and is self-motivated.
C. Presentation / Discussion / Evaluation. The candidate will deliver a presentation of his research
1 As liberally adopted from work done by: ME 598: Directed Research Guidelines; Dr. James Van de Ven;
http://users.wpi.edu/~vandeven/Directed%20Research%20Guidelines.pdf and Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical Engineering;
Revised Nov. 3, 2010; http://ee.usc.edu/assets/011/65692.pdf
Revised 6/6/2015Page 2 of 8
and facilitate a focused discussion around the primary findings and recommendations emanating
from his work. His colleagues studying in the areas of higher education and executive leadership
who will provide meaningful feedback shall review this presentation and, as might be of value,
direction for future studies the candidate might undertake. The candidate will, in turn, provide
benefit of his experience and knowledge by serving in the same role for his colleagues. And,
finally, the candidate will select a rubric from the Academy of Human Resource Development
(AHRD); the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM); and/or another professional
accreditation organization to use in a self-directed assessment of his work.
D. Leadership Seminars and Videos. Attend and participate in scheduled leadership seminars as
might be offered onsite as well as online.
E. Design and Development of an Organization. Over a period of two terms, work online with
candidates from the higher education and executive leadership concentrations to:
a. Research a variety of approaches from a diverse set of professions to identify models and
strategies that have proven to optimize organizational performance and produce unequaled
results. Build a bibliography that captures these resources and post on the group Wiki
website.
b. Review comments, observations, research citations, and other materials and information
shared by your colleagues who are studying topics related to their respective areas of
study.
c. Identify and draw together strands and threads of information and data as each appears in
the collective forum being used for project development. Contribute new ideas, concepts,
and thinking as well as build upon those ideas that are being contributed by others on the
design team.
d. Engage in out-of-the-box and creative thinking investigating non-traditional concepts and
radical design models. Place this information in the Wiki for review by other members of
the design team.
e. Additional information to be published as the design team designs, develops, extends and
enhances the strategies, processes, and models in the process of being created.
Grading:
Study. Candidate work will be assessed against the extent to which the directed research addresses the
requirements and accountabilities as clearly stipulated within Directed Research (DR) within the Doctoral
Program. The candidate is expected to undertake a thorough and rigorous review of the knowledge base
that undergirds the organizational function of human resource development. Themes to be addressed within
the candidate’s research should be subject to a methodical and meticulous review with care to ensure
proper citation for all sources. A detailed outline should provide direction and support for the research to
be undertaken.
Paper. It is expected that the paper produced as a result of this course be prepared in proper APA format.
Candidates should submit their written work for analysis and evaluation to the instructor via email
(lynn.burger@lmunet.edu). Submissions must be in the form of document files (Microsoft Word format
(e.g., .doc or .docx files)) attached to the email message. Candidates should use the following format in the
submission of their document: Lastname_Firstname – Assignment Title. The instructor encourages
candidates to submit drafts of their work to her well before the due dates to obtain feedback (preliminary
evaluation, editing suggestions, and comments). The candidate and instructor shall collaborate on the
design of a scoring rubric to be used in the assessment process for the paper.
The candidate should reference the section Structure of the Paper in the document entitled Directed
Research (DR) within the Doctoral Program to obtain additional information regarding the specific
sections of the paper. These sections include: a title page; an abstract; an introduction; a body; and a set of
references.
Presentation. Her peers; the instructor; and the candidate himself will critique the candidate’s presentation.
As discussed above, a rubric created by the candidate will be used for the purposes of data collection and
reporting. It is expected that the candidate will develop a strong presentation addressing research design,
Revised 6/6/2015Page 3 of 8
findings, and recommendations. The candidate will also be tasked with developing a methodology for
engaging his peers in a meaningful discussion around the topic that was subject to research.
V.
Methods of Instruction:
The candidate and instructor will collaborate to identify tools, applications, activities, lectures, and / or a
myriad of other resources that may be used to effectively and efficiently facilitate learning around this area
of study.
VI.
Clinical Experiences: In courses with Clinical Experiences, candidates will receive regular coaching and
feedback from mentors. The coaching process must be documented, for example, through an Activity/Time
Log or Formal Evaluations. NOT APPLICABLE
VII.
