D-Q University: Group study on leadership analysis
Group members: Sam Cade, Tim Gula, Leon Manto, Lesley Mumford, Rich Randolph
National University
LED 603
March 26, 2012

Introduction
The purpose of this paper is to identify and analyze power structures, leadership, systems, organizational culture, and ethics issues that contributed to D-Q University’s leadership failures. With the goal of re-establishing a more viable tribal college, the group will also identify leadership intervention approaches that will address these issues which are both highly interactive and, because of their magnitude, gravely complex.
Power Structures
Power Structures In Indian Universities
The power structures of American Universities vary greatly depending on the type of students they serve, the schools’ history and the culture of the community they assist. Some colleges have large boards of trustees while others have no recognizable power structure. Whatever the power structures, there has to be some semblance of fiscal responsibility, ethics, curriculum planning and oversight that will enhance the institutions’ longevity.
The role of the Board of Trustees
The primary role of the leadership structure in all universities is to provide the best educational program possible for the students. University trustees make all final decisions regarding school district priorities, personnel, textbooks, expenditures and growth management. Trustees adopt a budget that is necessary to maintain and operate the schools, levy taxes to support the budget and submit issues to the local government to finance projects deemed beneficial to the schools’ prosperity. (Hindery, 2006)
Since 2005, D-Q University's Board of Trustees has failed to hold a power structure that delivered progressive results towards maintaining any place in education. The board failed their leadership roles. The board members have consistently displayed their lack of knowledge, skills, and abilities to run a university which eventually caused the school to lose its accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. (May, 2003) Corruption was rampant. Board members spent donation money meant for student scholarships. They did nothing to hire teachers or re-start classes. They lost federal funding and failed to apply to have it re-instated. The Board repeatedly demonstrated incompetence to the point of negligence. Individual board members unlawfully exercised powers, committed fraud, abused the community and the students that the university was intended to serve, and misappropriated and converted funds donated for the use of the university to their own personal use. (May, 2003)
Typically, failing schools have dysfunctional cultures. Mediocre teaching is accepted and leadership is unable to influence teachers to perform. University leaders have to ensure that its structure is focused on accountability, achievement, and learning, and on creating stronger relationships between faculty and students with a clear focus on the university’s mission.
In addition to focusing on changing the culture of the university, the leaders need to address the power structure, systems in place, and even interventions to make sure that the curriculum is within standards. The leadership will have to ensure that they are not just dependent upon the whims of individuals and funding agencies, but also ensure that they will be able to function even if there is a change within the power structure. A competent leadership structure will ensure that the school will still be able to function as an organization and still be able to have clarity about its purpose. (Hindery, 2006)
Leadership is always a key ingredient within universities. Universities need to have people in place with roles that support the universities’ vision. The power structure within a university will need to have the ability to motivate the people around it with all members keenly aware that they have to share the responsibility. Leaders have to mobilize and recruit resources for the university. Good university leadership will attract good teachers. All universities need leadership to sustain good teachers because without a competent leader in place, teachers tend to suffer. Leadership is a critical asset in all this. Universities need leaders who know how to generate a sense of buy-in from the faculty and then from students, parents and community, and, equally important, know what it takes to ensure a university’s longevity.
Leadership
Cofounders
D-Q University was opened in September 1971. It was a dream of two American Indian scholars, David Risling (Hoopa) known as the ‘’father of Indian Education,’’ and Dr. Jack Forbes (Powhatan), professor emeritus and former chair of Native American studies at the University of California, Davis. The University was founded shortly after members of the American Indian Movement occupied Alcatraz Island in 1969. Risling taught agriculture and Forbes taught anthropology at local colleges. Through hard work and determination they created the Native American studies programs.
Early Leadership
These young leaders had this plan for not only making Indian culture part of mainstream education, which is what Native American studies was meant to accomplish, but also for creating another kind of education that would benefit Indian people and their culture: An education designed by and for Indians. (Valdata, 2006)
Their shared vision overall was to create the first Indian-Chicano university in the Americas. The ideal was great but they failed as leaders to understand the cultural differences between the Indians and Mexicans. The failure to understand, adapt, and embrace the differences in culture and values may have contributed to ineffective leadership over time. It appears Risling and Forbes certainly understood the risk of shared vision, however they did not have the infrastructure in place to effectively manage the cultural differences. The strong leadership of these men helped the University thrive for many years. Unfortunately, in the late 1990’s the school started to struggle.
