Navigating Ethical Dilemmas Within the Community College Presidency. Dr. Kate Mueller February 18, 2009 ACCCA Conference

Transcription

1 Navigating Ethical Dilemmas Within the Community College Presidency Dr. Kate Mueller February 18, 2009 ACCCA Conference

2 As higher educational administrators, we continually face ethical dilemmas. Doctoral research explored what dilemmas are faced by California community college presidents, and identified how those dilemmas are dealt with. This session includes a presentation of research, and workshop attendees will participate through discussion of case studies. 2

3 Context of the Problem Leaders resolve situations with ethical dimensions daily More often than not, no clear line between ethical and unethical behavior Research focusing on ethical leadership in community colleges is limited 3

4 Context of the Problem Many examples of ethics ignored: President of Wesley College denied accusations of plagiarizing another college president s s speech Chancellor in Alabama who used state funds to pay off gambling debts 4

5 Context of the Problem TSU President who spent hundreds of thousands of state dollars for personal expenses Faculty who knowingly allowed plagiarism in master s s theses 5

6 Context of the Problem Robert A. Paxton, former president of Iowa Central Community College 6

7 Context of the Problem And specifically in California Hidden compensation by the University of California for top officials Compton Community College lost its accreditation for a variety of unethical and legal practices 7

8 Context of the Problem An ethical campus culture must start with the president, because the leader sets the tone 8

9 Context of the Problem Community colleges in California have begun to experience a large number of retirements In summer 2007 there were 52 vacant or interim presidencies Growing concern about availability of leaders to replace these retiring presidents 9

10 Purpose of the Study What does ethical leadership look like in the presidency of a community college? Learn from current community college presidents Their experience = a teaching and learning tool Their experience = development of guidelines for ethical leadership 10

11 Research Questions Two research questions: 1. What situations with ethical dimensions do community college presidents face? 2. How do community college presidents address such situations? 11

12 Significance of Study Ethical issues and illegalities are a global problem Can be a challenge to determine what is an ethical response There is risk in every decision Scarcity of research on ethical leadership and community college presidents 12

13 Significance of Study Most research on ethics in education has focused on students, not educational leadership Opportunity to identify guidelines of ethical leadership and ethical decision-making Understand what college presidents encounter from a practical standpoint 13

14 Review of Literature Limited research on ethical leadership in community colleges Limited research on ethical leadership in community college presidency Plethora of research on ethics, leadership, and higher education, but not a combination thereof 14

15 Shugart and Joynton (1997) Ethical decision-making model 1. Is there an ethical problem? 2. What additional factual information do I need to obtain? 3. What are the ethical issues in the situation? 4. What is my own moral stance? That of my profession? 5. What are the moral stances of others in the situation? 6. Does the situation contain any conflicts of moral values? 7. Who decides? 8. What are the consequences of each of the options? 9. What shall I do? 10. How does my decision look after I have acted? 15

16 Trevino and Nelson (2007) values exercise with business leaders some examples Action orientation Altruism Compassion Competence Creativity Equality Fairness/justice Flexibility/adaptability Honesty/integrity Honor Humility Promise-keeping Respect Responsibility Risk-Taking Self-Discipline 16

17 Ethical Dilemmas Community college leaders in particular confront countless ethical issues (Wallin 2007) Ethical dilemmas occur when there is no straightforward answer about a right or wrong course of action in a particular situation (CIHE, 2005) 17

18 Guidelines for Ethical Decision-Making Compilation of several authors guidelines: Get the facts Identify the pertinent ethical issues Identify the stakeholders Identify obligations What are the options? What are the consequences? Who benefits? Who pays? 18

19 Research on Ethical Decision-Making There is no one set of principles or guidelines, or any one model that will address every situation with ethical dimensions. Cannot anticipate every situation, but principles and guidelines can help us prepare. 19

20 Methodology Survey First-hand experiences of current community college presidents Convenience sample Interviews Follow-up interviews to selected surveys 20

21 Survey Content Research Question 1: What situations with ethical dimensions do community college presidents face? Item 1: Describe one or more situation(s) with ethical dimensions that you have personally experienced. 21

22 Survey Content Research Question 2: How do community college presidents address such situations? Item 2: Explain how you addressed the situation(s) with ethical dimensions as described in Item 1. (If you chose not to confront the situation, please talk about why you made that decision.) 22

