Perceptions of mission and governance of community college trustees

112 Pages·2002·4.2 MB·English

by  Hutchins, Paul C

PERCEPTIONSOFMISSIONANDGOVERNANCE
OFCOMMUNITYCOLLEGETRUSTEES
By
PAULC.HUTCHINS,JR.
ADISSERTATIONPRESENTEDTOTHEGRADUATESCHOOL
OFTHEUNIVERSITYOFFLORIDAINPARTIALFULFILLMENT
OFTHEREQUIREMENTSFORTHEDEGREEOF
DOCTOROFEDUCATION
UNIVERSITYOFFLORIDA
2002
Copyright2002
by
PaulC.Hutchins,Jr.
Idedicatethisworktomywife,Tina,
andourchildren.AutumnandAndrew,
fortheirconstantsupportandlove.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thisdissertationistheresultofcountlesshoursandwouldnothavebeenpossible
withoutthehelpandsupportofanumberofpeople. Iparticularlythankmychairperson,
Dr.DaleF.Campbell,fortheencouragementanddirectionheprovidedoverthepastfew
years. Iexpressgratitudetomycochairperson,Dr.BarbaraKeener,forherhelp,advice,
—
andgeneroussupport. Iappreciatethemembersofmycommittee Dr.LamontFlowers
—
andDr.JimmyCheek whoprovidedadviceandencouragement.
MygratitudeisalsoextendedtoDr.LamontFlowers,whoseassistancewith
Chapter4wasinvaluable,andtoDr.MaryHoward-Hamilton,whoservedastheinitial
chairpersonofmycommittee. IrecognizethesupportandassistanceofMr.RobDenson,
PresidentofNortheastIowaCommunityCollege,forfacilitatingthedistributionofmy
surveyinstrumenttotheIowatrustees. 1alsoexpressmygratitudetoDr.Carol
NasworthyforherassistancewiththefieldtestofmyquestionnaireandDr.CindraSmith
forherassistanceandsupport.
Iacknowledgemyfellowgraduateprogramcohortmembers,especiallyKris
WilliamsandKurtHavard,fortheirmoralsupportandmotivation. Specialthanksis
extendedtoMrs.BettyWilcoxforhertyping,editing,andassistancewiththis
dissertation.
Finally,thisworkwouldnothavebeenpossiblewithoutthecontinuedsupportof
myfamily,particularlyOrieandVernonFurgeson,whoassistedmeinsomanywaysto
completethisproject.
IV
TABLEOFCONTENTS
page
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS iv
LISTOFTABLES vii
ABSTRACT x
CHAPTER
INTRODUCTION
1 1
StatementofPurpose 2
ImportanceoftheStudy 2
ResearchQuestions 4
DefinitionofTerms 4
AssumptionsoftheStudy 5
LimitationsoftheStudy 5
Summary 6
2 REVIEWOFTHERELATEDLITERATURE 8
HistoricalPerspective 8
BoardComposition 10
BoardSelectionProcess 13
BoardPowersandResponsibilities 15
PerceptionsoftheTrusteeRoleandFunctions 20
CommunityCollegeIssuesandTrends 22
Summary 25
3 RESEARCHMETHODOLOGY 27
SampleandPopulation 27
Instrumentation 27
StatisticalAnalysis 32
ResearchQuestions 32
DesignoftheStudy 33
ProceduresforDataCollection 33
SettingoftheStudy 34
ThreatstoInternalandExternalValidity 35
Summary 35
V
4 DATAANALYSISANDRESULTS 40
StatementofPurpose 40
DataCollection 40
DescriptionofRespondents 41
AnalysisofResearch 58
Summary 65
5 DISCUSSIONANDIMPLICATIONS 66
Discussion 66
Implications 71
RecommendationsforFurtherResearch 75
RecommendationsforPractice 76
ImplicationsforPolicy 76
Summary 77
APPENDIX
A TRUSTEECHARACTERISTICSANDOPINIONQUESTIONNAIRE 79
B INFORMEDCONSENT 88
C LETTERSOFSUPPORT 91
REFERENCES 94
BIOGRAPHICALSKETCH 98
VI
LISTOFTABLES
Table page
3-
43--1. CodingofIndependentVariables 29
3-2. CodingofControlVariables 30
3-3. FloridaCommunityColleges,NumberofTrusteesandServiceDistricts 36
4. IowaCommunityColleges,NumberofTrusteesandServiceDistricts 38
1. AgesofRespondents 42
4-2. AgesGroupedbyAppointedandElectedTrusteeStatus 42
