| The purpose of this study was to compare the higher education environments of Michigan, a state with constitutional autonomy, with Illinois, a state with statutory status to determine the extent to which they differed on collaboration, cooperation, and competitiveness within their state systems.;A total of 369 University administrators, including presidents, provosts, vice presidents, and deans, was asked to complete an original survey developed specifically for this study. Of this number, 92 returned their completed surveys for a response rate of 24.9%. Three research questions were posed to determine perceptions of collaboration, cooperation, and competitiveness as compared by university system, position of respondent, and Carnegie level. Ancillary findings were used to determine if differences existed between the two states in terms of current and emerging levels of autonomy in their universities.;No differences were found in perceptions of collaboration, cooperation, and competition by university administrators in autonomous and nonautonomous environments, by administrative position in autonomous and nonautonomous environments, or by Carnegie level of institutions in autonomous and nonautonomous environments. The ratings of current levels of collaboration, cooperation, and competition did not differ between Illinois and Michigan, although a significant difference was found in regards to ratings of autonomy and state control. Michigan respondents were more likely to rate autonomy as high, while Illinois respondents rated state control as high. When asked if they would like to see state control of the university increased, decreased, or unchanged, Michigan participants indicated unchanged, while Illinois participants reported either unchanged or decreased.;Based on the findings of this study, both types of environments, autonomous and non-autonomous, were in agreement on collaboration, cooperation, and competition. While each state university system operates differently, the individual universities have developed means to work effectively within their respective environments to continue to provide students with quality educational experiences. |
