This study examined the legislative stance toward governance and corporate academic freedom of institutions of higher education in Florida between 1900 and 1989. The conceptual framework for this study was drawn from political systems analysis, focusing on the external control exerted from environmental forces upon organizations through their dependency for resources. The investigation replicated qualitative and quantitative measures of autonomy used by Fisher (1984) in the study of four states. Additionally, Florida legislation was analyzed for its impact on corporate academic freedom. / Analysis of laws passed in Florida and historical documents substantiated the key conclusions: (1) Public higher education developed as a state agency in Florida, affording it a low level of autonomy and high level of legislative involvement. (2) Demands for efficiency and economy brought centralized coordination to public higher education in Florida in 1905, and its influence remains visible today in the emphasis on a unified system of education, strict fiscal control, and restrictions on duplication and new program approval. (3) Restrictive legislation in Florida intruded in recent decades in two areas--programs and regulatory boards--and in one essential freedom domain--how it may be taught. (4) Some responses to legislative interest such as compliance and the use of citizen boards appear to discourage further legislative intrusion, whereas, other responses such as avoidance of implementation of laws and solicitation of special appropriations appear to reinforce further legislative intrusion. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-02, Section: A, page: 0433. / Major Professor: Joseph C. Beckham. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1993.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_76845 |
| Contributors | Balogh, Cynthia Parish., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 332 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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