OFFICIAL NARRATIVES OF STATUS AND STRATEGY IN WORLD CLASS INSTITUTIONS

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

2. Background • State of the University Addresses • Presidential speech as official university discourse (Slaughter, 1993) • Education in the New Economy

3. 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

4. Sample • 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)

5. 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…” “… embed philanthropy as a cornerstone of this University” “…maintaining and developing its historical position as a world-class university…” “…greater coordination with the University’s governance structures…’ “…its funded research portfolio has grown...” “…OULS is now a leader in the provision of digital information…” “…won the 2007 Keats–Shelley Essay Prize…”

6. 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)

7. Three Features of World Class Universities • Abundant Resources • Favorable Governance • Concentration of Talent Salmi, 2009

8. Broad Findings

9. Abundant Resources • Focus on fiscal security • Abundant resources and alumni:U.K. > U.S. • Financial security: Elite > Aspirational • Recession: No change

10. Favorable Governance • 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

11. Concentration of Talent • Dominant focus on faculty • U.S. > U.K. • Aspirational > Elite • Promotes undergraduate students more than graduate students – curious for research universities

12. Narrative Themes

13. Second Analysis • Narratives of official institutional discourse • Two themes • Success takes a village • We are world class

14. 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

15. 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.

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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 Doctoral Liberal Arts Masters Private Technical Religious Community

20. Comparative research Institutional individuality Acknowledging the contributions of the entire constituency Implications

21. Official Narratives of Status and Strategy in World Class Institutions RusselL. Potter The University of Arizona