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The purpose of this quantitative research study was to analyze the roles of assistant and associate deans in the colleges or schools related to the disciplines of business, education, and arts and sciences within four different classifications of institutions [Research Universities I and II and Doctoral Universities I and II], as described by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Respondents in the study came from institutions accredited by the Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Respondents included 191 associate deans and 60 assistant deans, of whom 154 were men and 97 were women. Chi-square statistics were used to analyze assistant and associate deans' perceptions of (1) whether their positions are line or staff; (2) whether they would recommend changes in their positions; (3) whether each was interested in becoming deans at their present institution or another institution. Three composite scores from factor analysis were analyzed by three-way ANOVA: (1) Curriculum, (2) Administrative Leadership and Relationships, and (3) Budget. A second statistical analysis included t-tests and a one-way ANOVA for Composite #2, Administrative Leadership and Relationships. Results showed no significant differences in (1) whether assistant and associate deans perceive that deans differentiate their positions as line or staff, and (2) between associate deans and assistant deans in regard to their interest in becoming deans at their institutions. From the factor analysis, results showed no significant differences in Composite #1, Curriculum, for the independent variables: gender, college, gender by college, dean by college, and gender by dean by college. For Composite #2, results showed no significant differences for the independent variables: gender, college, gender by dean, gender by college, dean by college, and gender by dean by college. For Composite #3, Budget, results showed no significant differences for the independent variables: gender, college, gender by college, dean by college, and gender by dean by college. For the second statistical analysis for Composite #2, Administrative Leadership and Relationships, results showed no significant differences between colleges/schools and leadership, and the level of dean and leadership. The results of this study showed that (1) associate deans perceived their positions as line versus staff; (2) associate and assistant deans did not perceive their positions as stepping stones to deanships at their present institutions; (3) associate deans believed their positions were stepping stones to deanships at other institutions; and (4) assistant deans did not perceive their experience at their present institution as a stepping stone to deanships at their present or other institutions. Female associate deans had the most responsibility for Composite #1. Male associate and male assistant deans had approximately the same responsibilities for Composite #1, Curriculum. More associate deans than assistant deans had responsibilities for Composite #2, Administrative Leadership and Relationships and Composite #3, Budget.

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Cette thèse examine le comportement de quatre doyens canadiens dont les facultés sont en situation financière précaire. Dans un contexte d’imputabilité accrue des établissements universitaires et de modification constante aux rapports de pouvoir internes, cette étude présente une importance particulière pour la compréhension de l’exercice réel des fonctions administratives des cadres académiques intermédiaires. La recherche scientifique sur ce sujet attribue aux doyens une contribution vitale au bon fonctionnement des établissements; le doyen en demeure pourtant un des rouages les moins étudiés. La position intermédiaire qu’occupent les doyens les place dans un conflit de rôle évident. Pris entre des rôles et des attentes contradictoires émis par la communauté facultaire, d’une part, et par la direction de l’établissement, d’autre part, ils doivent conjuguer cette ambiguïté avec des responsabilités croissantes en matière de gestion financière, de leadership et d’opérationnalisation des visées stratégiques de l’université. Comprendre la façon dont les doyens arrivent à mobiliser les leviers institutionnels à leur disposition pour résoudre des situations critiques permettra d’améliorer notre compréhension de la complexité de la prise de décision au niveau intermédiaire et notre compréhension globale du fonctionnement des établissements universitaires. La présente étude importe de la théorie culturelle-historique de l’activité (culturalhistorical activity theory, ou CHAT) un modèle d’analyse de l’activité collective en situation de contradictions systémiques. Quatre doyens d’une même université ont été interviewés afin de présenter une situation vécue de difficulté budgétaire, et le processus de résolution qui a suivi. Les données ont été analysées qualitativement afin de décrire les interventions que réalisent les doyens sur les leviers présents dans leurs environnements. Les résultats suggèrent que les participants ont misé sur une maîtrise fine des rouages institutionnels et sur des interventions diversifiées afin de résoudre les contradictions de leurs systèmes d’activité. / The purpose of this doctoral thesis is to study the work of four Canadian deans dealing with precarious financial situations. In a governance context of increasing accountability and ever-shifting power patterns, this study sheds a particularly important light upon the understanding of the real exercise of administrative functions by academic middle managers. Current research on the subject identifies deans as essential to an institution’s smooth operations; yet, it is one of the least understood cogs in the machine. The middle-of-the-ladder position they claim puts deans in an obvious conflict of roles and loyalty. Stuck between contradictory expectations from faculty and administrators, they must deal daily with this ambiguity in addition to increasing financial, leadership and operational responsibilities. To understand how deans use institutional levers and strategies in order to solve complex, contradictory situations is to increase our understanding of the complexity of decision-making in higher education as well as of higher education institutions in general. This study imports concepts and tools from the cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) and suggests an analysis model of collective activity in situations of systemic contradictions. Four deans from the same university were interviewed in order to exhaustively map a critical incident related to budget difficulties, as well as the process through which the situation was resolved. A qualitative analysis of the data allowed for an in-depth description of the tools and institutional levers deans used when confronted with financial difficulties. Results suggest that the participants mobilised a keen mastery of both the rules and their community to develop and implement a wide variety of systemic interventions in order to solve the contradictions in their activity systems.

Over the years, the academic dean position has evolved from mainly focusing on student matters to an emphasis on promoting quality teaching and academic programs. The dean’s role is comprised of academic and administrative duties and responsibilities, requiring working with various stakeholders. The complexities associated with reduced budgets, increased enrollment demands, guarantee of quality education, and expectations from the private and public sectors create a perennial need for strong, competent leaders. Attributes for those in the dean’s position have been described as being able to keep peace among various groups with competing priorities. Other abilities address the many internal and external pressures confronting the position, and the need to motivate, plan, and establish a shared vision for the college. Research has found academic deans traditionally advance from faculty to administration with few opportunities to train for the administrative leadership aspect, having trained and oriented predominately for academic careers in scholarship and teaching. In the absence of administrative training, academic deans have found they lack the breadth and depth of administrative leadership practices. This research study examined the essential administrative competencies and preferred professional development method for academic deans responsible for discipline-specific colleges within the California State University (CSU) system. The study employed a mixed methods research design for the collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data. The findings from the surveys and interviews revealed significant results for identifying essential administrative competencies, and preferred professional development methods for effective academic deans. A common theme that emerged was that their prior academic training and experience did not provide a significant amount of transferable skills. Interview results described serving on committees, working with mentors, training with immediate supervisors, and attending professional development programs as the methods selected for administrative development. Survey results identified hands-on experience, and attending seminars as the most preferred professional development methods for the majority of administrative competencies.