Canadian Journal of Higher Education, Vol. XXI-1, 1991 La revue canadienne d'enseignement supérieur. Vol XXI-1, 1991 Book Reviews/Comptes Rendus 1989 ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Reports - No. 1: Estela M. Bensimon, Anne N e u m a n n and Robert Birnbaum, Making Sense of Administrative Leadership; No. 2: Valora Washington and William Harvey, Affirmative Rhetoric, Negative Actions and No. 3: Louise M. Tomlinson, Postsecondary Developmental Programs. Price: $15.00 U.S. each. Reviewed by Sheila A. Brown, Interim President, Mount Allison University. The ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Reports, of which eight are published each year, are useful resources for educators. Each volume, focusing on a specific topic, provides an extensive review of the literature, the theories and constructs postulated and their application. Key points are highlighted and the wealth of information provided in each volume is a valuable asset to the higher education specialist. Report No. I Making Sense of Administrative Leadership: The "L" Word in Higher Education by E. Bensimon, A. Neuman and R. Birnbaum This volume offers a clear, concise but wide-ranging treatment of leadership in higher education. It opens with the observation that there is a perception of a leadership crisis in higher education. One of the conclusions is that "perception" is the key word and leadership is "in the eye of the beholder". Six major theories of leadership - trait, power and influence, behavioural, contingency, cultural and symbolic, and cognitive theories - are considered. The authors review the literature quite comprehensively, although it would also have been helpful to contrast some of the findings of feminist scholarship on leadership with other work. Conclusions are drawn about support for each theory with current thinking favouring cultural and symbolic and cognitive theories which treat leadership as a subjective act. The authors also review organizational theories within a typology of four " f r a m e s " - the structural, human resource, political and symbolic frames through which organizations may be viewed. These frames, combined with theories of leadership, can be used to categorize leadership styles and approaches and to assess the efficacy of different combinations. 106 Book Reviews/Comptes rendus The m o n o g r a p h d e v e l o p s the t h e m e that t h e o r i e s of l e a d e r s h i p and organizational frames are not mutually exclusive and discusses the application of theoretical perspectives in research in higher education leadership. The gap between theory and application quickly becomes apparent. For example, trait and power and influence theories have been influential in research on higher e d u c a t i o n l e a d e r s h i p yet t h e s e t h e o r i e s are n o w seen as r e l a t i v e l y unsophisticated and simplistic. The greater potential of cultural and symbolic perspectives and cognitive theories is noted but, while these latter theories offer promising avenues for studying leadership, their application in higher education research to date has been somewhat limited. The authors conclude that an integrated approach, incorporating elements from the four frames, gives leaders a better perspective on events and, while leadership may be perceived to be in crisis, it is essential that we think about leadership differently. The rhetoric of expressed desires for courageous leaders who will effect change is not supported by the resistance that such leadership can engender. Rather, good leadership involves a less directive approach facilitating the work of the organization. While symbolic leadership has an abstract quality and may even appear superficial to some, the authors make a persuasive argument that administrative leaders can be more successful in effecting change and be seen to be more successful by working within the organizational culture and appreciating its shared values. Thus, they can effect more modest but nonetheless critical change. Consequently, the authors call for further research on such areas as communication and conflict resolution and the study of leaders within the institution other than the President and other senior administrators. This monograph is a thoughtful and provocative synthesis of a wealth of t h e o r e t i c a l and e m p i r i c a l l i t e r a t u r e and o f f e r s i n s i g h t s to u n i v e r s i t y administrators concerned with their leadership role and with understanding the limits of leadership. As well, the report will interest all participants in and observers of higher education who seek a better understanding of the process and outcomes of leadership. Report No. 2 Affirmative Rhetoric, Negative Action: African-American and Hispanic Faculty at Predominantly White Institutions by V. Washington and W. Harvey In this report the authors stress the importance of "visible and determined leadership" by the President and other academic officers of the university in affirmative action. While the monograph focuses on African-American and 107 Book Reviews/Comptes rendus Hispanic faculty and their under-representation in American universities, the discussion is relevant to other issues, such as the under-representation of women and minorities in Canadian universities. The authors express disappointment and frustration at the slow progress in increasing the numbers of minority faculty, particularly in predominantly white institutions. The promise which was felt in the 1960s and 1970s has given way to dismay at how little has been achieved. Nonetheless, they note that over one third of the professoriate is likely to be replaced by the turn of the century, and see the 1990s as a "window of opportunity" for recruiting minorities and encouraging young people to pursue academic careers. A brief review of the justification for affirmative action, its history, definitions and limited impact to date, are followed by an evaluation of the current situation. The focus is on inequities and possible remedies, the barriers to equal access, and the contradiction between a supply of minority faculty which exceeds demand and the oft-heard statement that a search committee could not find a minority professor to recruit. The authors conclude that there is an urgent need for a new drive for equity, particularly given universities' needs for faculty in the next decade. The monograph includes a discussion of the approaches to the problem including leadership on the part of the President and academic