Why colleges and universities should change their governance systems-and what could happen if they don'tDo higher education institutions have what it takes to reform effectively from within? Locus of Authority argues that every issue facing today's colleges and universities, from stagnant degree completion rates to worrisome cost increases, is exacerbated by a century-old system of governance that desperately requires change. While prior studies have focused on boards of trustees and presidents, few have looked at the place of faculty within the governance system. Bowen and Tobin explore whether departments remain the best ways through which to organize decision making and if the concepts of academic freedom and shared governance need to be sharpened and redefined. Using case studies of four very different institutions, the authors demonstrate that college and university governance has capably adjusted to the necessities of the moment and governance norms and policies should be assessed in the context of historical events. They also demonstrate that successful reform depends on the artful consideration of technological, financial, and cultural developments. Locus of Authority shows that the consequences of not addressing college and university governance are more than the nation can afford.

PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ix1 Introduction 1
2 Historical Overview, Part 1-From the Beginnings to World War II 13Antecedents in Europe and Colonial America 14The Emergence of the Research University 27Control of Faculty Personnel Decisions-and Issues of Academic Freedom 34World War I and the Interwar Years 45
3 Historical Overview, Part 2-World War II to the Present 67World War II and the Growth of Sponsored Research 68The "Red Scare" and the Loyalty Oath Controversies 70The Explosive Expansion of Higher Education, Leading to the "Golden Age" of the 1960s 77Protests and Rebellions 87Retrenchment in the 1970s-and Subsequent Ups and Downs 98The Real Estate "Bubble" Breaks-and Fiscal/Political Realities Take Hold (or Do They?) 109The Impact of Experiments with Online Learning 112The Pathways Initiative at CUNY 127
4 Faculty Roles Today and Tomorrow-Topical Issues 131The Selection and Tenure of the President 133The Faculty Appointment Process-Criteria and Decision-Making Authority 139The Role of the Faculty in Giving Advice of All Kinds 142The Role of Faculty in Staffing Decisions-and the Rise of Non-Tenure-Track Faculty (the New Majority) 151Faculty Responsibility for Maintaining Academic Standards in Admissions, Curricular Content, and Student Performance 165Control over New Teaching Methods-Online Learning 169
5 Overarching Challenges 177Confronting Trade-offs and the Need for Upfront Consideration of Costs 177Aligning Roles and Responsibilities 182Coping with an Ever-Changing Academic Landscape 189Clarifying Notions of "Academic Freedom" 201Rethinking "Shared Governance" 205Case Studies 213Introduction to the Case Studies 213The University of California 217Princeton University 261Macalester College 291The City University of New York 315INDEX 361