Date of Award

Spring 2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

School of Public Service

Program/Concentration

Public Administration and Policy

Committee Director

Adam Eckerd

Committee Member

Marina Saitgalina

Committee Member

Mitchell Williams

Abstract

This study answers the question: "When faced with an existential crisis, indicated by declines in key performance indicators, how do public leaders make decisions?" The research uses the Garbage Can Model and Incrementalism combined theoretical framework to explore how public administrators navigate crises in complex, hierarchical, and bureaucratic structures where unpredictable challenges often demand adaptive responses. This study offers insights into decision-making processes that blend reactive, opportunistic choices with measured, gradual adjustments.

The findings from this research contribute to the field of public administration by examining the decision-making strategies used by leaders at public community colleges in Virginia during a period of existential crisis characterized by consistent year-to-year enrollment declines, financial challenges, and evolving demographic dynamics from the academic years of 2017-2018 through 2022-2023. This case study approach focuses on three Virginia community colleges—Paul D. Camp Community College, Tidewater Community College, and Virginia Peninsula Community College. It provides a rich quantitative data analysis that examines key performance indicators (KPIs) of enrollment trends, graduation rates, and budget information. Qualitative interviews with college administrators provide a deeper understanding of the organizational strategies and decisions in response to the existential crisis.

Rights

In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

DOI

10.25777/zdb2-2c92

ISBN

9798293841868

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