Executive Leadership and Political Decision-Making : a Case Study Of
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University of Massachusetts Amherst ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014 1-1-1994 Executive leadership and political decision-making : a case study of the development and evolution of the community college system in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1957-1962. James H. Mullen University of Massachusetts Amherst Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_1 Recommended Citation Mullen, James H., "Executive leadership and political decision-making : a case study of the development and evolution of the community college system in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1957-1962." (1994). Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014. 5143. https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_1/5143 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014 by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact [email protected]. EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP AND POLITICAL DECISION-MAKING: A CASE STUDY OF THE DEVELOPMENT AND EVOLUTION OF THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS 1957-1962 A Dissertation Presented by JAMES H. MULLEN, JR. Submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Massachusetts Amherst in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION September 1994 School of Education Copyright by James H. Mullen, Jr. 1994 All Right Reserved EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP AND POLITICAL DECISION-MAKING: A CASE STUDY OF THE DEVELOPMENT AND EVOLUTION OF THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS 1957-1962 A Dissertation Presented by JAMES H. MULLEN, JR. Approved as to style and content by: William C. Wolf, J'r. L) Ch jyyy) /Johnstone Camp Member \a\^r'\0L Patricia Cro Nelson Pion, I W. Jackson, ean 1 of Educatio DEDICATION To my Mother, always my best friend, who sees this long journey from a better place, and to Mari, whose smile has made the path run even. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Many thanks to my Committee members for their faith and encouragement; to Dr. Evan S. Dobelle, Dr. Carole, A. Cowan, and Dr. James L. Wattenbarger for their steadfast support; to Jeanne Barrow for her encouragement and effort, and to Peg Louraine for pulling it all together. I am also deeply grateful to the individuals who shared their insights and memories with me; this study recounts the history they made, and I hope does so accurately. V ABSTRACT EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP AND POLITICAL DECISION-MAKING: A CASE STUDY OF THE DEVELOPMENT AND EVOLUTION OF THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS 1957-1962 SEPTEMBER 1994 JAMES H. MULLEN, JR., B.S., COLLEGE OF THE HOLY CROSS M.S., HARVARD UNIVERSITY Ed.D., UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST Directed by: Professor William C. Wolf, Jr. Politics plays an inevitable and integral role in the development of policy concerning higher education at the state level. Governors are fundamental to the political process of statewide higher education policymaking. This study examines the role which two governors played in the early development of community colleges in Massachusetts between 1957 and 1962. The purpose of this study is essentially two-fold. First, it seeks to tell a political story about two governors of different personalities, parties, and policy priorities. Focusing on the common historical theme of community college development, this story presents how the contexts of their times influenced the strategies and decisions of Foster Furcolo (1957-1960) and John Volpe (1961-1962) and how, in turn, these two men shaped the period in which they lived. The second purpose of this study is to analyze specifically how Furcolo and Volpe influenced the critical vi early years of community college development in Massachusetts. Furcolo held a passionate policy commitment to community colleges and his passion is largely responsible for their gestation and birth. Volpe was less personally committed, yet his administration witnessed a marked increase in funding and pace of campus planning. Analysis of this irony holds a number of significant lessons concerning gubernatorial responsibilities for policy formulation, legislative leadership, and public opinion leadership. This dissertation utilizes a case study research modus operandi. It includes a literature review which focuses on works related to politics and policy-making in higher education, as well as the American governorship and the range of gubernatorial power. The results of this study offer insights into how governors use the powers of their office to shape the policies of their eras and beyond. It also provides a view of how two different governors engaged the specific policy issue of community college development within the context of other demands and policy concerns of their administrations. Finally, it offers tightly defined lessons for the relationship between governors and higher education in contemporary times. