ABSTRACT
Antioch, Reed, and Swarthmore in 1960 had organizational faces that stood out in the crowd of small colleges, and they were continuing to make their mark in a system of higher education increasingly dominated by large universities. The analyses of Antioch, Reed, and Swarthmore have pointed to a strong organizational saga or legend as the central ingredient of the distinctive college. Sociological study of strong leadership has been oriented largely by the concept of charisma made popular by Max Weber in his attempt to accommodate the personal and unusual elements of leadership to categories of social structure. The program core is subtly interconnected with other major components of the organization that carry the organizational idea. The social base of the college, with some assistance from the admissions office, defines the participating clientele upon which the organization works or to which it offers its services.
