| Summary: | Patterns of moral judgment exhibited by institutional candidates and fellows in the American Council on Education Fellows Program in Leadership for Higher Education 1988/1989 and 1989/1990 were explored in this study. The fellowship program selection process produced a group of institutional candidates with the high level of moral judgment development necessary for successful leadership in higher education administration. The goals of the program may be best served by minor improvements which will enhance a sound process. The results indicate that moral judgment development was not a significant factor in the selection of fellows. Salary and years of administrative experience, however, were related to selection. Candidates with higher salaries were more likely to be selected as fellows and tended to have lower levels of moral judgment development. The study revealed that there are variables affecting the selection and further investigation is necessary to determine which variables affect the selection and if they contribute to the goals of the fellowship program. Participation in the fellowship program did not significantly affect the fellows' level of moral judgment development as a group. The fellowship program did, however, have a positive impact on the upper third subgroup of fellows and a negative impact on the lower third subgroup. The performance of the upper third indicated that they have the potential to make a significant contribution to higher education administration. The middle third subgroup's performance indicated it is in a position to benefit significantly from program adjustments which enhance the fellows' awareness and broaden their perspective of the social milieu, within which higher education functions. Performance of the lower third indicated that the fellowship program might be adapted to meet the needs of this subgroup. Further study of other variables separating these three subgroups is needed. A longitudinal study could be completed to determine if candidates in the three subgroups went on to make the contributions in higher education administration this study implied they were equipped to make.
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