Bull-Headed Administration: Chief Academic Officers’ Perceptions of Presidential Bullies and Campus Climate

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Sunday 9:45 am - Gold 1
  In Roundtable Session: Addressing Campus Climate and Representation Issues in Higher Education

Abstract

We investigate the impact of academic executive leadership on higher education workplace bullying by surveying 131 chief academic officers (CAOs) from higher education institutions. Using descriptive analysis, correlation analysis, and regression analysis, the study addresses three research questions: 1) What’s the CAO’s perception of the president’s and CAO’s commitment to eradicating bullying? 2) What’s the relationship between the CAO’s commitment to eradicate bullying, academic personnel loss, and grievances? 3)What’s the relationship between the CAO’s perception of the president as a bully and the general climate? Grounded in higher education organizational theories, the findings revealed that the president’s and CAO’s behaviors significantly impacted dean-level turnover and general campus climate but did not significantly impact faculty turnover.

Authors

• Leah P. Hollis, Pennsylvania State University

• Gala Sofia Campos Oaxaca, Pennsylvania State University