Conceptual Framework – Presidential Leadership & AI Governance

Theoretical Frameworks

Lenses for Leadership Under Disruption

Complexity Leadership Theory — Uhl-Bien & Marion
Sensemaking Theory — Weick
Institutional Theory — DiMaggio & Powell
Shared Governance — AAUP frameworks

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Theoretical Frameworks

Lenses for Leadership Under Disruption

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Identity & Positionality

Practitioner-Scholar at the Intersection

Director of Research Systems & Analytics, R1 institution
Ed.D. candidate, Higher Education Leadership
Systems thinker — mathematics, IT, research governance
Goal: university/college presidency in the age of AI

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Identity & Positionality

Practitioner-Scholar at the Intersection

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Contextual Problem

The Governance Vacuum AI Has Created

AI disrupting faculty, research, and accreditation simultaneously
Conflicting federal guidance — NIH, NSF, DOE
No established presidential playbook for AI governance
Shared governance not built for this pace of change

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Contextual Problem

The Governance Vacuum AI Has Created

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Topical Research Areas

What the Literature Is (and Isn't) Saying

AI adoption in higher education institutions
Presidential decision-making under uncertainty
Shared governance and authority negotiation
Gap: presidential AI governance largely unstudied

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Topical Research Areas

What the Literature Is (and Isn't) Saying

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Central Research Question

How do presidents and provosts at R1 and regional comprehensive universities exercise leadership, authority, and governance in response to AI integration pressures across their institutions?

What leadership strategies emerge in the absence of clear AI policy? How is authority negotiated across governance structures? What distinguishes institutions governing AI well from those that are not?

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Research Question

The Governing Inquiry

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Literature Review

Scholarly Foundation & Contribution

Higher education leadership and presidential decision-making
AI ethics and governance in organizational contexts
Law, policy, and compliance in higher education
Complexity science applied to institutional transformation

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Literature Review

Scholarly Foundation & Contribution

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Significance

Why This Matters Now

First generation governing AI at institutional scale
Findings transferable to senior leadership practice
Original framework where none currently exists
Platform for publication, speaking, and positioning

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Significance

Why This Matters Now

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Methodology

Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis

Data: Elite interviews — presidents, provosts, VPRs
Documents: Institutional AI governance frameworks
Analysis: Thematic / cross-case pattern analysis
Validity: Member checking, reflexive positionality

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Methodology

Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis

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Implications

For Practice & the Field

Leadership framework for governing AI at institutional scale
Guidance for boards and presidential search committees
Policy recommendations for federal/accreditation alignment
Curriculum for leadership preparation programs

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Implications

For Practice & the Field

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