Failure
In January 2005, after 30 years of being California’s only two-year tribal college, the school lost its accreditation and closed its doors. Art Apodaca, the university’s interim president, was dismissed by the Board of Trustees over a year later on accusations he squandered school funds. According to Hindery (2006), the Board of Trustees also rejected his proposal to boost enrollment by dividing D-Q into an Indian-only “D” school and separate, non-Indian “Q” school. The Trustees also criticized him for trying to chip away at the university’s tribal identity by wanting to create a Hispanic-dominated institution.
An analysis of this case study indicates that a clash of beliefs, values, and culture ultimately caused the downfall of this university. Two other areas leadership may have overlooked that had significant ramifications on the school were location and funding. If the school had been located on an Indian reservation, it would have, more likely than not, maintained the demographic standards required for federal funding as well as the community support of the local tribes. According to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), at least 51% of the tribal colleges’ students must come from federally recognized tribes. Valdata (2006) indicated that D-Q University’s enrollment of federally recognized tribal students had been well below the requirement, “as low as 10 percent according to attorney Howard Dickstein, who represented D-Q in the 1980s.” In comparison, Valdata indicated that the other successful Indian universities such as Haskell and Southwestern were “explicit” in their mission statements regarding the students they serve which are from federally recognized tribes “only.”
Systems
It is evident that there are underlying, failing systems that have largely contributed to D-Q University‘s struggle for success. Originally established as a movement that would bring together Chicanos, Cholos, and the North American tribal people (Forbes, Martin, & Risling, 1972, p. 3), this feat would prove to have far too many unspoken prejudices for a successful cross-cultural establishment. Likewise, within a system that would fail to gain sufficient funding in an effort to educate a middle and lower class, such a struggle would prove too great a hardship and restrain the school for acquiring the necessary funds to operate as planned. As D-Q began its efforts from the ground up, sufficient funding was a struggle from day one. Although the school was ultimately successful in obtaining government funding of $4,400 per student (Hindery, 2006, p. 1), without a large enough population, the school would fail to live within its means. Once facilitating a large portion of the 30,000 tribal student community, D-Q’s quickly lessening population in the late 2000’s has largely contributed to the school’s inability to stay afloat. As a downward spiral, with students failing to enroll and therefore, the government unable to subsidize per student, less and less young adults are being exposed to D-Q University through positive word-of-mouth, advertisement, or community participation; without the necessary funds to have a voice, the offerings of D-Q University go unheard. Although it seems a simple solution that the university obtain needed funds by means of the vast and successful tribal casino population, cultural boundaries seem to keep many of the North American tribal people from sharing amongst different tribes. It is hypothesized that because D-Q University was established as a cross-cultural learning environment that specific North American tribes have refrained from donating their funds. Typically seen amongst many North American tribes, these tribes have significantly supported their internal communities but have placed little consideration outside their immediate community. As D-Q attempts to break the mold of tradition, they continue a struggle to build successful systems that begin with the needed funding in place. Without proper funding, the university will likely continue in its failure to obtain the student volume needed for successful sustainment.
Organizational Culture
The organizational culture of D-Q University has been in disarray since its initial establishment. Jack Forbes, David Risling and Carl Gorman who were all of Native American Indian (Indian) descent were the original founders of D-Q University. D-Q University was in disarray as it lacked a shared vision from the various groups that had an interest in D-Q University. The main groups were the original founders, the occupiers, and the free agents.
The Original Founders
The original founders of D-Q University had a vision of providing alternative ideas and methods of education to Native American people. This included Indian and Native Mexican Indian (Chicano) populations. The original founders had the know how to deal with the legal process of obtaining the land. They understood the process necessary to obtain the land and when they were met with government resistance, they were able to successfully challenge the resistance. The original founders had the knowledge along with a strong educational background to fight the legal battle.
The Occupiers
As the Indian and Chicano population became aware of the parcel of land that was available near Davis, California, a group of them started to organize. At the same time, another protest was taking place at Alcatraz in San Francisco Bay. While the Alcatraz protest was ongoing, the Indian and Chicano population took control of the D-Q site on their own. These were the original occupiers. The original occupiers lacked the knowledge to fight the legal battle to obtain the site. They were more of a non-peaceful identity of D-Q, which actually hurt more than helped the cause. It appears that they lacked the shared vision of the original founders and their main goal was to obtain the land, regardless of what they would use it for. The main asset this group possessed was their voice via their actions. When the government squashed the Alcatraz protest, some of the protesters made it to the D-Q site. These protesters were the free agents.
The Free Agents
The free agents contributed nothing to the D-Q cause. They were mostly leftovers from the Alcatraz protests that preferred to stay at the D-Q site as it provided them with food and shelter. They took on a more violent protest type behavior and often appeared drunk. There were even reports of drug use from this group. The free agents created more harm than good.
