Higher Education: Higher Ed Admin & Organization

Introduction to concepts of administration and organization as applied to contemporary higher education setting. Characteristics of organizations, dynamic elements of administration, and theories and processes of change.

Open to Degree and PACE students

Skilled higher education leadership requires knowledge of organizational theory, multicultural organizational development, academic processes, and critical organizational change. As future higher education leaders, students in this course will discuss various aspects of higher education organization, leadership, and administration, including theoretical dimensions of the work. The Spring 2025 section will be offered in a hybrid format.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: 1. Discuss, analyze, and interpret academic processes in American higher education, including: finance, politics, governance, faculty culture, and tenure. 2. Learn about organizational development and leadership. 3. Discuss general and contemporary organizational theories applied to higher education. 4. Understand management and leadership principles within higher education institutions. 5. Gain an understanding of and appreciation for the complexity of higher education institutions. 6. Apply social justice and inclusion competencies to the content of the course, including the role of organization and administration in promoting or deterring the equitable distribution of resources, raised social consciousness, and reparations for past and current harms on a micro and macro-level. ACPA/NASPA COMPETENCIES: The following competencies will be addressed in this course: Social Justice and Inclusion (SJI): For the purpose of the Social Justice and Inclusion competency area, social justice is defined as both a process and a goal that includes the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to create learning environments that foster equitable participation of all groups and seeks to address issues of oppression, privilege, and power. This competency involves student affairs educators who have a sense of their own agency and social responsibility that includes others, their community, and the larger global context. Student affairs educators may incorporate social justice and inclusion competencies into their practice through seeking to meet the needs of all groups, equitably distributing resources, raising social consciousness, and repairing past and current harms on campus communities. Personal and Ethical Foundations (PEF): The Personal and Ethical Foundations competency area involves the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to develop and maintain integrity in one’s life and work; this includes thoughtful development, critique, and adherence to a holistic and comprehensive standard of ethic and commitment to one’s own wellness and growth. Personal and ethical foundations are aligned because integrity has an internal locus informed by a combination of external ethical guidelines, an internal voice of care, and our own lived experiences. Our personal and ethical foundations grow through a process of curiosity, reflection, and self-authorship. Values, Philosophy and History (VPH): The Values, Philosophy, and History competency area involves knowledge, skills, and dispositions that connect the history, philosophy, and values of the student affairs profession to one’s current professional practice. This competency area embodies the foundations of the profession from which current and future research, scholarship, and practice will change and grow. The commitment to demonstrating this competency area ensures that our present and future practices are informed by an understanding of the profession’s history, philosophy, and values. Law, Policy and Governance (LPG): The Law, Policy, and Governance competency area includes the knowledge, skills, and dispositions relating to policy development processes used in various contexts, the application of legal constructs, compliance/policy issues, and the understanding of governance structures and their impact on one’s professional practice. Organization and Human Resources (OHR): The Organizational and Human Resources competency area includes knowledge, skills, and dispositions used in the management of institutional human capital, financial, and physical resources. This competency area recognizes that student affairs professionals bring personal strengths and grow as managers through challenging themselves to build new skills in the selection, supervision, motivation, and formal evaluation of staff; resolution of conflict; management of the politics of organizational discourse; and the effective application of strategies and techniques associated with financial resources, facilities management, fundraising, technology, crisis management, risk management and sustainable resources. Leadership (LEAD): The Leadership competency area addresses the knowledge, skills, and dispositions required of a leader, with or without positional authority. Leadership involves both the individual role of a leader and the leadership process of individuals working together to envision, plan, and affect change in organizations and respond to broad based constituencies and issues. This can include working with students, student affairs colleagues, faculty, and community members. This section is organized by the leadership learning concepts of Education, construct knowledge and articulation; Training, skill identification and enhancement; Development, personal reflection and growth; and Engagement, active participation and application.

Evaluation of course learning will be completed through the following general assignment descriptions: Class participation, course readings, a policy analysis, a group discussion lead, an individual book review paper and presentation, and memos in response to attending a Faculty Senate, Staff Council, or Board of Trustees meeting.