23 Population and Sample California Community College Presidents Convenience sample 109 presidents 23

24 Results and Analysis 17.4% participation rate (presidents completing the survey) Of the 19 participants, 27 situations shared 40 percent of CCC presidents responded, but declined to participate 24

25 Question 1: Describe an ethical dilemma All situations had multiple players Predominant Employees Board Members Students No two situations were identical 25

26 Results and Analysis Survey Question One Predominant behaviors Employees Making false claims for personal gain Sexual harassment of students Illegal behavior on campus Hiring policies Incorrect reporting of college enrollment 26

27 Results and Analysis Survey Question One Predominant behaviors Board Members Improper/unethical use of board position or influence Micromanaging Avoiding conflict or taking no action 27

28 Results and Analysis Survey Question One Predominant behaviors Students Student rights Expecting preferential treatment due to relationship with a Board Member Dismissal of student athletes from teams Students contacting local media 28

29 Question 2: How did you address the dilemma? Directly addressed the situation Sought balance in regard to benefit to individuals and institution Considered the big picture Sought compromise Avoidance Collaboration and involvement of others Held ground Communication Educate Negotiation and persuasion Listening Walk a fine ethical line 29

30 Themes There is no one way to address a situation with ethical dimensions Have to address on case-by by-case basis Will not manipulate process; process must have integrity Often the Board is trying to the do the right thing, with no malicious intent; misguided Community colleges are held in public trust 30

31 Findings Similar responses from participants to research in the literature Not bowing to Board member s s influence Not succumbing to hiring requests Calling for an audit when erroneous reporting discovered Maintaining confidentiality 31

32 Findings One surprise: 15 of the 19 who completed and returned the survey also returned the token of appreciation And 29 of the 31 who specified that they were declining to take the survey also returned the money Question: do these presidents habitually return tokens of appreciation, or did the subject matter motivate them to return the money? 32

33 Why This Matters The sharing of actual, real-life life experiences is a teaching and learning tool that can help equip educational leaders to be better ethical leaders Real-life life situations shared Practical examples Guidelines communicate the values of the profession and in some ways establish expectations for those who undertake the work. (Benjamin, 2006) Guidelines can shed light on options for behaving ethically in challenging situations. 33

34 Guidelines for Ethical Leadership Guidelines developed through this research: Address the situation directly, immediately, and forthrightly Weigh options, seek balance and win-win solutions; seek compromise Step back and see the whole situation Investigate, which might include meeing with the parties involved. 34

35 Guidelines for Ethical Leadership Verify that college procedures/policies were followed Ensure solution is consistent with college procedures/policies Use internal procedures/policies to resolve issue 35

36 Guidelines for Ethical Leadership Ensure fairness Employ the legal system when appropriate Protect due process and rights of students and employees Enlist others (e.g. board members, other administrators, employees) in the decision- making and addressing of situations with ethical dimensions 36

37 Guidelines for Ethical Leadership Do not succumb to pressure Set ethical boundaries Maintain confidentiality Communicate: take the time to ask questions and dialogue Communicate with supervisor 37

38 Guidelines for Ethical Leadership Listen Educate employees, board members, and students about policies about ethical leadership Negotiate and persuade others after identifying the best possible solution 38

39 What Next? Survey nation-wide Survey presidents of four-year institutions Survey presidents of both community colleges and four-year institutions and compare Private and public Presidents across the nation, or by geographic regions Survey other job levels/titles 39

40 What Next? Compare and contrast the perspectives of presidents whose institutions have codes of ethics with those who do not have such codes what, if any, is the influence of codes of ethics on decision-making and behavior. Take the identified guidelines and develop research to test their mettle. 40

41 Thoughts It is important to remember: ethical presidents are not perfect human beings. They make mistakes, but they acknowledge those mistakes. (Walling, 2007), p

42 Thoughts There is no one way to deal with a situation with ethical dimensions, yet you can take some of the lessons learned in one situation and apply them to another. 42

43 Thoughts You don t t always have time to learn the job before testing your ethical mettle an ethical dilemmas occurred two hours in to a participant s s new presidency, another 2.5 months in another participant used the term initiation by fire 43

44 Questions? 44

45 Case Studies 45