A study of institutional decision making by the chief academic officers and the chief business officers in southern colleges and universities

This study focused on chief academic officers and chief business officers in senior and graduate higher education institutions in the eleven states regulated by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The two groups were compared in terms of their perception of who actually makes administrative decisions and who should make administrative decisions in the areas of budget, institutional programs, personnel, and physical plant. The groups were also compared in terms of selected personal and institutional characteristics and their perceived decision making responsibilities. Data were collected by means of a mail questionnaire sent to the chief academic officer and the chief business officer at each of 290 higher education institutions. Eighty-six percent of the chief academic officers and 74 percent of the chief business officers returned usable instruments. The two groups of officers were found to differ in their perception of which officer actually makes administrative decisions and in their perception of which officer should make administrative decisions. Their perception was associated with the areas in which decisions are made (budget, institutional programs, personnel, and physical plant) and with the length of their experience in their positions, the type of governance structure of their institutions, and with the size of their institutions. Additional studies of similar groups in other regions of the country were suggested by the results. Implications for reducing conflicts between the two groups were discussed.