Relationships between Governance Structures and Outcomes
The concept of governance identifies the means and actions that a collective entity undertakes to make decisions on matters of policy and strategy. Majority of higher education institutions show that processes and procedures of decision making take precedence over the decisions (Kaplan, 2004). It is such practices that demonstrate lack of effective planning for the future which results in the collapse of an institution. Antioch College is a clear indicator of the negative outcomes that institutions may suffer from following poor governance structures (Birnbaum, 2004). On June 9, 2007, Antioch University’s chancellor made an announcement that it would shut down in a year’s time. Some of the consequences include high debts totaling $2.7 million as of 2007, lack of enough endowment as low as $36 million while neighboring liberal arts colleges like Oberlin receiving up to $700million, and low student enrollment only exceeding 600 once in 25 years (Allen, 2007).
Kaplan’s article and Case Study on Antioch University
Kaplan’s article identifies that mechanisms that allocate board powers to the internal stakeholders would result in favorable decisions for the faculty. However, when the same is given to external powers, the faculty suffers. The case study sipports this notion when showing that Antioch University refused to develop appropriate relations with the parent institution AC and by 2002 the former refused to provide funding for admissions (Armstrong, n.d.). The lack of involvement of the personnel and faculty members has been a critical factor in the deteriorating outcomes of the institution. The case study shows that the physical environment of the Yellow Springs campus is a clear indicator of the negative effects of the poor governance structures. There were crumbling sidewalks, dying plants, minimal maintenance staff, and deserted building due to the low enrollment. The setting up of governance structures should be directed in such a way to minimize self-interested behavior and conflicting interests of groups involves. Involvement of the faculty members and a greater control by them was noted to influence lowere wages and expenditures along with higher teaching loads (Kaplan, 2004).
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References
Allen, C. (2007) Death by political correctness: Who killed Antioch College. The Weekly Standard, 13(09), Retrieved from https://www.weeklystandard.com/charlotte-allen/death-by-political-correctness Armstrong, G. (n.d.) Antioch College: An example of shared governance and student success. HEA 511 Leadership and Governance in Higher Education. Birnbaum, R. (2004). The end of shared governance: Looking ahead or looking back. New directions for higher education, 2004(127), 5-22. Kaplan, G. E. (2004). Do governance structures matter?. New Directions for Higher Education, 2004(127), 23-34.