Information Literacy/Technological Resources: [This section should include any type of research
materials or technology (i.e., Blackboard, LiveText or a bibliography) the student will need to use for the
classroom.]
Technology
Incoming students must be computer literate, able to use software for e-mail, word processing, web
browsing, and information retrieval. Students must have access to the Internet for communicating with
instructors and accessing learning resources. Computer access must be available on a personal
computer.
Turn-it-in
Portions of written materials may be required to be submitted to Turn-It-In, the computer program
designed for checking literature duplication. Submitting additional course work to Turn-It-In is at the
instructor’s discretion. Instructions will be available early in the semester on the Graduate Education
Office webpage.
LiveText
Each student will be required to establish an account with the LiveText program by the second
class session. LiveText is a web-based application offering a comprehensive suite of development,
management, and assessment tools. This suite of tools provides colleges and universities with the
capability to assess student work online using assessment instruments that have been developed and
implemented by the individual college faculty and/or departments. Specific instructions were
distributed on a separate handout at your orientation. LiveText may be purchased online at
https://c1.livetext.com or through the LMU Bookstore. LiveText Help is available on the Graduate
Office web page.
Library Resources
The Carnegie-Vincent Library provides access to many outstanding resources for students in Teacher
Education field, including tutorials, databases, and experienced reference librarians. Visit the library’s
website (library.lmunet.edu) for full details. There are many professional databases including: ERIC,
the Educational Resource Information Center, the premier database for education related journal
articles and documents containing over one million citations and links to more than 100,000
documents in full-text; ProQuest Education Journals database which contains access to 760 leading
journals of which over 600 are in full-text; ProQuest Dissertation & Theses Full Text: The
Humanities and Social Sciences Collection: A comprehensive collection of scholarly research in the
Humanities and Social Sciences, this database covers more than 1 million dissertations and theses;
Mental Measurements Yearbook which contains descriptive information & critical reviews of
commercially-available standardized English-language educational, personality, aptitude,
neuropsychological, achievement & intelligence tests. Additionally, the library provides access to over
100 other databases and can obtain books and articles from libraries worldwide through Interlibrary
Loan.
Revised 6/6/2015Page 4 of 8
IIX.
University Policies:
Students With Disabilities Policy: As a rule, all students must read and comply with standards of
the LMU Student Handbook and LMU catalogue. Any student seeking assistance in accordance with the
Americans Disabilities Act (1990 as amended) should contact the ADA Coordinator, Dan Graves, with
regard to required documentation and in order to make appropriate arrangements. Contact information:
dan.graves@lmunet.edu and/or 423.869.6267 (800-325-0900 ext. 6267).
Counseling: LMU counselors are available to help current students with personal, career and
academic concerns that affect academic success and quality of life. The Director of Counseling, Jason
Kishpaugh, can be contacted at jason.kishpaugh@lmunet.edu and/or 423.869.6401 (800-325-0900 ext.
6401).
Discrimination, Scholastic Dishonesty, Cheating, and Plagiarism Policies can be found in the
student handbook:
LMU’s website: http://www.lmunet.edu/campuslife/handbooks.shtml.
Course Evaluations: In addition to meeting degree requirements specified in the graduate and
undergraduate catalogs, all students are required to complete University-administered course evaluations.
Outcomes Assessment Testing: Degree requirements include participating in all outcomes
assessment testing (e.g., general education assessment, major field tests, etc.) and activities when requested.
Students may be required to complete one or more questionnaires and to take one or more standardized
tests to determine general educational achievement as a prerequisite to graduation (see appropriate catalog
for additional information).
All Associate of Science – Nursing; Associate of Science – Veterinary Health Science; and
Associate of Science – Veterinary Medical Technology students must take the General Education
Proficiency Profile examination.
LMU’s Inclement Weather Policy can be found at the following link to LMU’s website:
http://www.lmunet.edu/curstudents/weather.shtml. Students should check their LMU email during
delays/closures to receive information from individual faculty regarding potential assignments and/or other
course information.
