An analysis of the administrative relationship between the presidents and the chief business officials in the community colleges of Virginia

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1974
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Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Abstract

This study was designed to analyze the administrative relationship between the presidents and chief business officials in the twenty-three community colleges.

The purposes of the study were two-fold. The first purpose was to determine actions and activities of the chief business officials which purportedly increased the effectiveness of the presidents; and actions and activities of the chief business officials which purportedly decreased the effectiveness of the presidents. The second purpose was to compare the presidents' rankings with the chief business officials' rankings of those operational areas and actions of the chief business officials which were most important to their administrative relationship.

A questionnaire was mailed to twenty-three presidents and twenty-three chief business officials in the survey. Upon the return of the questionnaires from ninety-one per cent of the sample, the data were recorded and analyzed.

The findings from the study provided evidence that the Virginia community college chief business officials were performing more actions beneficial to their administrative relationship with the presidents than actions of a detrimental nature.

It was also evident that the Virginia community college presidents and chief business officials differed in their rankings of the general operational areas most important and least important in their administrative relationship. The operational area most important in the administrative relationship between the Virginia community college presidents and chief business officials, as reported by the presidents, was that of business department administration. The operational area least important was that of board relations. The chief business officials reported that the operational area most important was that of communications. ยท The chief business officials reported the operational area of public relations as the least important area.

The Virginia community college presidents and chief business officials, in ranking the actions within the general operational areas, were more in agreement than disagreement as to the actions of the chief business officials which were most important and least important to their administrative relationship.

The findings supported the conclusion that the variables size of community college and age, academic training, length of time in present position, and years of administrative experience of the presidents, in most instances, did not have a significant effect on the presidents' rankings of the operational areas in the administrative relationship between the Virginia community college presidents and chief business officials.

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