Powers, Shannon, authorMakela, Carole, advisorEnns, Kellie, committee memberFoley, Jeffrey, committee memberShue, Carolyn, committee member2015-08-282015-08-282015http://hdl.handle.net/10217/167187A major barrier to the reform of intercollegiate athletics is its cultural significance in higher education. Major culture change has not occurred and few studies have examined culture within Division I athletic departments (Schroeder, 2010). The specific aim of this study was to understand how the following elements of a collegiate athletic department interact with one another: institutional culture, leadership and power, internal and the external environments. Data collection included 42 interviews; an 8 day on-campus observation period by the researcher of the athletic department; events such as graduation and sporting events; archival data on alumni; the university website for media guides, financial and academic data; news and social media sites such as Twitter. Analysis of data entailed complete transcription of all interviews and notes, entry into the computer, followed by coding procedures outlined by Strauss and Corbin (1990) and LeCompte and Schensul (1999). A strong partnership between institutional and internal athletic department was based upon mutual objective of student academic achievement. An antiquated mentality toward women in head coaching and leadership roles, a deficit mentality, and economic woes were evident in the culture. These findings may be prevalent in many DI universities attempting to keep up with the few independently funded intercollegiate programs. A multiple case study using Schroeder’s (2010) framework across several DI institutions may support similar findings.born digitaldoctoral dissertationsengCopyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright.Division Iqualitative case studysportsintercollegiate athleticsculturereformText