Unit Commitment to Diversity – The School of Education recognizes differences among groups
of people and individuals based on ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, gender, exceptionalities,
language, religion, sexual orientation, and geographical area. The unit designs, implements, and evaluates
curriculum and provides experiences for candidates to acquire and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and
professional dispositions necessary to help all students learn. Assessments indicate that candidates can
demonstrate and apply proficiencies related to diversity. Experiences provided for candidates include
working with diverse populations, including higher education and K-12 school faculty, candidates, and
students in K-12 schools.
IX.
Mission Statements:
Lincoln Memorial University Mission Statement can be found at the following link to LMU’s
website: http://www.lmunet.edu/about/mission.shtml.
Department Mission Statement:
The School of Education is dedicated to preparing professional educators of distinction who embody the
three core ideas of Lincoln Memorial University. We accomplish our mission through instilling the
core ideals of Values, Education and Service in candidates who:
 demonstrate the disposition of the education profession – Values
 articulate and live the knowledge base and understands of moral, social, and political dimensions
Revised 6/6/2015Page 5 of 8




I.
II.
III.
which will impact individual students, schools, districts, and communities for the enrichment of
society – Values
demonstrate the teaching skills and learning strategies acquired through rigorous academic studies
and active engagement in real life classroom experiences while involved in field and internship
placements in partner P-12 schools – Education
promote lifelong learning through continued professional development and scholarship –
Education
assist in meeting the educational needs of an ever-increasing global society, especially the
underserved – Service
articulate an understanding that all students can learn as well as demonstrate the disposition to
serve and teach diverse student populations – Service
Program Mission Statement
Research - To provide a program that attracts high quality candidates and faculty and has
achieved recognition and positioning amongst those institutions and communities that others
acknowledged as leaders in conducting basic and applied research in education.
Teaching / Leadership - To offer our students life-changing and meaningful educational
experiences that help them develop insights and skills and nourish their passion for “doing
education well” through effective instructional practices and a well-articulated and aligned
curriculum.
Service, Dispositions, Values - To provide a program in which its faculty and candidates can
engage in action research projects, consulting, and field experiences targeted to serve local
education agencies, communities, businesses, not-for-profit centers, and other such entities.
X.
Honors Contract Addendum Information (if applicable):
XI.
Course Outline/Assignment/units of Instruction or Clinic Schedule:
Due dates and deliverables as presented in the table that follows.
Project Proposal: This paper is due one week after the start of the term or on a mutually agreed upon date
that maps against the academic term – it is a one - two page document that will include an / a:
a) Introduction: Briefly describe the project to be completed; ensure it maps against the curricular
objectives that have been established for the experience
b) Problem Statement: State the problem or gap in knowledge the research project will address.
Describe why the problem is important.
c) Objective(s): Explain the ultimate goal and objectives (ensure these address the problem
statement)
d) Method: Describe the procedures or plan of action that will be used to accomplish the
objectives.
e) Schedule: Build a schedule that identifies deliverables that will be available and benchmarks for
achieving specific points of progress. This will help determine if the scope of the project is
reasonable.
Weekly Progress Reports: Progress reports are due 24 hours before each scheduled meeting. The
candidate will submit a short report on the progress that has been made during that week. The purpose of
the progress reports is to provide documentation of the work; help the candidate regularly collect his or her
thoughts; look at where the project is headed; provide an auxiliary means for assessment beyond the final
report; and enable more focused discussions during the weekly meetings. The progress reports can include
pictures, graphs, figures, screenshots, or tables as may be appropriate. Use the reports to sum up the work
that is completed during each week and upload them to the Blackboard site that has been designated for this
project.
Revised 6/6/2015Page 6 of 8
Final Paper Outline: This document is due 2.5 weeks before the end of the term or on a mutually agreed
upon date that maps against the academic term. An outline helps organize ideas, develops a logical flow to
the work, and makes writing the paper easier. Recommended steps: brainstorm the ideas to be included in
the paper, organize these into related groups, and develop an appropriate order or flow for the information.
There is no “right” format for an outline. A good outline takes time to develop, but will pay for itself
multiple times in writing a cohesive paper that flows logically.
Rough Draft of Final Paper: A rough draft of the final paper is due 1.5 weeks (10 days) before the end of
the term or on a mutually agreed upon date that maps against the academic term. Feedback will be provided
on the draft to assist in the development of the paper.
