Abstract:

Universities operate as complex organizational ecosystems in which faculty and administrators perform distinct yet interdependent roles. Tensions between faculty and administrators are widely discussed in scholarly research and practitioner publications such as The Chronicle of Higher Education and Inside Higher Ed, which frequently highlight how misalignments between roles can affect morale, productivity, and institutional effectiveness. While these discussions illuminate some of the challenges of collaboration across academic and administrative roles, less attention has been given to how institutions construct and communicate these roles, and their interactions and interdependencies, through organizational documents such as job descriptions. These documents represent an important institutional artifact that communicates expectations regarding authority, responsibility, and professional identity.

This study examines how faculty and administrative roles are constructed through job descriptions in higher education institutions. Using qualitative document analysis, the research analyzes position descriptions across multiple institutions to identify patterns in language related to teaching, governance, leadership, communication, and institutional service. Particular attention is given to how responsibilities are framed and how institutional priorities are embedded within role definitions.

Preliminary analysis suggests that faculty roles are commonly framed around disciplinary expertise, teaching, and scholarly autonomy, while administrative roles emphasize coordination, strategic planning, and compliance. These distinctions may reinforce different professional identities and perspectives regarding decision-making authority, communication practices, and timelines for institutional change.

By examining how institutions articulate these roles in formal documents, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of the structural dynamics shaping faculty–administrator relationships. The findings offer insights into how institutional role definitions may influence collaboration, communication, and perceptions of responsibility within the higher education ecosystem.

Keywords:

Higher education, faculty–administrator relationships, organizational roles academic identity institutional governance university ecosystems.