Moving Beyond the Apple Orchard: the Institutional Analysis of the Construction of Washtenaw Community College Julie M
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Eastern Michigan University DigitalCommons@EMU Master's Theses, and Doctoral Dissertations, and Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations Graduate Capstone Projects 2017 Moving beyond the apple orchard: The institutional analysis of the construction of Washtenaw Community College Julie M. Kissel Follow this and additional works at: http://commons.emich.edu/theses Part of the Counseling Commons, and the Leadership Studies Commons Recommended Citation Kissel, Julie M., "Moving beyond the apple orchard: The institutional analysis of the construction of Washtenaw Community College" (2017). Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations. 834. http://commons.emich.edu/theses/834 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Master's Theses, and Doctoral Dissertations, and Graduate Capstone Projects at DigitalCommons@EMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@EMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Running head: MOVING BEYOND THE APPLE ORCHARD Moving Beyond the Apple Orchard: The Institutional Analysis of the Construction of Washtenaw Community College by Julie M. Kissel Dissertation Eastern Michigan University Submitted to the Department of Leadership and Counseling Eastern Michigan University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSPHY Educational Leadership Dissertation Committee: Ronald Flowers Ed.D., Chair James Barott, Ph.D. David Anderson, Ed.D. Robert Orrange, Ph.D. July 6, 2017 Ypsilanti, Michigan Copyright 2017 by Kissel, Julie M. All rights reserved MOVING BEYOND THE APPLE ORCHARD i MOVING BEYOND THE APPLE ORCHARD ii Dedication My strength—Tim, Justin, Garrett, and Jillian. MOVING BEYOND THE APPLE ORCHARD iii Acknowledgments What a journey this has been. I am ever so grateful to the members of my seminar group for your guidance and humor as we all trudged through our work. It was always good to know that I was not alone in this endeavor. I must also thank the members of my committee for their guidance so that I could do my very best work. Dr. Flowers, in particular, has had to deal with my frustrations, humor, talkativeness, and anxiety—I’m sorry that I have caused such consternation at times. In the end, we can both be proud of my work and know that we have connected the dots in new and exciting ways. Recently, my husband and son were in Washington DC, and I got a picture of a quote by Eleanor Roosevelt regarding the impact of FDRs health on his work. She said, "Franklin's illness...gave him strength and courage he had not had before. He had to think out the fundamentals of living and learn the greatest of all lessons—infinite patience and never ending persistence." In this quote, my husband saw me, and for that I am forever grateful. He has allowed me to complete a goal that I had set for myself long ago. I will carry that strength with me as we embark on new and exciting adventures. Throughout this journey, I have had a chance to reflect deeply on what I do, not just in my career, but in how I live each day. I know with acute clarity that I long for personal growth and that I want to share the joy of learning and being one’s true self with others. What a life I have already lived…I can’t wait for what comes next. MOVING BEYOND THE APPLE ORCHARD iv Abstract The purpose of the study was to understand the institutional forces that constructed and shaped the function, nature of funding, and governance of Washtenaw Community College (WCC). To do this, I studied the founding and development of WCC using organizational theory. This qualitative, historical case study used archival research to identify themes and the institutional building blocks for the junior college movement at large and the transition of the junior college to the comprehensive community college in the 1950s and 1960s as it served to buffer and bridge the post-secondary world. This study discovered that WCC was not a grassroots endeavor by the community with an interest to create opportunities for the county residents. Instead, WCC was created and developed by agent-based construction or through intentionality and purpose by county leaders who used regulative and normative means to create a narrative that a “community” college would best serve the interests of the public. As WCC was created with both vocational training and transfer programming, balancing those functions, funding, and governance further defined the institution and its role in the community. These findings can help educational leaders understand the historical underpinnings of the community college and its relationship to other educational institutions and the community it is designed to serve. MOVING BEYOND THE APPLE ORCHARD v Table of Contents Dedication ....................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgments.......................................................................................................................... iii Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... iv List of Figures ................................................................................................................................. x List of Tables ............................................................................................................................... viii Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 Background of the Study ............................................................................................................. 1 Washtenaw Community College. ................................................................................................... 5 Purpose of Study ......................................................................................................................... 7 Significance of Study .................................................................................................................. 7 Research Questions ..................................................................................................................... 8 Chapter Organization .................................................................................................................. 8 Chapter 2: Conceptual Framework ................................................................................................. 9 Brief History of Organizational Theory ...................................................................................... 9 Rational, natural, and open systems .............................................................................................. 10 Organizational behaviors .............................................................................................................. 14 Institutional theory. ....................................................................................................................... 16 Institutional Model for Study .................................................................................................... 19 Recapitulation............................................................................................................................ 27 Chapter 3: Research Methods ....................................................................................................... 30 Self as Researcher ..................................................................................................................... 30 Research Tradition .................................................................................................................... 37 Qualitative research ...................................................................................................................... 37 Ontology and epistemology .......................................................................................................... 40 Historical research ........................................................................................................................ 42 Case study ..................................................................................................................................... 43 Research Design ........................................................................................................................ 45 Selection of case ........................................................................................................................... 45 Unit of analysis ............................................................................................................................. 45 Data sources and instrumentation ................................................................................................. 46 MOVING BEYOND THE APPLE ORCHARD vi Moral, ethical, and legal issues ..................................................................................................... 47 Drawing and verifying conclusions .............................................................................................. 49 Data Analysis ............................................................................................................................ 55 Recapitulation...........................................................................................................................