This seminar is designed for graduate students who are prepared to engage in serious
scholarly study of administrative issues. Students in this course assume a collegial role,
and their contributions to class are expected to be substantial, scholarly, and
informative. Students are expected to contribute to class, and to engage in serious
intellectual discussion.
Given the above, and the fact that grades are required, evaluation will be based partly
upon the quality and relevance of class contributions, including evidence that members of
the class have read, understood, and are able to critique the readings. Even further, one
goal of this course is to become familiar with the most prominent issues facing higher
education today. Thus each student will be asked to choose one topic of discussion on the
course calendar, and to regularly peruse the world wide web pages of The Chronicle of
Higher Education (http://www.chronicle.com). Each class day we will begin our
discussion with the articles that you have found.
In addition to class participation, a major paper (20-30 pp.) on an important issue of
university administration or organization is required. The paper should be analytical in
nature, well researched, with ample evidence for positions taken. It need not conform in
subject matter to any past conventional wisdom. How well the arguments are stated and
supported is the test.
The major paper will be submitted to a journal appropriate to the subject of the article.
The writing of the article and the submission of the article to the journal is a part of
the assignment, and the course is not completed until the submission is made and evidence
of that submission is given to the instructor. The response from the journal to your
article will not be related to the final grade.
Early in the term, the student is asked to prepare a one page summary of the paper and
share it with members of the class and the instructor. After sharing the summary, the
student is expected to lead a discussion in class on the topic of the paper. The paper
must be the original written work of the student and prepared for this assignment.
Each student will be expected to be the instructor on the topic of the paper prepared for
publication. The topic of the paper should be presented to the class orally at a class
meeting and a copy of the prepared paper and submittal letter is due the date of the final
meeting of the class.
Citations in the major paper are to be done in a manner consistent wtih a commonly
accepted style manual. APA or Turabian are examples of commonly accepted style manuals.
In a seminar of this nature, it should be clear that for your education, as well as
others, a commitment of time is necessary. If you cannot make that commitment, the first
class is the point at which it is appropriate to drop the class, possibly to add another.
Your presence, physical and mental, is required for a successful class. Unexcused absences
are evidence of degree of commitment to study. If two or more classes are missed, the
course grade will be reduced by one letter grade for each class missed after the second
absence. Other than that, non-attendance or incomplete work will result in a failure to
meet the requirements of class in a satisfactory manner.
Bess, J. L. (ed.). (1999). Foundations of American higher education (2nd ed.). Needham Heights, MA: Ginn Press.