1. THE BOARDS OF GOVERNORS AND THE POWER ELITE: A CASE STUDY OF EIGHT CANADIAN UNIVERSITIES.
- Author
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Barkans, John and Pupo, Norene
- Subjects
ELITE (Social sciences) ,POWER (Social sciences) ,BOARDS of directors ,UNIVERSITY & college administration ,SOCIOLOGY - Abstract
The general purpose of this article is to investigate the Boards of Governors of eight Ontario universities in order to determine their relationship to the Canadian power structure. More specifically, it is an attempt to determine whether or not the upper echelons of the university represent a meeting ground for what sociologist C.W. Mills terms the "power elite." To understand the members of the boards of governors as a power elite, three key factors, as outlined by Mills must be taken into account: 1) the psychological and social bases for unity; 2) the structure, mechanics and interrelatedness of the major hierarchical institutions; and 3) the explicit recognition by the power elite of the need for formal and informal coordination. Through their common educational backgrounds, similarities in career patterns, philanthropic activities, and membership in exclusive social clubs, there is formed the basis for the "social and psychological unity" among the governors. The university is not an autonomous institution separate from the social, economic and historical forces operating on the "outside" world. In fact the stratification system and power structure of the university mirrors the larger corporate society. The greatest legitimization of this occurs at the apex of the university structure where members of the "power elite" have become the "power elite of education."
- Published
- 1974
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