This study explores the ability of shared governance systems to make institutional hard decisions, focusing particularly on discontinuance of academic programs. A case study method examined shared governance processes at four research institutions to identify themes and patterns across the institutional decision-making process. Between 11 and 16…

The process of economic retrenchment and institutional decline that occurred within the City University of New York (CUNY) in 1975-1976, a time of New York City fiscal crisis, is analyzed. Attention is directed to the public policy conflict between the policies of free tuition and direct student aid; the relative roles of state, city, and federal…