Organizational Models and Mythologies of the American Research University. ASHE 1986 Annual Meeting Paper / Daniel Alpert.

Features of the matrix model of the research university and myths about the academic enterprise are described, along with serious dissonances in the U.S. university system. The linear model, from which the matrix model evolved, describes the university's structure, perceived mission, and organizational behavior. A matrix model portrays in concise, visual terms key features of the organization and mission of the comprehensive research university and its interdependent relationships with other universities and external agencies. An organizational map highlights the orthogonal roles of administrative and intellectual leaders, the negative consequences of preoccupation with institutional rankings, and the inadequacies of organizational structures for relating the basic research mission to the undergraduate instruction and public service missions. The "theory" of the university, often embedded in an outmoded mythology, also contributes to serious dissonances in the academic enterprise. The structure and theory must both be reconsidered in efforts to reconceive the role of the major research universities in the postindustrial society. (Author/SW)

Microfiche. [Washington D.C.]: ERIC Clearinghouse microfiches : positive.