College presidents' role performance and faculty satisfaction

Abstract

This research analyzed faculty evaluations of college presidents' role performance with the intent of identifying underlying dimensions and to ask further which dimensions predicted faculty satisfaction with presidents. Data were gathered from 896 faculty members from two technical colleges, three community colleges, two private universities and three public universities in a Western state. The factor analysis revealed three relatively independent dimensions of the presidential role: personal-public image, faculty and student interaction with presidents, and absence of autocratic leadership style. The “personal-public image” was the most important dimension and predicted faculty satisfaction across the four types of institutions of higher learning. “Faculty-student interaction with the president,” while not as important a dimension of the presidential role, predicted faculty satisfaction in three institutional types, but not in public universities. The “absence of autocratic leadership style” predicted satisfaction in community and technical colleges.