Final Paper: This paper is due the last day of the term or on a mutually agreed upon date that maps against
the academic term. The format for the final paper is similar to that found within a journal article with the
exception that the paper will include additional details that cannot be included in a journal article due to
length constraints.
Date
Jan.
8/9
Feb.
12/1
3
Mar
.
11/1
2
Focus
Project Orientation – mechanics,
structure, timeline, idea generation;
publication considerations
Deliverable
None
Initial Meeting of the Design Team
Ideas captured from team
brainstorming session
Initial ideas regarding
Project Focus
Project Proposal; resource
identification; refinement of idea /
focus for research
Leadership Seminars and Videos
Ongoing online conversations and
exchanges between design team
members
Introduction, Problem Statement,
Objectives, Method, Schedule
Leadership Seminars and Videos
Apr.
8/9
May
13/1
4
Ongoing online conversations and
exchanges between design team
members
Final Paper Outline - brainstorm the
ideas to be included in the paper,
organize these into related groups,
and develop an appropriate order or
flow for the information.
Leadership Seminars and Videos
Ongoing online conversations and
exchanges between design team
members
Research conducted to-date
Revised 6/6/2015Page 7 of 8
Notes, dialogue and
exchange between team
members
Information and data as
emerge from design team
online interactions
Project Proposal;
Progress Report
Notes, dialogue and
exchange between team
members
Information and data as
emerge from design team
online interactions
Additional development
of Project Proposal;
fleshed out topics / focus
Notes, dialogue and
exchange between team
members
Information and data as
emerge from design team
online interactions
Final Paper Outline;
Progress Report; Rubric
for paper evaluation
Resource(s)
Course Syllabi; Directed
Research (DR) within the
Doctoral Program; Bibliographic
References for EDHR 882
Wiki; web resources as identified
New materials identified by
candidate
Speaker; Ted Talks; Discussion
Board
Wiki; resources as identified and
contributed by design team
members
Directed Research (DR) within
the Doctoral Program;
Speaker; Ted Talks; Discussion
Board
Wiki; resources as identified and
contributed by design team
members
Directed Research (DR) within
the Doctoral Program;
Speaker; Ted Talks; Discussion
Board
Wiki; resources as identified and
contributed by design team
members
Directed Research (DR) within
the Doctoral Program;
Rough Draft of Final Paper
Publication Manual of the
American Psychological
Association
Rough Draft of Final
Paper; Progress Report
Directed Research (DR) within
the Doctoral Program;
Final Paper; Progress
Report
Review of Instructor assessed Final
Paper
Edited Final Paper
Collegial discussion and review of
research project
Leadership Seminars and Videos
Ongoing online conversations and
exchanges between design team
members
Presentation – critique /
review
Notes, dialogue and
exchange between team
members
Information and data as
emerge from design team
online interactions
Presentation materials; Project
Rubric
Speaker; Ted Talks; Discussion
Board
Wiki; resources as identified and
contributed by design team
members
XII.
[Each instructor may insert Miscellaneous course elements here, as desired – numbered in sequence]:
[OPTIONAL SECTION(s).]
XIII.
Important Dates in the Academic Calendar Fall/Spring 2016: [OPTIONAL SECTION]
Last Day to Add Classes
Martin Luther King Day (no classes)
Convocation (9:30 a.m.)
Last Day to Drop Course without “WD”
Last Day to Drop Course without “F”
Spring Break/Easter Holiday (no classes)
Last Day of Classes
Final Exams
XIV.
Student Community Engagement: A cornerstone of the University’s mission is service to humanity. As
part of the University’s Student Service Initiative, students receiving any form of institutional aid
participate in at least 10 hours of service learning per semester. Students are encouraged to network with
one another in classroom settings and with instructors and advisors for searching out and creating
appropriate service learning projects related to their field of study. For more information visit:
http://www.lmunet.edu/campuslife/initiative/index.shtml or contact the Associate Dean of Students.
XV.
THE INSTRUCTOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REVISE, ALTER AND/OR AMEND THIS
SYLLABUS, AS NECESSARY. STUDENTS WILL BE NOTIFIED IN WRITING AND/OR BY
EMAIL OF ANY SUCH REVISIONS, ALTERATIONS AND/OR AMENDMENTS. [OPTIONAL
SECTION/LANGUAGE.]
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