Philip Carlton Williams

Who's Running Our Colleges and Universities? Philip Carlton Williams

Who's Running Our Colleges and Universities is is an inside look at the cast of characters who operate our nation's academic institutions. It is the first book of a proposed three-part series on The Plight of Higher Education in the United States. (Books two and three should be available later in 2018.) Each book in the series is designed to be read either alone or in connection with its companion volumes. Whether you are an administrator, professor, student, parent, or concerned citizen, the first book in this series will change your perception of higher education. Unlike the bucolic campuses of the 19th Century, today's colleges and universities require faculty and administrators trained in specialized areas ranging from cyber-security to crisis intervention, from human psychology to political advocacy, and from federal law to athletic compliance. How could a single person manage, let alone lead, such a diverse group of skilled professionals? Does your favorite university's president or chancellor really run the show? Or is there a wizard at work behind the curtains? You may be surprised by the answers suggested in this book. Each chapter focuses on the role played by people whose behaviors are vital to the success of our nation's colleges and universities, yet whose role is often ignored or underappreciated. These include individual professors, the administrative support staff, the institution's founders, Congress and state legislators, accrediting agencies, students and their families, alumni, institutional researchers, athletics administrators, academic officials (such as the provost, deans, and department chairs), and those who work in such administrative areas as enrollment, student affairs, human resources, university business, fundraising (advancement), technology, buildings and grounds, public relations, marketing, legal compliance, and auxiliary units. And yes, the book looks at the role played by boards and the university's chancellor or president. In a bonus chapter, the author describes the "invisible" lines of authority at work in every college and university.