The Solution
To maintain possession of this site, the land must be used for educational purposes. To use it for educational purposes, all parties involved must develop a shared vision, which focuses on education. By establishing a shared vision, it will allow all the different groups to effectively establish funding, marketing and recruitment plans. Without such plans under a shared vision approach, the different groups will be working again in disarray.
Ethical issues
Violation of financial regulations
In Hindery (2006), the Department of Education in 2004 found that university administrators had withdrawn $350,000 from the school's permanent endowment to pay salaries and expenses, and issued Pell Grants to students who were either no longer enrolled or no longer eligible because of poor grades. Because of lack of financial support for the school and the students, the school resorted to unethical means to meet its and the students’ financial needs. Note: According to Gerard Gipp, executive director of American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC), the tribal colleges received about $4,400 per student from the federal government - far less than their average annual expenses required. (Hindery, 2006)
Eviction of students from campus
Although the eviction of students from campus can be justified as a safety and health issue where the school had potential liability, there is a deeper question of ethical responsibility for the students’ welfare, especially the ones who were fully dependent on grants and scholarships for their support. Especially because the loss of accreditation and consequent loss of funding were the administrators’ fault, the school should have at least provided a transition plan for the students that would have enabled them to transfer to another tribal college or find employment and housing within a reasonable period of time. Gaming and other tribes’ lack of financial support
D-Q University was an organization that cut across tribal lines and therefore represented all Indian tribes. Unfortunately, gaming tribes and any other tribe are supportive of their own tribes first. With a tribe’s finite resources and singular focus of self-sufficiency, supporting other tribes is not given a priority. According to Lehman Brightman, there are at least 30 cash-rich gaming tribes in California but not even one has provided financial support to the only tribal college in the state. (Brightman, Q.P, 2010)
In addressing the ethical issues, we must look for the underlying issues in order to find the long-term solution vice the symptomatic solution. For example, the commission of fraud by issuing Pell grants to ineligible students or using scholarship money to pay for salaries and expenses can not be addressed by simply dismissing and replacing the guilty parties. Strict fiscal policy, i.e., clear decision guidelines regarding expenditures and an efficient audit process, will remove the potential for future financial rules violations. When budget resources simply do not meet financial requirements, the board will need to find ways to increase the school’s revenue or reduce expenses. Further, since the school is the only tribal college in the state and thus represents all the Indian tribes, it is ethically and morally right for the tribes with financial resources (gaming tribes) to help in resolving the school’s financial situation. The school board will need to petition both government (e.g., Bureau of Indian Affairs) and non-government (e.g., AIHEC) organizations in soliciting this help. Simultaneously, the school board may also start local programs that support economic self-reliance for students (e.g., production and marketing of agricultural products).

Conclusion
D-Q University is not ready to re-open its doors because it does not have a competent power structure, shared vision, effective leadership, efficient organizational systems, organizational culture that is unifying, and clear ethical guidelines. These issues are clearly interactive: Organizational culture is disparate and leadership is ineffective because there is no shared vision; organizational systems are not efficient, if not completely lacking, because of an incompetent power structure; power structure is incompetent and ethical guidelines are blurred because the loose organizational culture permits it. Given the wide variety of interacting challenges, a systems thinking leadership approach may be best suited to achieve a fundamental, long-term strategic solution.
In conjunction with system thinking approach, adaptive leadership with an emphasis on Group Relations and Organizational Culture is also recommended. Given the magnitude of the school’s problems with culture, money, trust, and community support, leading and coordinating adaptive work by all stakeholders (to include the other tribes in the state) would be crucial as D-Q University moves forward.

References
Brightman, Q. P. (2010, March 31). Community leaders want to re-open DQ-University. Central Valley News. Retrieved from http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2010/03/31
Forbes, J. D., Martin, K. R., & Risling, D. (1972). The establishment of D-Q University: An example of successful Indian-Chicano community development. Davis, California: D-Q University.
Hindery, R. (2006, August 13). California’s only tribal college close to collapse after 35 years. North County Times. Retrieved from http://www.nctimes.com/news/state-and-regional
May, J. (2003, September 26). Despite struggles, DQ University looks to the future. IndianCountryTodayMediaNetwork.com. Retrieved from http://www.indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/ictarchives/2003/09/26
Valdata, P. (2006, April 20). The rebirth of D-Q university. Diverse issues in higher education. Retrieved from http://www.FindArticles.com//p/articles/mi_m0WMX/is_5_23/ai_n16418667