The discussion identifies the needs of university researchers for information technology (IT), describes the technologies available, and illustrates by examples the impact of new technologies on university research. Provision of IT resources for researchers is examined, and key strategies for IT adoption are suggested. (Author/MSE)

The key to the success of decision support systems will be the way that institutional researchers integrate the variety of specific and personal systems into a viable and coordinated institutionwide system. (Author/MLW)

Perceptions of college institutional research directors concerning the quality of executive decision making at their institutions were studied. Perceptions were assessed using a theoretical model of Groupthink developed by Janis, who postulates that a high amount of environmental stress should lead to a greater degree of…

It is suggested that small- and medium-sized public universities without a commercial tradition reorganize the research administration function to serve as information clearinghouses, conduct "business intelligence," and identify new technologies and entrepreneurs among researchers. Research administration could include other practical functions…

A comparison of the patent policies of 65 research universities focused on the equity rights of universities in employee inventions, procedures for distribution of patent policies and disclosure of inventions, and income distribution to inventors. Some historical perspective for these practices is offered. (Author/MSE)

A survey of 49 university and other research administrators investigated attitudes concerning research productivity and measures to assess it. Results are compared with those of an earlier survey of research scientists, including a rank-order comparison of the relative importance of a number of productivity measures. Implications for demonstrating…

The role of the college public relations office in finding and disseminating interesting information about in-house scientific research is discussed, and some suggestions are offered. Strategies for seeking out stories on campus and for managing contact with the media are detailed. Conflicts that the public relations professional may encounter are…

Academicians can determine by their own acts whether outsiders can, by subpoena, compel disclosure of their research. Institutional employment policies limiting the amount and nature of outside consultation and information policies establishing the confidentiality of data acquired in research will limit the extent to which disclosure can be…

Because of a fundamental shift in the way decisions are being made in colleges and universities, institutional researchers in the twenty-first century will no longer merely collect, analyze, and disseminate information to support decision making. They must also become information architects, change agents, and consultants of choice within their…

The Finnish Minister of Education and Science discusses what national authorities in most contexts expect of higher education, with some attention given to the Finnish context. Issues examined include innovation, expansion of educational opportunity, demands for educational quality and relevance, research priorities and quality, responsibility for…

Changes in staffing patterns of Finnish universities are examined, particularly the increase in administrative staff in relation to academic staff. Explanations are offered for the decrease in maintenance, service, and auxiliary research and teaching personnel. New skills that are required in these areas and relations between administrative and…

Four themes appear consistently in discussions of college and university institutional research in the twenty-first century: accelerating change, need for information access, need for better comparative data, and the dilemma that occurs when institutional research offices are required to provide both policy analysis and technological competence.…

The way in which changes in overall university funding can affect systems for paying staff, and in turn affect faculty career patterns and mobility, is examined. Data on pay, responsibilities, and qualifications of different faculty ranks in 8 countries (Sweden, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan, United States) are compared. (MSE)

A study in a new university investigated the relative importance of six factors (job security/promotion, availability of research resources, contribution to university mission, personal stimulation/challenge, colleague relationship, and professional recognition/development) on research commitment and productivity. Discipline, rank, and gender were…