Abstract
To help address enrollment and financial challenges institutions of higher learning may benefit by having a better understanding of entrepreneurial leadership orientations, or skills, of academic deans. This study revealed several significant correlations between the self-reported entrepreneurial orientations of academic deans in upstate New York, working in independent colleges and universities, and certain demographic characteristics of their positions. Academic deans reported “team builder” and “proactive” as their two highest ranked, self-reported entrepreneurial characteristics, while “risk taking” was ranked as the lowest characteristic. The results indicated a significant correlation between certain variables applicable to academic deans’ positions, such as years of experience and job expectations, with the self-reported entrepreneurial orientations of such deans.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Association for the Study of Higher Education. (2009). Theoretical traditions of entrepreneurship. ASHE Higher Education Report, 34, 9–23.
Clark, B. R. (1998). Creating entrepreneurial universities: Organizational pathways of transformation. Paris, France: International Association of Universities Press.
Clark, B. R. (2000, January/February). Collegial entrepreneurialism in proactive universities: Lessons from Europe. Change, 32, 10–19.
Clark, B. R. (2004). Delineating the character of the entrepreneurial university. Higher Education Policy, 17, 355–370.
Clark, B. R. (2008). On higher education. Selected writings, 1956-2006. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
Department of the Treasury with the Department of Education (2012). The economics of higher education. Retrieved from http://www.treasury.gov/connect/blog/Documents/20121212_Economics%20of%20Higher%20Ed_vFINAL.pdf
Dunbar, A., Hossler, D., Shapiro, D., Chen, J., Martin, S., Torres, V., Zerguera, D., & Ziskin, M. (2011). National postsecondary enrollment trends: Before, during, and after the great recession. Herndon, VA: National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.
Edirisooriya, G. (2003). State funding of higher education: A new formula. Higher Education Policy, 16, 121–123.
Esters, L. L., McPhail, C. J., Singh, R. P., & Sygielski, J. J. (2008). Entrepreneurial community college presidents: An exploratory qualitative and quantitative study. Tertiary Education Management, 14, 345–370.
Fisher, J. L., & Koch, J. V. (2004). The entrepreneurial college president. Westport, CT: Praeger.
Gjerding, A., Wilderom, C., Camerson, S., & Scheunert, K. (2006). Twenty practices of an entrepreneurial university. Higher Education Management and Policy, 18, 83–110.
Glassman, A. M., Moore, R. W., Rossy, G. L., Neupert, K., Napier, N. K., Jones, D. E., & Harvey, M. (2003). Academic: Views from balancing the Acropolis and the Agora. Journal of Management Inquiry, 12, 353–372.
Gmelch, W., Hopkins, D., & Damico, S. (2011). Seasons of a dean’s life. Sterling, VA: Stylus.
Huck, S. W. (2007). Reading statistics and research (5th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson.
Johnson, L., Adams, S., Cummins, M., Estrada, V., Freeman, A., & Ludgate, H. (2013). The NMC horizon report: 2013 higher education edition. Austin, TX: New Media Consortium. Retrieved from: http://www.editlib.org/p/46484.
June, A.W. (2014, November 24). To change a campus, talk to a dean. Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/article/To-Change-a-Campus-Talk-to/150197/
Kirby, J. R. (2005). Entrepreneurial initiatives at public liberal arts and general baccalaureate colleges (Unpublished Doctoral dissertation). West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV.
Krahenbuhl, G. S. (2004). Building the academic deanship: Strategies for success. Westport, CT: American Council on Education and Praeger.
McBride, A. B., Neiman, S., & Johnson, J. (2000). Responsibility-centered management: A 10-year nursing assessment. Journal of Professional Nursing, 16, 201–209.
New York State Education Department (2013). Statewide high school graduation rates stays at 74% despite higher graduation standards. Retrieved from 2012 http://www.oms.nysed.gov/press/GradRates.2013.StatewideHSGradRateStaysAt74PercentDespiteHigherGradStandards.html
Peck, R. (1983). The entrepreneurial college presidency. The Educational Record, 64, 18–25.
Peck, R. (1984). Entrepreneurship as a significant factor in successful adaptation. The Journal of Higher Education, 55(4), 269–285.
Rauch, A., Wiklund, J., Lumpkin, G. T., & Frese, M. (2009). Entrepreneurial orientation and business performance: An assessment of past research and suggestions for the future. Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice, 33, 761–787.
Riggs, D. (2005). Entrepreneurial activities in independent college and university presidents: A view from the top (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA.
Rosser, V., Johnsrud, L., & Heck, R. (2003). Academic deans and directors: Assessing their effectiveness from individual and institutional perspectives. The Journal of Higher Education, 74, 1–25.
Selingo, J. J. (2013, April, 12). Colleges Struggling to Stay Afloat. The New York Times. Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/14/education/edlife/many-colleges-and-universities-face-financial-problems.html?_r=0
Smith, M. F. (2004). Growing expenses, shrinking resources: The states and higher education. Academe, 90, 32–36.
Smith, G. (2009). An examination of entrepreneurial activity in independent colleges and universities in New York State: A presidential view of entrepreneurial leadership (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). St. John Fisher College, Rochester, NY.
Thornton, S. (2009). On the brink: The annual report on the economic status of the profession, 2008-09. Academe, 95, 14–28.
Vogt, W. P. (2005). Dictionary of statistics and methodology. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (2008). Knocking at the college door: Projections of high school graduates by state and Race/Ethnicity, 1992 to 2012. Retrieved from: http://wiche.edu/info/publications/knocking_complete_book.pdf
Williams, A. P. O. (2009). Leadership at the Top: Some insights from a longitudinal case study of a U.K. business school. Educational Management Administration, & Leadership, 37, 127–145.
Williams, J. A. (2015, November 24). It all comes down to the dean. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 61, A18–A21.
Wolverton, M., & Gmelch, W. H. (2002). College deans. Westport, CT: The American Council on Education and Oryx.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Cleverley-Thompson, S. The Role of Academic Deans as Entrepreneurial Leaders in Higher Education Institutions. Innov High Educ 41, 75–85 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-015-9339-2
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-015-9339-2