Governing Board Networks and Institutional Trends in Higher Education

• In Event: 3429 - Section on Sociology of Education Refereed Roundtables (1 hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: 10. Higher Education: Administrative Trends and Institutional Effects

Abstract

This research examines networks of university governing boards and their role as a conduit between corporations and higher education. A unique network dataset was generated that maps the extent to which university and corporate boards overlap across the population of four year non-religious institutions of higher education in the U.S. The data is used to determine how these connections contribute to institutional trends in higher education. Research in the field of higher education finds that many institutions have been embracing corporate, market-driven practices over the past few decades. This work blends new institutional theories of isomorphism with the institutional logics literature to directly explore one mechanism for the diffusion of the market logic in higher education. Using sophisticated applications of statistics to social network data, the research isolates one potential mechanism for this changing organizational behavior: diffusion of strategies and practices via overlapping board membership.

Author

• Jacob Apkarian, CUNY, York College