4-3. Gender 42
4-4. GenderGroupedbyAppointedandElectedTrusteeStatus 43
4-5. Race 43
4-6. RaceGroupedbyAppointedandElectedTrusteeStatus 44
4-7. MaritalStatus 44
4-8. MaritalStatusGroupedbyAppointedandElectedTrusteeStatus 44
4-9. SchoolsAttendedbyChildrenofRespondents 45
4-10. LevelofEducation 46
4-11. LevelofEducationGroupedbyAppointedandElectedTrusteeStatus 46
4-12. CommunityCollegeAttendancebyRespondents 47
4-13. CommunityCollegeAttendanceGroupedbyAppointedandElectedTrustee
Status 47
4-14. LengthofResidencyinCommunityCollegeDistrict 48
4-15. BoardPosition 48
vii
4-16. BoardPositionGroupedbyAppointedandElectedTrusteeStatus 49
4-17. YearsofExperienceofRespondents 49
4-18. AttendanceoftheAssociationofCommunityCollegeTrusteesNational
Conference 50
4-19. NumberofYearsofAttendanceoftheAssociationofCommunityCollege
TrusteesNationalConference 50
4-20. ProfessionofRespondents 51
4-21. IncomeofRespondents 51
4-22. PoliticalAffiliation 52
4-23. PoliticalViewpoint 53
4-24. ReligionofRespondents 53
4-25. ReadingPublicationsOn-LinebyRespondents 54
4-26. DistrictSetting 55
4-27. CommunicationwithPresidents 55
4-28. TeachingExperienceataCommunityCollege 56
4-29. ViewonStressofServingasaTrustee 57
4-30. ViewofPrimarySourceofFundingforCommunityColleges 57
4-31. ViewofGoverningBoardSettingtheMissionfortheCollege 58
4-32. IndependentSamplestTestbyItemforCommunityCollegeEducational
Mission 60
4-33. IndependentSamplestTestbyGroupingofResearchQuestionItems 60
4-34. ReliabilityAnalysisforCommunityCollegeEducationalMission 61
4-35. IndependentSamplestTestbyItemforRolesofTrusteesandPresidents 62
4-36. ReliabilityAnalysisforRolesofTrusteesandPresidents 63
4-37. IndependentSamplestTestbyItemforBoardCompositionandFunction ....63
4-38. ReliabilityAnalysisforBoardCompositionandFunction 63
viii
4-39. IndependentSamplestTestbyItemforCommunityCollegeIssuesand
Trends 64
4-40. ReliabilityAnalysisforCommunityCollegeIssuesandTrends 64
4-41. ReliabilityAnalysisfortheTrusteeCharacteristicsandOpinionQuestionnaire
LikertItems 64
IX
AbstractofDissertationPresentedtotheGraduateSchool
oftheUniversityofFloridainPartialFulfillmentofthe
RequirementsfortheDegreeofDoctorofEducation
PERCEPTIONSOFMISSIONANDGOVERNANCE
OFCOMMUNITYCOLLEGETRUSTEES
By
PaulC.Hutchins,Jr.
August2002
Chairman: DaleF.Campbell
MajorDepartment: EducationalLeadership,Policy,andFoundations
Communitycollegetrusteesrenderdecisionsandadoptpoliciesthatguidethe
mission,operation,andgovernanceofacollege. Thisstudyreportstheperceptionsof
missionandgovernancebyappointedversuselectedcommunitycollegetrustees. Using
theresponsestotheTrusteeCharacteristicsandOpinionQuestionnaireadministeredto
the202appointedtrusteesinFloridaandthe124electedtrusteesinIowa,both
demographicinformationandperceptionsofcommunitycollegemissionandgovernance
wereanalyzed. TheTrusteeCharacteristicsandOpinionQuestionnairedevelopedbythe
researchercontained28demographicitemsand40Likertitemspertainingtothe
communitycollegeeducationalmission,therolesofcommunitycollegetrusteesand
presidents,governingboardcompositionandfunction,andcommunitycollegeissuesand
trends.
Onehundredseventy-fourtrusteesrespondedtothesurvey,ofwhich95were
appointedand79wereelected. Theresultswereanalyzedusingatwo-tailedindependent
samplesttest.
X