Mandated Openness in Public Higher Education: A Field Study of State Sunshine Laws and Institutional Governance

2006 ◽  
Vol 77 (4) ◽  
pp. 645-683 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael K. McLendon ◽  
James C. Hearn
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Field Study ◽  
Public Higher Education ◽  
Institutional Governance ◽  
Sunshine Laws

State Law, Policy, and Access to Information: The Case of Mandated Openness in Higher Education

2010 ◽  
Vol 112 (10) ◽  
pp. 2649-2663
Author(s):  
Michael K. Mclendon ◽  
James C. Hearn
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Public Information ◽  
Data Access ◽  
State Governments ◽  
Public Higher Education ◽  
Access To Information ◽  
Privacy And Security ◽  
Sunshine Laws ◽  
Public Colleges And Universities

Background/Context Every state in the nation has legal requirements, state “sunshine laws,” to ensure accountability and fairness in institutions receiving state funds and operating under state authority. These laws have come to significantly influence the ways in which the business of higher education is conducted. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study This reflective essay provides perspective on laws mandating openness in higher education. It describes differences in the laws across states, reports select findings from a study on the impacts of the laws on public colleges and universities, and examines some of the implications of the contemporary debate over access to information on public campuses. Research Design The article builds on a previous field study of state sunshine laws that included site visits to six states and interviews with nearly 100 officials with firsthand perspective on the laws. Conclusions/Recommendations Information resources have expanded tremendously, yet the nature and extent of their availability to the larger public remain in question. How can deeply held values of openness and access be accommodated productively to privacy and security concerns, with minimal threats to each? The article seeks to contribute to a growing body of literature on information policy and its uses in society—in this case, how the public information laws of state governments influence the climate of data access and decision-making in public higher education.

scholarly journals Perspectives of organizational identity in a health higher education institution: a mixed-method analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ubirajara José Picanço de Miranda Junior ◽  
Maria Rita Carvalho Garbi Novaes ◽  
Henrique Batista Araújo Santos ◽  
João Fellipe Santos Tatsch ◽  
Rafael Sanches Ferreira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Organizational Identity ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Common Interest ◽  
Public Higher Education ◽  
Higher Education Institution

Abstract Background Among the processes to be experienced by any organization during its establishment is the formation of an organizational identity. This process can be understood as the activity and event through which an organization becomes unique in the mind of its members. An organizational identity leads to an identification and both are directly associated with the success of an institution. This study is about a public higher education institution in health in its early years, with distinctive characteristics in the country where it is situated. In spite of having been successful in the graduation of its students it has fragile institutional bases, lack of autonomy and internal problems common to other institutions of this type. Thus, this study was conducted to understand how this institution defined itself among its own members, the elements of its identity and what justified its relative success despite its weaknesses. Methods A mixed-method approach was used to evaluate how a representative portion of this organization identifies with it. For the qualitative study two focus groups were conducted with transcripts submitted to content analysis proposed by Bardin, culminating in results from which a Likert scale-based questionnaire was elaborated and applied to 297 subjects. Results There were six central elements of the organizational identity made evident by the focus groups: political / ideological conflict; active teaching and learning methodologies; location / separation of campuses; time of existence; teaching career; political-administrative transformations. The quantitative analysis revealed in more detail the general impressions raised in the focus groups. Most results were able to demonstrate distinct identifications of the same identity with its exposed weaknesses. Conclusions Lack of autonomy, administrative and structural shortcomings and ideological or political conflicts presented themselves as problems capable of destabilizing the identity of a public higher education institution. On the other hand, one way to combat such problems is through the development of the institution itself, particularly by becoming more active and useful to the community and seeking in a common interest to the higher administration agencies.

Higher Education Policy: Implications for Gender-Balancing the Curriculum

1983 ◽  
Vol 36 ◽  
pp. 12-13
Author(s):  
Thomas A. Mulkeen
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Higher Education Policy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Industrial Society ◽  
Public Higher Education ◽  
Agriculture Industry ◽  
Scientific Principles ◽  
Industry And Commerce ◽  
New Institutions

American higher education has been molded by forces outside the educational community. From the Civil War through the mid-1970's our political leadership considered investment in education good for the economy and, therefore, good public policy. This link between schooling and the economic system developed as the United States moved from an agrarian to an industrial economy. Industrialization demanded skills that neither the family nor the church could provide, and tax-supported public higher education was to assist the transformation to an industrial society. The catalyst for this transformation came in 1862 with the passage of the Morrill Act establishing the land grant colleges. These new institutions emphasized the development of technical skills and the application of scientific principles to agriculture, industry and commerce.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document