The Case of Trinity University

Abstract

The case of Trinity University is an ideal way to introduce graduate students in educational leadership preparation programs to the university culture and how it shapes the graduate curriculum, faculty expectations for student outcomes, and professional socialization processes. Master’s and doctoral students who take courses related to cultural issues, organizational behavior and change, and management and administrative strategies will have an opportunity to discuss these same processes at the postsecondary level and note how they compare and contrast to the cultural and organizational environments in the public schools. What students experience in both worlds (K-12 and higher) can inform their knowledge of leadership, mission, management, and culture. This case encourages students to address cultural change and the effects it will have on leader preparation in terms of the “alignment between espoused cultural values and actual management practices... [and how it can]... improve organizational performance” (Smart & St. John, 1996, p. 232).