This study develops and applies a discourse analytical framework for examining how dependency and autonomy are linguistically constructed in the inaugural addresses of three Ghanaian Vice-Chancellors. Grounded in Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) and clause complex theory, the study investigates how grammatical structures, expansion relations, and interpersonal meanings encode institutional authority, academic independence, and hierarchical dependency within higher education leadership discourse. The research adopts a qualitative textual analytical design (Creswell, 1994), focusing on clause complexing patterns, modality choices, and discourse strategies that reflect leadership ideology. The analytical lens is informed by Hallidayan grammar (Halliday, 1994; Halliday & Matthiessen, 2014) and supported by prior discourse studies on institutional speech patterns (Eggins, 2004; Eid, 2016). Findings reveal that Vice-Chancellors strategically balance dependency and autonomy through clause expansion, modality shifts, and interpersonal positioning, reflecting both institutional accountability and leadership independence. The study contributes a refined discourse model for analyzing academic leadership rhetoric in African higher education contexts.