West Virginia University's Changing Mission in the 21St Century
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Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports 2019 West Virginia University’s Changing Mission in the 21st Century Katlin Swisher [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd Part of the Higher Education Commons Recommended Citation Swisher, Katlin, "West Virginia University’s Changing Mission in the 21st Century" (2019). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 3919. https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/3919 This Dissertation is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by the The Research Repository @ WVU with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Dissertation in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you must obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Dissertation has been accepted for inclusion in WVU Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports collection by an authorized administrator of The Research Repository @ WVU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. West Virginia University’s Changing Mission in the 21st Century Katlin Swisher Dissertation submitted to the College of Education and Human Services at West Virginia University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education Administration Erin McHenry-Sorber, Ph.D., Chair Nathan Sorber, Ph.D. Rodney Hughes, Ph.D. L. Christopher Plein, Ph.D. Department of Curriculum and Instruction/Literacy Studies Morgantown, West Virginia 2019 Keywords: Higher education, higher education administration, mission, strategic planning, leadership, organizational theory, land-grant universities, land-grant mission, university presidents, West Virginia, saga Copyright 2019 Katlin Swisher ABSTRACT West Virginia University’s Changing Mission in the 21st Century Katlin Swisher In the midst of the ongoing shifts of the perception of higher education and the public’s question of the role and value of public universities, West Virginia University has simultaneously experienced institutional change through five different presidential administrations in a decade. As seen through WVU’s historical context as the state of West Virginia’s land-grant, flagship, research university, the institution has and continues to face many administrative, policy, and contextual changes as it strives to meet its strategic goals and operationalize its mission. Through document analysis and interviews with key officials, this qualitative, multi-case study seeks to understand how WVU’s mission as a land-grant university and its resulting strategic plan have shifted in the 21st century from one presidential administration to the next; how those changes have positioned the University within the overarching land-grant saga; and how those changes have influenced the work of the administrations as they operationalized the land-grant mission. WVU’S LAND-GRANT MISSION iii TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables………………………………………………………………………….………….iv List of Figures…………………………………………………….……………………..………...v Acknowledgments……………………………………………………………………….……….vi Chapter 1: Introduction……………………………………………………………………………1 Chapter 2: Literature Review…………………………………………………………………….13 Chapter 3: Methodology………………………………………………………………...……….63 Introduction to the Findings……………………………………………………………..……….85 Chapter 4: David C. Hardesty’s Administration…………………………………………………92 Chapter 5: Michael Garrison Administration………………………………………………......156 Chapter 6: C. Peter Magrath’s Administration……………………………………….………...176 Chapter 7: James P. Clements’ Administration………………………………………………...198 Chapter 8: E. Gordon Gee’s Administration……………………………………………….…...259 Chapter 9: Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………..304 References………………………………………………………………...…………………….337 Appendix A: Participant Cover Letter………………………………………………………….356 Appendix B: Interview Protocol…….………………………………………………………….357 WVU’S LAND-GRANT MISSION iv LIST OF TABLES Table 3.1: List of Participants………………………………………………..……………….….77 WVU’S LAND-GRANT MISSION v LIST OF FIGURES Figure 4.1: Hardesty Timeline………………………..………………………………………….93 Figure 4.2: Hardesty Organizational Saga…………………………..……………………...……94 Figure 5.1: Garrison Timeline……………………………………………………………….….157 Figure 5.2: Garrison Organizational Saga…………………………..……………………...…..157 Figure 6.1: Magrath Timeline……………………………………….…………………..……...177 Figure 6.2: Magrath Organizational Saga…………………………..………………….……….177 Figure 7.1: Clements Timeline…………………………………………………………..……..199 Figure 7.2: Clements Organizational Saga…………………………..………………………....199 Figure 8.1: Gee Timeline……………………………………………………………...………..260 Figure 8.2: Gee Organizational Saga…………………………..……………………………….261 WVU’S LAND-GRANT MISSION vi Acknowledgments I am deeply indebted to my best friend and husband, Kyle Swisher, for his constant support and willingness to always brainstorm, listen, and talk through ideas with me. My parents have provided invaluable support and encouragement over the course of my entire education. Mumsy, thank you for your willingness to proofread every last paper and article I send your way. Dad, thank you for teaching me that no goal is ever beyond my reach—"It’s not where you start; it’s where you finish.” I am also grateful to my entire family for their support, patience, and flexibility throughout the research and writing process. This study would not have been possible without the support and guidance of Dr. Erin McHenry- Sorber, whose words of wisdom and critical questions helped shape, improve, and refine my thinking and writing. I want to thank Dr. Nathan Sorber, whose passion for land-grant universities and innovative course on the topic inspired this study. Dr. Rodney Hughes shared ideas for many aspects of the research. Dr. Christopher Plein provided a wealth of knowledge and insightful conversations throughout this study. As a first-generation student, I am deeply grateful to the many educators with whom I crossed paths over the years at Hurricane Town Elementary School, Hurricane Middle School, Hurricane High School, and WVU’s Reed College of Media. You molded me into the student and scholar I am today. To my undergraduate advisors: Dr. Diana Martinelli, thank you for encouraging me every step of the way since my first day as a WVU student. You are a shining example of leadership in higher education. Dr. Jan Boyles, thank you for pushing me to apply to become an orientation leader as a freshman. You recognized what my future could look like before I even knew what was possible. I also wish to thank my marching band directors, Mr. Sam Leffingwell, Mr. John Hendricks, Mr. Jay Drury, and Mr. Christopher Nichter, for instilling in me discipline, attention to detail, work ethic, and leadership skills that parallel none. I continue to use the lessons I learned from you every day. To Kate McKeen, Adele Siba, Kate Padula, and Ryan Boyd: Thank you for your mentorship and for taking a chance on a young, aspiring administrator with big dreams. I would not be where I am today without the opportunities you gave me early on in my career. To Ernie Goeres, who first encouraged me to pursue a doctoral degree. Finally, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the leaders at West Virginia University who were willing to take the time to share their stories and experiences with me. WVU’S LAND-GRANT MISSION 1 Chapter 1: Introduction WVU’S LAND-GRANT MISSION 2 Since the Great Recession in 2007-2008, universities have experienced decreasing state appropriations coupled with rising costs of resources. This increasing privatization of American public higher education institutions, particularly land-grant universities, reflects a transition from the Golden Age of land-grant universities, which featured enrollment growth and expansion of services and resources (Sorber & Geiger, 2015), to an era of neoliberalism and privatization (Brackmann, 2015). Decreasing state funding since the Great Recession continues to change the economic context of higher education. Per-student appropriations to Association of Public and Land-Grant (APLU) institution members decreased by 27%, or $2,718, from 2006-2007 to 2012-2013, and institutions responded by increasing tuition and fee revenues on average by $2,400 per student (Johnson & Yanagiura, 2015). This trend toward increased privatization has pushed land-grant universities to reconceptualize their missions, and, ultimately, their legacies. Land-grant universities have experienced competing and conflicting mandates of how their missions should be carried out from their inception via the Morrill Act of 1862. While the legislation broadly called them to be an alternative for practical education and instruction in agriculture, science, mechanics, and technology, nearly every state approached the establishment of the land-grant university differently based on political demands and socioeconomic contexts in the regions they were located. Examples ranged from creating new universities and agricultural and mechanical institutions to giving the land-grant to pre-existing institutions, both agricultural and non-agricultural (Sorber & Geiger, 2015). These variances were also seen in the development and delivery of the curriculum and other offerings, broadly categorized as practical and vocational application verses scientific and liberal arts (Sorber & Geiger, 2015) and