Past, Present, Future: The Role of Mission and Culture in Higher Education Institutions

Abstract

This study examines how university administrators make decisions related to the academic core, the extent to which they utilize and adhere to the university mission during their decision-making processes, and the ways in which the culture of the institution frames and influences these decisions. Through use of a cultural lens, connections between explicit and implicit institutional mission, culture, and decision making are explored using a qualitative, comparative case study design of six public, masters-granting universities. Data in this study consisted of 36 interviews with chief academic officers and key institutional leaders, case study reports, and documents obtained online and in person. Emergent themes related to institutional cultural factors and decision making are discussed. This study contributes to the understanding of the mechanisms by which institutional leaders ground their enactments of their missions.