Vice president academic in Canadian community colleges
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2007
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Abstract
There is mounting evidence that the role of the vice president academic in Canadian community colleges has grown in scope, complexity and influence, yet this phenomenon has yet to be studied in any substantive way. The purpose of this study is to examine the changing roles and responsibilities of the vice president academic in today's Canadian community colleges and institutes. Specifically, this research focuses on establishing the full scope of duties performed by this individual, examining how these functions are evolving, and gaining insight into the nature of change impacting this senior leader. The inquiry is based upon the premise that both interactive and interpretive perspectives are required to grasp the totality of change impacting the vice president academic. Accordingly, the study takes a mixed method approach influenced by some grounded theory methods to investigate the changing world of the vice president academic. This research study population includes I 04 senior academic leaders from which. 42 participants form the sample of participants in this national survey. The study has generated rich data about the complex and changing nature of the position within a rapidly evolving college environment. The :findings confirm that the role of the vice president academic is being transformed from one of providing academic leadership and discharging managerial responsibilities to one of playing an increasingly important role in the governance, day-to-day operations and institutional development of Canadian community colleges. The patterns of transformation captured in a conceptual model reveal four emerging roles for this senior leader: providing interpretation to external events and influences impacting colleges; acting as an institutional change agent; assuming the function of principal collaborator in the integration and coordination of academic work in major organizational plans; and overseeing and institutionalizing key management, transformational and accountability functions. In the course of this research a new classification scheme for Canadian community colleges and method for determining college identity have been developed and used in this investigation. The study also provides insights into how the vice presidents academic are preparing, acquiring, and developing their knowledge, skills and abilities to effectively fulfill their role.
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Bibliography: p. 202-221
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Citation
Naud, C. (2007). Vice president academic in Canadian community colleges (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/1296