OFFICIAL NARRATIVES OF STATUS AND STRATEGY IN WORLD CLASS INSTITUTIONS Russel L. PotterThe University of Arizona

Background

State of the University Addresses Presidential speech as official university discourse (Slaughter, 1993)

Education in the New Economy

Research Questions

What narratives about institutional status are articulated in official university discourse at research universities?

How and to what extent do these narratives vary between institutions…

…of different world-class tiers

…between universities in the U. K. and the U. S.

…before/after the recession

10 world class universities from the AAU and Russell Group Elite world class (Harvard, MIT,

Princeton, Oxford, Cambridge) Intermediate world class

(Nebraska, Stony Brook, Texas, Leeds, Newcastle)

53 speeches, letters, and addresses

5 year time span (2006–2010)

Sample

Methodology• Each speech was read,

looking for phrases and content that speaks to status.

• Generated 1414 excerpts in three world-class categories (Salmi, 2009)

• Each excerpt is coded on content, and sub-coded to further define content.

“… eight new Fellows of the British Academy…”

“…its funded research portfolio

has grown...”

“… embed philanthropy as a cornerstone of this University”

“…won the 2007 Keats–Shelley Essay Prize…”

“…greater coordination with the University’s

governance structures…’

“…OULS is now a leader in the provision of digital

information…”

“…maintaining and developing its historical position as a world-class

university…”

Theory

World Class expectations – Universities compete in a global market, and are expected to strive to improve their status (Altbach, 2007; Salmi, 2009; Slaughter & Rhoades, 2004)

Leadership narratives – Public speech of university presidents can be taken as official narrative for the agenda promoted by the institution (Slaughter, 1993; Slaughter & Rhoades, 1996, 2005; Hendrickson, Lane, Harris, & Dorman, 2013)

Institutional Theory – Institutions will mimic those ahead of them, and similarity in institutional behavior should be evident. (DiMaggio & Powell, 1983; Dacin, Ventresca, & Beal, 1999; Meyer & Rowan, 1977)

Three Features of World Class Universities Abundant Resources Favorable Governance Concentration of Talent

Salmi, 2009

Broad Findings

Focus on fiscal security

Abundant resources and alumni:U.K. > U.S.

Financial security: Elite > Aspirational

Recession: No change

Abundant Resources

Focus on self-congratulatory administrative accomplishments

Institutional Governance U.K. and U.S. equal Elite and Aspirational equal

Local/State More common

at U.S. Aspirational

National/Regional Concentrated in U.K. Elites

Favorable Governance

Dominant focus on faculty U.S. > U.K. Aspirational > Elite

Promotes undergraduate students more than graduate students – curious for research universities

Concentration of Talent

Narrative Themes

Second Analysis

Narratives of official institutional discourse

Two themes Success takes a village We are world class

Success Takes a Village

We asked the schools and other units to budget for the current year assuming an 8 percent reduction in dollars distributed from the endowment… Some efforts have been essentially local; others, more institution-wide… Across the university we made significant spending reductions in the course of the past academic year, and our overall financial results show meaningful savings against our original FY09 budget. (Harvard, 2009)

This means that we will be required to make difficult choices. We will need to decide what is truly necessary to pursue excellence. We can try simply to balance the budget and tread water, or we can make the necessary hard choices and move ahead to provide the very best education for our students and to fulfill our research mission. (Texas, 2009)

I ask all of you, our faculty, our students, our staff, parents, friends, supporters, legislative leaders, and informed members of the public, to unite together in common cause to renew the promise of our founding, to work to give us the tools to become the great research institution this region and state so desperately needs. Together we can do this, together we will do this. (Stony Brook, 2009)

No change after the recession in the U.K.

In the U.S. focus on sharing the pain Elite institutions

focus on budget cuts Aspirational

institutions focus on the struggle to make difficult choices

Success Takes a Village

Tier Differences Elite universities focus on endowments, fiscal policy, and

institutional longevity State universities framed it in terms of survival

Geographic Differences U.S. universities promoted the concept of institutional

constituency in far more democratic terms than in the U.K.

We Are World Class

How universities view themselves in a global perspective

Elite universities are in the world World leaders guiding and serving

Aspirational universities are part of the world Serving the world but not as a driving force

We Are World Class

In the U.K. focus on dominance and longevity

In the U.S. focus on leadership and outreach

Aspirational universities Train leaders focusing on local needs Centers of excellence Nationally competitive

Elite universities Prepare leaders focused on global needs Universal excellence Globally competitive

Implications

Challenging institutional theory

Reisman’s theory of snake-like progression (1958)

Elites may still control direction The rest of the field may not be

able to follow

Isomorphic mimicry may result in illegitimate activity

Implications

Field of Higher Education is diverse

World-class World-class, elite, private, U.S. research universities World-class, public, U.S. research universities World-class, ancient, British research universities World-class, regional, British research universities

Liberal ArtsMastersPrivate

TechnicalReligious

Community

Doctoral

Implications

Comparative research

Institutional individuality

Acknowledging the contributions of the entire constituency

Official Narratives of Status and Strategy in World Class Institutions

Russel L. PotterThe University of Arizona