ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the basic differences among academic institutions in the extent to which authority is centralized in a bureaucratic manner, either in the hands of trustees or in those of administrators, rather than decentralized to the faculty in accordance with the professional model. The proportion of sampled faculty members who considered trustees to have much influence over general educational policies ranged from 0 to 83 per cent in the 114 institutions sampled. The formulation of educational policies is no less centralized in large universities than in small colleges, which is surprising, since the faculties of major universities are widely assumed to have more influence than those of small colleges. Administrators do not experience this cross-pressure, because administrative responsibilities are their primary obligations. Faculty appointments squarely pose the issue between the administrative requirements of bureaucratic authority and the academic requirements of professional authority.
