Managerial Roles of Presidents in Ontario, Canada Colleges

Abstract

This study examines the role of the President at the tertiary level within the province of Ontario, Canada in an effort to reveal and substantiate the challenges faced by them in the twenty-first century. This study aims to identify the extent to which the new public management ideologies, that impacted over the past decade the area of higher education, influenced their managerial roles. Determining how college Presidents understand their role, particularly how they act in that role, is extremely important since there is evidence that they contribute significantly to the achievement of strategic goals of the colleges. Moreover, the findings of this study will help the Board of Governors in making hiring decisions in the future, as well as determine if particular training is required for the candidates chosen for such position. Central to this study was Role Theory. The research model used was based on Mintzberg's taxonomy of managerial roles. According to the results of this study, it can be concluded that the job of postsecondary college presidents has changed in the past two decades or so, to become more managerial in nature.