The Governance of the City University of New York A System at Odds with Itself

by Gill, Brian P.

• ISBN13: 9780833028228
• ISBN10: 0833028227
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-04-03
• Publisher: RAND Corporation

Summary

This report, commissioned by the MayorUs Advisory Task Force on the City University of New York (CUNY), examines CUNYs system of governance and concludes that it is dysfunctional from the ip to the bottom. Battles for leadership among CUNYs stakeholders have become increasingly rancorous. Lines of responsibilty are tangled and poorly defined. CUNY colleges often act mor like independent institutions than like complementary members of a system. Despite this independence, competition fails to lead to improvement, because incentives from institutional and individual performance are weak.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. iii
Figures and Tables	p. vii
Summary of Findings	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. xi
Acronyms and Abbreviations	p. xiii
Introduction	p. 1
Historical Overview	p. 1
A Snapshot of CUNY and Its Colleges Today	p. 4
Formal Channels of Authority at CUNY	p. 10
Organization of This Report	p. 12
The Regents of the University of the State of New York	p. 15
Program Registration	p. 16
Institutional Policy Approval	p. 16
Institutional Policy Approval: Analysis	p. 17
Conclusion: The Influence of the Regents, Past and Future	p. 17
The Cuny Board of Trustees and Central Administration	p. 21
Composition and Appointment of Trustees	p. 21
Formal Functions of Board and Chancellor	p. 22
The Division of Central Decisionmaking at CUNY	p. 23
Analysis: The Dysfunctionality of Central Decisionmaking at CUNY	p. 24
Conclusions	p. 26
A View of the Colleges from the Central Administration	p. 29
The Formal Structure of the University	p. 29
The Culture of Collegiate Independence	p. 30
The Failure of CUNY-Wide Academic Planning	p. 31
The Goldstein Report	p. 31
The Response at the Colleges	p. 33
The Academic Program Planning Policy	p. 34
Analysis: A Retreat from Universitywide Planning	p. 35
Conclusion	p. 36
A View from the College President's Offices	p. 39
The Formal Structures of College Governance	p. 39
Analysis: Procedural Obstacles	p. 40
Analysis: Faculty Entrenchment	p. 41
Analysis: The Norm of Equality	p. 43
Conclusion	p. 45
Recommendations	p. 47
Central Leadership and Local Autonomy: Accountability for Outcomes	p. 47
The Necessity for Consensus at the Top	p. 51
Reform of CUNY's External Accountability Structure	p. 52
Appendix
Methodology	p. 55
Imputing SAT Scores	p. 59
Bibliography	p. 63
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.