A Case Study of Antioch College: From Prestige to Closure Item Type text; Electronic Dissertation Authors Miller, James Paul II Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 29/09/2021 04:44:28 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/338902 A CASE STUDY OF ANTIOCH COLLEGE: FROM PRESTIGE TO CLOSURE by James Paul Miller, II __________________________ Copyright © James Paul Miller, II 2014 A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL POLICY STUDIES AND PRACTICE In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY WITH A MAJOR IN HIGHER EDUCATION In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2014 2 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of the Dissertation Committee, we certify that we have read the dissertation prepared by James Paul Miller, II, titled “A Case Study of Antioch College: From Prestige to Closure” and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. _______________________________________________________________________ Date: 11/12/2014 Jeffrey Milem, PhD _______________________________________________________________________ Date: 11/12/2014 Jenny Lee, PhD _______________________________________________________________________ Date: 11/12/2014 Ozan Jaquette, PhD Final approval and acceptance of this dissertation is contingent upon the candidate’s submission of the final copies of the dissertation to the Graduate College. I hereby certify that I have read this dissertation prepared under my direction and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement. ________________________________________________ Date: 11/12/2014 Dissertation Director: Jeffrey Milem, PhD 3 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This dissertation has been submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for an advanced degree at the University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this dissertation are allowable without special permission, provided that an accurate acknowledgement of the source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the copyright holder. SIGNED: James Paul Miller, II 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank and recognize my dissertation advisor and chair, Dr. Jeffrey Milem. His patient, helpful advice allowed me to persevere and finish this dissertation even after I moved away from Tucson. He was available via Skype, email or by phone when I needed assistance. He provided invaluable insights into how I could better my work, and he never complained about the endless drafts that he looked over and helped to improve. Dr. Milem offered encouraging words especially when I was not sure that I would ever finish this process. His helpful prodding has assisted me in getting to this point. I will always remember that data are plural! Dr. Jenny Lee and Dr. Ozan Jaquette were kind enough to accept the invitation to sit on my dissertation committee. Their knowledgeable suggestions and past experiences allowed me to look at what I was studying from a different perspective. Dr. Lee instigated my fascination with Antioch College. Dr. Jaquette cultivated my interest in institutional theory. Thank you both for your time and your advice. Each of the faculty members (past and present) in the Center for the Study of Higher Education acted as catalysts to further spark my interest in higher education as a field of study. I am indebted to each of whom I was fortunate to associate with during my time at The University of Arizona: Drs. John Cheslock, Gary Rhoades, Regina Deil- Amen, Cecilia Rios-Aguilar, Alma Maldonado, and Keith Humphrey. I had wonderful peers that accompanied me throughout the coursework and dissertation phases. You were the pace setters who emboldened me when I had my doubts. Drs. Aurelia Kollasch, Rebecca Salcedo and Tanisha-Price Johnson, thank you. 5 Michael Gravitt and Brad Hensley are friends who acted as great sounding boards for ideas and thoughts. Dr. Toni Murdock, Chancellor Emeritus of Antioch University, provided me with the opportunity to learn about and become connected with Antioch. Her support to my research was invaluable. Scott Sanders, Antioch College Archivist, granted me permission to research the College archives. He provided a lens through which I saw Antioch’s storied past. My mother and father, Suzann and J. Paul, instilled a desire in me and an expectation of me to gain all the education that I possibly can. Their belief in me has never wavered. I appreciate it far more than I say or do. Taggart and Bennett, my two sons, provided me with the inspiration and reason to see this through. My love for them is exponential. Because of them I now understand what my parents must see in me and the hopes they have for me. I know they are capable of achieving anything they want. While they have come to expect that even on Saturdays Dad goes to school, that ends now. I hope you two are ready! I have the world’s best wife. Krysten has quietly endured this long journey without complaint. I know it was not ideal for her, but she has supported me through it. At the completion of this dissertation we have been married over nine years. More than eight of those involved me going to school. I took her from her family and friends in the mountain valleys to the desert. What was supposed to be only two years in Tucson turned into seven. During this time she has taken kids to the zoo, Desert Museum and countless parks by herself while I studied. Literally, without her I could not have finished. To say thank you is inadequate for all that she has done to help me reach this goal. I love you! 6 DEDICATION To my wife Krysten, and our sons: Tagg and Bennett. 7 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES………………………………………………………………………...9 ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………………...10 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION...……………………………………………….…11 Context…………………………………………………………………………...11 Problem…………………………………………………………………………..14 Conceptual Framework…………………………………………………………..15 Organization of Research………………………………………………………...16 Antioch College History………….……………………………………………...17 Theoretical Framework…………………………………………………………..17 Purpose of Research……………………………………………………………...19 Summary and Contribution………………………………………………………19 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW……………………………………………22 Historical Trends in Liberal Arts Colleges……………………………………....23 Theoretical Framework…………………………………………………………..27 Old Institutionalism………………………………………………………….......28 New Institutionalism…………………………………………………………......31 Reconciliation of Old and New Institutionalism………………………………...35 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY..………………………………………………44 Research Questions……………………………………………………………....44 Overview…………………………………………………………………………44 Data Collection…………………………………………………………………..47 Data Analysis…………………………………………………………………….57 8 Validity………………………………………………………………………......59 Limitations…………………………………………………………………….…61 Summary…………………………………………………………………………64 CHAPTER FOUR FINDINGS…………………………………………………………..65 Antioch College History…………………………………………………………65 RQ #1 How did Antioch’s values influence its decision to expand? ...…………70 RQ #2 How did Antioch’s values influence how it expanded? ….…....….….…84 RQ #3 Why did Antioch’s expansion fail? ……………………………………100 CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION...……………………………………………….……117 Research Summary…………………………………….…...………….….……117 Highlights from Findings and Discussion…………………………….……..…118 Potential for Future Research…………………………………………………..136 Conclusion…………………………………………………….…….…….……138 APPENDIX A: ANTIOCH UNIVERSITY DATA USE CONSENT………………….144 APPENDIX B: ANTIOCH COLLEGE SITE USE………………………………….…145 APPENDIX C: CONSENT TO USE INTERVIEW……………………………...……146 APPENDIX D: PARTICIPANT RECRUITMENT……………………………………151 APPENDIX E: SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEW PROTOCAL………………..…152 APPENDIX F: INTERVIEW WORD FREQUENCY…………………………………153 APPENDIX G: ANTIOCH EXPANSION TIMELINE……………………….…….…154 REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………………155 9 LIST OF TABLES Table 1: List of Individuals Interviewed and their role at Antioch………………………52 10 ABSTRACT This is a case study of how old institutionalism tenets of values, and goals shaped Antioch College, the College’s Board of Trustees, administrators, faculty and alumni influence the transformational expansion process that changed Antioch from a liberal arts college to a national university. The case study also examines how the pressures of new institutionalism forces of legitimacy and homogeneity directed and influenced Antioch’s organizational structuring. Institutional theory is the framework for this study. Selznick’s (1949, 1957) old institutional theory, new institutionalism, beginning with Meyer (1977), and the reconciliation of old and new institutionalism (Greenwood & Hinings, 1996) provide the theoretical lens through which the analysis of Antioch College’s expansion is studied. Contributions from this study include a better understanding of how institutional theory affects the decisions, and the outcomes, made by key institutional stakeholders in organizational expansion and restructuring. It also demonstrates the advantages of using old and new institutional