Date of Award
Fall 1997
Document Type
Dissertation - Restricted
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Education
First Advisor
Fray, Robert P.
Second Advisor
Bogenschild, Erika
Third Advisor
Pink, William
Abstract
Therefore, this case study of the formation of a distinctive identity for Lawrence University and the shaping of an academic presidency under Henry Wriston's transformational leadership between 1925 and 1937 sought to make the following contributions to the field of higher education administration. 1. This examination of organizational identity and the president's role in influencing identity formation provides a foundation for the effective understanding of the fundamental purposes of a liberal arts college and its reason for being. 2. With concepts of identity and the role of an academic president examined through the perspective of organizational culture at Lawrence University, this study sought to yield an enlarged understanding of the factors that contribute to the transfer of theory into practice, and especially, the specific actions of Henry Wriston that contributed to the field of higher education administrative practice from his theoretical/philosophical foundations. 3. This study sought to establish a foundation for an enlarged understanding of the conceptions and perceptions of the academic presidency and the consequences of presidential actions on the formation of collegiate identity.