Table Of ContentTRANSFORMATION OF PALM BEACH COMMUNITY COLLEGE
TO PALM BEACH STATE COLLEGE: A CASE STUDY
by
Mehran Basiratmand
A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of
The College of Education
in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, Florida
December 2013
Copyright by Mehran Basiratmand 2013
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to extend a special and profound thank you to Dr. Deborah L. Floyd
for her continual mentoring, counseling, and assistance. Your support has been
instrumental and I am truly grateful for your advice over the past several years. I greatly
appreciate the support of Dr. Patricia Maslin-Ostrowski for providing positive,
encouraging, and constructive feedback and direction. Thank you for guiding me to think
outside of the box and to use qualitative methodology in my study. I am genuinely
appreciative of Dr. Robert Shockley for his leadership, guidance, and on-going support as
well.
I would like to thank Palm Beach State College for providing me with the
opportunity to conduct this research, and in particular, President Dennis Gallon, Dr.
Sharon Sass, Dr. Grace Truman, Dr. Jennifer Campbell, Mr. Richard Becker and Mr.
Tony Parziale. Your professionalism and collegiality is much appreciated.
I would especially like to thank Dr. Ginger L. Pedersen for providing me with
valuable information about the college, and for agreeing to read my dissertation and to
provide expedient feedback. Her support and comments are much appreciated and were
instrumental in the completion of this study. Without your support, this would have been
an impossible task.
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I would like to also thank Dr. Anita Kaplan for her willingness to assist, and for
providing timely and relevant information. I am utterly grateful for you agreeing to read
my dissertation and provide comments. Your support is truly appreciated.
I appreciate the encouragement I have received from Dr. Jeff Schilit and Mr.
Jason Ball, as well as the support from Mr. Justin Deering and Ms. Eileen Deering. I
would also like to thank College of Education family for their support, in particular, Ms.
Kathy DuBois, Ms. Safeeia Azam, Dr. Deborah Shepherd and Dr. Don Torok. I am
especially thankful to Ms. Rivka Felsher and Ms. Chantal Sinady for their keen eyes,
guidance, and friendship. I am also thankful for the support of the Graduate College and
for their willingness to assist.
I would like to dedicate this to my parents and to my brothers and sister for
showing me perseverance.
Most importantly, I would like to dedicate this dissertation to my wife Elizabeth,
my children Mae Ellicent and Mark Ellis for your unconditional support, understanding,
and continual encouragement.
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ABSTRACT
Author: Mehran Basiratmand
Title: Transformation of Palm Beach Community College
to Palm Beach State College: A Case Study
Institution: Florida Atlantic University
Dissertation Dr. Deborah L. Floyd
Co-Advisors: Dr. Patricia Maslin-Ostrowski
Degree: Doctor of Philosophy
Year: 2013
The purpose of this single-site case study was to examine the organization and
leadership change process of Palm Beach State College, a publicly funded institution in
Florida, as it embarked on offering bachelor’s degree programs. The study examined the
organizational change process and the extent to which Palm Beach State College’s
organization transformation aligned with the eight stages of John Kotter’s (1996, 2012)
Change Management Model. This qualitative research was conducted using triangulation
of data collection and analysis methods via interviews, observations, and document
review. This study found that the organizational transformation was a success, and that
while expanding its offerings, the college remained true to its core mission. Kotter’s
model was found to be appropriate to examine the change process, and the college was
well aligned in all but the final stage of the model. This research contributes to the body
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of knowledge in the field of higher education, primarily for two-year colleges embarking
on the endeavor of organizational change process to confer baccalaureates.
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TRANSFORMATION OF PALM BEACH COMMUNITY COLLEGE
TO PALM BEACH STATE COLLEGE: A CASE STUDY
List of Tables....................................................................................................................xiv
List of Figures...................................................................................................................xvi
Chapter 1. Introduction........................................................................................................1
Background Information................................................................................................1
Changes in Community Colleges...................................................................................3
John P. Kotter’s (1996, 2012) Change Management Model.........................................4
Purpose of the Study......................................................................................................6
Research Questions........................................................................................................7
Rationale for the Study..................................................................................................7
Significance of the Study...............................................................................................8
Theoretical Framework..................................................................................................9
Delimitations................................................................................................................10
Limitations...................................................................................................................10
Chapter Summary........................................................................................................11
Chapter 2. Literature Review.............................................................................................12
Transformation of Community Colleges.....................................................................12
Florida as the Center of Changes in the Community College System...................14
The Role of Leadership in Florida College System Changes................................17
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The Community College Baccalaureate Organizational Change Process.............18
Changes in Community Colleges Using a Student-Centered Approach...............23
Mission Creep.......................................................................................................24
Influence of Cost on the Change Process..............................................................25
Change Models for Reshaping Community Colleges..................................................27
The Role of Leadership..........................................................................................28
Ingredients of the Change Process Model.............................................................28
Discussion of Models and Frameworks for College Transformation..........................30
Lewin’s (1951) Change Management Model in Higher Education.......................30
Liebowitz, Haynes, and Milley’s (2001) Change Model.......................................31
Christensen, Horn, Caldera, and Soares’ (2011) Business Model.........................32
Lamb, Kabes, and Engstrom’s (2011) Graduate Learning Community Model.....33
Nevarez and Wood’s (2010, 2012) Framework.....................................................34
John P. Kotter’s (1996, 2012) Change Management Model.................................35
Chapter Summary........................................................................................................41
Chapter 3. Methodology....................................................................................................43
Rationale for a Case Study Research Design...............................................................43
The Role of the Researcher.........................................................................................45
Sampling Plan..............................................................................................................45
Study Site..............................................................................................................45
Sampling Methods.................................................................................................46
Interview Participant Sample................................................................................47
Document Review Sample.....................................................................................50
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Observations Sample.............................................................................................52
Data Collection............................................................................................................53
Interviews...............................................................................................................53
Documents.............................................................................................................55
Observations..........................................................................................................55
Data Analysis...............................................................................................................56
Data Validation............................................................................................................57
Trustworthiness............................................................................................................60
Chapter Summary........................................................................................................61
Chapter 4. Findings: Changes in Leadership and Organization........................................63
Historical Perspective of the Change Process..............................................................64
Context of the Findings................................................................................................70
Finding 1: External Influences Play a Pivotal Role...............................................72
Finding 2: Implementing New Baccalaureate Programs at a Multi-Campus
Environment has Challenges................................................................75
Finding 3: Accreditation Requirements, Need for Terminal Degrees, and
Developing New Curriculum is Becoming More Apparent................79
Finding 4: The Development of the Baccalaureate Program Impacted
Funding, Budgeting, and Policies........................................................93
Chapter Summary......................................................................................................102
Chapter 5. Findings: The Change Process Through Kotter’s Lens.................................104
Stage 1: Sense of Timing...........................................................................................105
Stage 2: Leadership Team..........................................................................................108
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