Strategic Management Upside Down: Tracking Strategies at McGill University from 1829 to 1980

Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences, Dec 2003 by Mintzberg, Henry, Rose, Jan

Although the perception in the university is that this 1960 decision was a turning point in its history, Figure 4 suggests that it was, perhaps, a significant step in a trend line that went back to the 1930s, albeit toward the provincial sphere and away from the federal one. Indeed, the angle of the curve of government grants (i.e., the rate of exponential growth, rather than absolute numbers) from the late 1930s to the mid 1950s matches that after 1962.

Buildings

Figure 5 shows our data for the number of buildings constructed, acquired, and subjected to major alterations. Floor space would have been a more accurate measure of this, if available throughout, but number of buildings does give an indication of activity here.

Until just after the turn of the century, despite the abundance of land owned by the university (25 acres of which, sold in 1858-1860 to cover debts, includes some of the most expensive real estate in Montreal today), building activity was sporadic, with our records showing a total of 10 buildings constructed in 75 years, and none acquired or altered.

Then this activity picked up quickly. The first recorded acquisitions, four in all, took place in 1905 and major construction began in 1907, especially for Medicine, but also Engineering and Agriculture, with 11 buildings in that year alone. Thereafter, while single acquisitions took place periodically, construction occurred on a much more regular basis (in particular for Agriculture, Medicine, and Science, as well as for support activities), although after 1915 not more than one or two buildings were added in a single year. This continued right through the Depression (even with mounting deficits), to the end of World War Two, after which, due to the degradation of existing facilities during the war as well as the influx of veteran students, there began the most extensive building activity in the university's history. Fourteen buildings were constructed in 1950 alone, six in 1961, and eight in 1965. (The university grew in size from 1.2 million square feet in 1959 to 5 million in 1971.) This growth slowed somewhat in the 1970s.

Acquisitions, which picked up in the 1940s, also continued to the end of the study period, peaking at six in both 1961 and 1975. Major alteration, which began in 1926, also became more steadily active from the early 1960s to the end of the study period, peaking at seven in 1978.

Structure and Governance

Finally, we consider various aspects of the administrative structure of the university, including the development of its support services, the evolution of its two main governance bodies, and the growth of its administrative staff.

McGill University today, perhaps typical of large North American universities of its kind, employs almost three other people for every faculty member. In other words, for everyone who actually delivers the basic services (teaching and research), three others support that, either directly (libraries, computing centre, etc.) or indirectly (maintenance, payroll, secretarial, student residences, fund raising, etc.). But this has not always been the case; this kind of mix developed over the course of the 20th century, across academic institutions in general (even if some "outsourcing" has become popular in recent years).