Chapter 6: The Role of Staff in the Decision-Making and Governance Policies in Private Colleges

Scholars who have studied higher education have viewed many distinctive differences between private and public institutions Pusser & Loss, 2003). Private colleges are similar to their public counterparts in that they rely on organizational structures, student instruction, and service to make up the governing structure, however the decision making process in the private colleges is uniquely different versus the public institutions. Several key factors are involved in governing a private college. Mission, values, moral standards, and religious doctrine can be contributing factors to the overall operation of a private institution. Typically, a public institution will not make institutional decisions based on this criterion. These factors provide distinctive opportunities and challenges for staff governance in a private college. Professional staff have not had a prominent role in governance in private colleges for the majority of their existence, however they have comprised the majority of the hiring in higher education in the last few decades (Miller & Nadler, 2009). Empirical research on professional staff’s role in governance in private colleges is limited mainly because they have not had an active role. This has changed in recent years, but there are still many questions in how professional staff relate in their governance role in private colleges.