Academic Municipalities: Understanding University Governance as Urban Politics

The role of presidents in budget and finance: A rural community college perspective

“…His research focuses on the experiences and practice of leadership in higher education with an emphasis on principles of positive organizational scholarship. McNaughtan, J. (2022).…”

“…Institutions fill a variety of roles for students, communities, and state economies including training, community gatherings, and employment (Barr & McClellan, 2018). Litsey and McNaughtan (2022) recently argued that higher education institutions resemble cities more than non‐profit organizations calling them “academic municipalities.” This argument was based on two main aspects of the higher education institutional structure. First, the work of higher education institutions goes beyond educating students.…”

“…First, the work of higher education institutions goes beyond educating students. In fact, higher education institutions oversee athletic endeavors, parking, food service, bookstores, facilities maintenance, and a host of other services that result in a complex enterprise well beyond a school or non‐profit entity (Litsey & McNaughtan, 2022). Second, the governance structure of higher education institutions resembles that of small cities with boards (trustees/regents) that guide the decisions of the institution, and a president that acts more as a mayor or city manager, supervising individuals who oversee various aspects of the enterprise.…”