The Organizational Transformation of a Federal Education Program: Reflections on LEEP

Abstract

This paper describes the history of a law enforcement educational program (LEEP) in a small private college. This venture was characterized by conflicts over the educational mission of the program, intense rivalries between program factions, and student alienation. These problems, and the decision of the college finally to implement a competing program in order to divert students and their funding away from the original law enforcement educational program, were at least partially accounted for by the competing interests given surface expression in the imprecise goals guiding the federal funding effort. The dissatisfaction of LEEP funded students with the type of educational services received and the reaction their presence created in the college community were factors contributing to the conflict surrounding the program. One important implication of the study is that educational policy goals must more closely reflect the students' perceptions of what they want if such ambitious programs are to succeed.