Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2008 Turbulent Politics: A Case Study of the Passage from Statutory to Constitution- Based Governance in Florida's State University System (1998-2003) John D. Mabley Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF EDUCATION TURBULENT POLITICS: A CASE STUDY OF THE PASSAGE FROM STATUTORY TO CONSTITUTION-BASED GOVERNANCE IN FLORIDA’S STATE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM (1998-2003) By JOHN D. MABLEY A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Degree Awarded: Fall Semester, 2008 The members of the Committee approved the Dissertation of John D. Mabley on April 24, 2008. _____________________________ Joseph C. Beckham Professor Directing Dissertation _____________________________ Diana C. Rice Outside Committee Member _____________________________ Robert A. Schwartz Committee Member _____________________________ Jon Dalton Committee Member Approved: _________________________________________________________________ Gary M. Crow, Chair, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies The Office of Graduate Studies has verified and approved the above named committee members. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Appreciation is gratefully expressed to members of my dissertation committee, Drs. Joseph Beckham, Jon Dalton, Robert Schwartz and Diana Rice, for their wise and patient counsel, especially to dissertation director, Joe Beckham. The qualitative methodology followed for this research required interview access to several key influentials in Florida’s higher education governance reform experience. Without their voices my study would not have been possible. To them I express sincere thanks for reserving time to meet with me and for their candor. Throughout the period of residence at FSU I benefited from the departmental grant of administrative, research, and teaching assistantships of significant complementary value to my theoretical studies. I was also encouraged to be selected a Hardee Scholar, as well as to receive college-wide and departmental competitive awards including the W. Hugh Stickler and Donna Lou Askew Scholarships, and an Association for Institutional Research (AIR) Summer Institute travel grant. More of my student colleagues at Florida State University than practical to name here offered friendship and cheerleading to balance the solitariness synonymous with dissertation research. In this regard, I extend particular appreciation to Dr. Mark Palazesi, his wife, Dr. Iris Palazesi, and their wonderful family. Jimmy Pastrano was a key member of the higher education program support staff during the period of my study. His knowledge of FSU’s systems and regulations and generous character eased the way for me countless times. Thank you, Jimmy. Technical support for audiotape transcription and manuscript proofing were provided by Becky McKee and Lisa Nash. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT....................................................................................................................... vi 1. INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................................1 Legislative and Policy Change Context...................................................................1 Statement of the Problem.........................................................................................7 Research Questions..................................................................................................8 Purpose.....................................................................................................................9 Conceptual Framework..........................................................................................10 Significance of the Study.......................................................................................12 2. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ...............................................................................14 System History.......................................................................................................14 Authority as Practiced through Coordinating and Governing Systems.................20 Political Theory......................................................................................................22 Policy Process and Authority.................................................................................24 Politics in University System Governance ............................................................26 A Conceptual Framework for Governance Policy Study ......................................31 Summary................................................................................................................33 3. METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................................36 Research Questions................................................................................................36 Case Study Approach.............................................................................................37 Data Collection ......................................................................................................42 Data Analysis.........................................................................................................43 4. PRESENTATION OF RESEARCH FINDINGS ..........................................................48 A Zeal for Education Reform ................................................................................48 Board of Regents: A Precarious Structure.............................................................56 Higher Education Governance Transformation Intention......................................66 Policy Perspectives Polarize ..................................................................................81 Reform Policy Features..........................................................................................93 Constitutional Amendment ..................................................................................100 Central Board and Institutional Trustee Boards Share Governance ....................114 Summary..............................................................................................................117 5. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS .......................................................................120 Introduction..........................................................................................................120 Emergent Themes ................................................................................................120 Constructs and Models.........................................................................................123 Martinez (2002) State Systems Verification Study .............................................127 Policy Environment .............................................................................................130 Financial Issues....................................................................................................132 iv Leadership............................................................................................................133 Structure...............................................................................................................136 Garbage Can Model .............................................................................................138 Conclusions..........................................................................................................140 Recommendations for Future Study ....................................................................142 APPENDIX: IRB Human Subjects Approval Letter and Sample Informed Consent Form ...................................................................144 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................146 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH ...........................................................................................156 v ABSTRACT This study examines governance changes that occurred in Florida’s system of State University System (SUS) governance between 1998 and 2003 in an environment marked by extreme turbulence. During the five-year period researched, central policy authority for the SUS moved from a statutory Board of Regents (BOR) to a second phase characterized by dismantling of the BOR to make way for a so-called seamless system under the authority of a K-20 State Board of Education, to a third phase, the creation of a constitutionally protected federated system incorporating campus trustee boards originated in phase two as well as a central Board of Governors. The case research highlights the historical, political, social, and cultural context in which the structural changes in governance took shape. The principal conceptual model used to guide the research was the state systems model developed by Richardson, Bracco, Callan, and Finney (1999) that included a case analysis of Florida higher education governance as probed by the researchers in the period before cascading political events occurred, triggered by voter approval of the Cabinet Reform Amendment in 1998. A secondary source of conceptual reference was a variant of the theory of Organized Anarchy (Cohen, March and Olsen, 1972) known as the Revised Garbage