administrators; c o m m i t m e n t f r o m the f a c u l t y ; the i m p l e m e n t a t i o n and m o n i t o r i n g of appropriate search procedures; special programmes to encourage school students, graduate students and faculty; and a positive climate for the recruitment of African-American and Hispanic academics. Responses to affirmative action issues, including the role of the courts, are reviewed. The authors might usefully have discussed the reverse discrimination argument in greater depth. The authors conclude that affirmative action programmes have failed primarily because of lack of leadership and commitment and because such p r o g r a m m e s h a v e little c o n c e p t u a l basis in relation to the m i s s i o n of universities. They therefore call for strong advocacy of affirmative action programmes and pro-active approaches designed to change fundamental attitudes and engender a positive response from all members of the campus community. Directed as it is to a particular time period and to particular groups within the United States, the monograph has a narrower focus than Report No. 1. However, extrapolation of the arguments to other countries and institutions makes this monograph a useful overview of an important and timely topic. 108 Book Reviews/Comptes rendus Report No. 3• "Post-Secondary Developmental Programmes: A Traditional Agenda with New Imperatives, by L. Tomlinson This report reviews a variety of programmes whose objectives are to assist "at risk" individuals who need help in coping with the higher education curriculum and/or who do not meet regular admissions requirements. Developmental p r o g r a m m e s are attempts at remediation viewed by their proponents as complements to regular academic programmes. A historical overview of the development of such programmes in the United States is given, followed by a discussion of the reasons for them, their characteristics, some exemplary programmes and the reasons for their success, issues in programme evaluation, the state of theory in the developmental curriculum, and future prospects. A comprehensive review of the types of developmental programmes reminds us that they are not new, dating back to the previous century, although both the type and content of programmes have changed. The justification for such programmes, which certainly have their detractors, is to allow as many people as possible to gain the knowledge and skills required to have an educated population and to compete globally. Developmental programmes are usually aimed at improving students' abilities to read, write and undertake numerical analysis. Teaching students good study skills is also an important part of such programmes, and, more recently, some p r o g r a m m e s have included instruction to help students understand the organizational culture, and life skills. The controversy about developmental programmes stems from the belief that, if students are not equipped for university study, they should not be admitted. The desire of supporters to provide equity in education is countered by arguments that standards are compromised if students need remediation and funds for such programs could be better spent in other areas, particularly in times of financial restraint. Tomlinson makes a persuasive argument for developmental or remedial programmes, based on a philosophy of equity in educational opportunity and a desire to have all persons participate meaningfully in society. This justification is particularly important in the case of the increasing n u m b e r of "nontraditional" students, many of whom are seeking reentry into the educational system but are not fully prepared for it. Citing significant declines in both verbal and mathematical scores on scholastic aptitude tests in the last 20 years, Tomlinson draws attention to the need for programmes which prepare students better to undertake higher level learning. 109 Book Reviews/Comptes rendus Types of programmes and types of interventions, such as teaching/learning, counselling, and peer support as well as the theoretical underpinnings of such programmes are reviewed along with recent conceptual work by scholars like R.J. Sternberg, R. Feuerstein and M. Lipman. Only passing reference is made to students with particular disabilities and a discussion would have been helpful on the distinctions between remediation for students who, because of social, economic or ethnic background or other factors, are under prepared and those students for whom a specific learning disability can be diagnosed. The policy implications of developmental programmes are also discussed. While there are certainly policy questions to be addressed by Canadian institutions of higher learning and governments, the report focuses exclusively on the United States. Nonetheless, the report is a good overview that has much to offer both the American and Canadian reader. Schuster, J.H., & Wheeler, D.W. (Eds.) (1990). Enhancing Faculty Careers. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Pp.i-xix; 1-346. Price: $29.95 U.S. Reviewed by Cheryl L. Amundsen, Centre for University Teaching & Learning and the Department of Educational Psychology and Counselling, McGill University. Jack Schuster and Daniel Wheeler, the editors, have taken a very particular view of faculty development. They use the term "enhanced faculty development" to describe their view of how faculty development should be conceptualized. They discuss three key elements to summarize this concept of enhanced development: career reconceptualization, career facilitation and the fusion of professional and p e r s o n a l d e v e l o p m e n t . T h e e l e m e n t of c a r e e r r e c o n c e p t u a l i z a t i o n is demonstrated by institutions which think more broadly about academic careers and encourage academics to investigate the pursuits or combinations of pursuits which are possible within their academic careers. The element of career facilitation complements career reconceptualization in that it provides the support required to implement the career changes identified in the process of career reconceptualization. Finally, the fusion of professional and personal development is a crucial element because it "involves the intertwining within an institutional setting of the professional and personal aspects, thought too often to be only tangentially related" (p.279). The various possible aspects of an enhanced faculty development approach are described and discussed in Chapters 4-8. Topics include: the preparation of