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . V ABSTRACT. vi LIST OF TABLES. xi CHAPTER I. GOALS AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY. 1 Statement of the Problem . 1 Purpose of the Study. 9 Meaning of the Terms. 10 Significance of the Study. 12 Delimitations of the Study. 13 II. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE. 16 Policy and Politics in Higher Education: Overview of the Field. 16 State Government and Public Higher Education . 20 The American Governorship - Formal and Informal Powers . 25 III. DESIGN AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK OF THE STUDY. 37 Overview. 37 Theoretical Framework . 38 Study Design. 42 Research Questions . 45 Sources of Information . 48 Interviews. 51 Limitations and Exclusions . 53 Interpretation of Information . 54 IV. THE EVOLUTION OF THE AMERICAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE MOVEMENT: 1900-1957 57 Community and Junior Colleges in America, 1900-1957 . 58 Massachusetts Before 1957 64 The Junior College Movement in Massachusetts: 1900-1957 . 68 Vlll V. FOSTER FURCOLO: 1957-1960 74 The Governor-Elect. 75 The Political Cast. 79 The Governor as a Politician. 82 The Furcolo Agenda and the Audit of State Needs. 84 The Governor's First Budget Proposal and The Sales Tax. 91 The Politics of Educational Reform: 1957-58 . 98 The 1958 Legislative Program.110 The Audit of State Needs and the Governor's Community College Program . 113 VI. VOLPE: THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE PROGRAM BEGINS TO GROW.149 The 1960 Election.150 The Governor-Elect.152 The Volpe Agenda: 1961.153 "The Mess in Massachusetts Education "— The Media Focuses the Agenda.163 Volpe in 1962: A Legislative Marathon and An Election Surprise . 175 The November Surprise: Governor-Elect Peabody.193 Conclusion.195 VII. THE MASSACHUSETTS BOARD OF REGIONAL COMMUNITY COLLEGES: 1959-62 197 Furcolo: Shaping the Board: 1958-62 198 Membership of the MBRCC.199 Berkshire Community College: Choosing the First Campus.204 Volpe 1961-62 215 The Legislature and Early Decisions Concerning Campus Location . 220 Early Discussions on Mission and Philosophy: 1959-1962 . 227 VIII. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH.239 General Lessons for Contemporary Governors . 259 Opportunities for Future Research . 262 APPENDICES A. INTERVIEWS.264 BIBLIOGRAPHY . 266 ix LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Massachusetts State Budget Chronology - Community Colleges Fiscal Years 1959-1962 . 164 X CHAPTER I GOALS AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY Statement of the Problem Politics and political institutions play an inevitable role in shaping the community college mission in Massachusetts as well as in other states. Governors, legislators, regulatory boards and county and local officials provide the enabling legislation for such institutions, establish the ground rules under which community colleges operate and set the budget authorizations that fund college programs. Moreover, the community college commitment to comprehensiveness, affordability and open access make such institutions a logical vehicle for public officials who seek a guick and visible response to issues ranging from labor force training to developmental education. Finally, by definition community colleges are intimately tied to local needs. Such intimacy weds community colleges to state, county and local political processes. While much has been written concerning the history of community colleges (Bogue, 1950; Monroe, 1972; Witt, 1988; Cohen, 1989; Witt, Wattenbarger, Gollattscheck, & Suppiger, 1994) and an important body of work is developing related to issues of class and economic development at two-year colleges (Clark, 1960; Blocker, Plummer, & Richardson, 1965; Zwerling, 1976; Brint & Karabel, 1989), comparatively 1 little research exists concerning the role of politics and political institutions in shaping the community college mission. Most such research is reported in chapters of general texts (Tillery, et al., 1985; Cohen & Drawer, 1989; Brint & Karabel, 1989), in portions of dissertations (Asquino, 1976; Bartley, 1985; Whitaker, 1989) and in unpublished papers (Lustberg, 1979) or in occasional articles (Katsimas, 1993). The work of scholars such as Fabian and Lustberg emphasizes the legislative perspective, focusing on how the Legislature has historically influenced the mission of community colleges in Massachusetts. Conversely, the role of the governor in defining that mission has received minimal scholarly attention. A small but growing body of literature examines the policy relationship of governors and higher education. However, while the writings of such authors