ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Trust does not collapse because people disagree. It collapses when people believe the truth was hidden. In this episode, Dr. Richard Roman shares findings from his dissertation on how state legislators decide whether public universities deserve their trust and continued support.
Drawing on 25 interviews with legislators across seven battleground states, Richard explains why outcomes matter, why dishonesty can become a turning point, and how a problem disclosed through the news can look more like concealment than transparency. He calls this turning point the deception threshold.
You’ll learn:
- Why legislators judge universities by results and public impact
- How trust can break when institutions conceal, minimize, or deflect
- Why trust violations can shape an institution’s reputation long after the event
- How relationships built before a crisis make honest disclosure easier to hear
- Why extension services and community partners can serve as trusted bridges
- What leaders can do to rebuild credibility through transparency, consistency, and follow-through
Although the research focuses on public land-grant universities, the lessons apply to any organization accountable to outside stakeholders, including funders, regulators, boards, and communities.
For leaders seeking practical ways to strengthen stakeholder trust and institutional legitimacy, this conversation offers ideas they can put to work right away.
Find Richard on Substack and at Trusted Arc Labs for more writing on trust, leadership, and institutional legitimacy. His dissertation research, Trust at the Threshold: Stakeholder Confidence and Institutional Legitimacy in Public Land-Grant Universities, is available upon request.
