The case of a fictitious small, private college illustrates how such colleges may require planning strategies differing from those used by other institutions. Such "enlightened brinkmanship" requires exceptional intuitive and market-oriented skills among campus leaders and faculty and a well-run organization. (MSE)

The director of physical plant at Rhodes College in Memphis has primary responsibility for all architectural work done on campus and recommends architects to the trustees. He also coordinates all related budgets and contracts and is an integral participant in developing the long-range master plan. His responsibilities are described. (MLW)

Since the late 1960s, Messiah College, a small, church-related college in rural Pennsylvania, has operated an urban satellite campus in Philadelphia in collaboration with Temple University, a public institution in that city. The campus makes accessible to students of both institutions the best of both private and public, urban and rural, and small…

A consortium of 12 small, private liberal arts colleges in the Great Lakes region has shown that by working together, the institutions can provide major opportunities for faculty professional development through conferences and workshops. (MSE)

This study investigated the role and scope of institutional research in regionally accredited, private colleges with a headcount enrollment of less than 3000 students located in the southeastern United States. The study queried 252 individuals (155 responses) who were primarily responsible for institutional research about the activities and role…

Bradford College (Massachusetts), a small liberal arts college, used creative planning to revitalize the institution despite fiscal constraints. Decisions and actions since 1981 are reviewed in terms of first steps (revitalizing faculty affairs), finding a new president, reorganizing the curriculum, planning noncurricular changes, and developing…

Strategic planning can successfully counter crises threatening a college's survival by clarifying the mission, by shaping institutional reorganization and curriculum development and by focusing marketing efforts and attracting new support. Crisis background, financial exigency, and reorganizing strategically are discussed. (MLW)

A case study of a small, private, selective college that made institutional changes to respond to needs of disabled students found that changes needed to effectively serve this group are complex and multidimensional. Six key factors facilitating organizational change are identified, changes are cited, and suggestions for further improvement are…

A small, private, liberal arts college whose library had been found unsatisfactory during accreditation transformed the library by placing it in the same reporting structure as academic and administrative computing and telecommunications. Application of strategic planning and organizational theory smoothed the transition by modifying central…

Franklin and Marshall College concluded it would come closer to its educational goals by reducing its size. Use of a planning model to project institutional finances based on tuition, gift, grant, and enrollment estimates predicts a potential major improvement in the college's position. (MSE)

This book presents the story of small colleges in American higher education and how they can best respond to meet contemporary challenges. Chapter 1, an introduction, discusses the importance of the topic, small schools' strategic strengths, and market and institutional realities. Chapter 2 looks at the history of the small liberal arts college,…

Data from a 2002 study indicate that small private colleges have been closing at an alarming rate. These institutions seldom possess the resources that might enable them to respond flexibly to changes in their environment, and rising operating costs and inadequate endowments leave them at a competitive disadvantage compared with public colleges…

This monograph on facilities renewal at small colleges offers six case studies illustrating how these small private colleges and universities managed and funded deferred maintenance. The case studies were all written by facilities directors from institutions that developed innovative strategic plans to revitalize their physical plants. The first…

A definitive look at the field of alumni administration is presented, noting that the subject has until now received little attention. The 34 chapters are divided into nine sections: an overview of alumni administration; alumni as an essential resource; people management; budget and records; programming; communications; alumni education programs…

Trustees at three small, independent colleges were interviewed to determine how trustees could contribute to a college's revitalization. Based on these interviews, several ways in which trustees can help individually and collectively with a college's revitalization were identified. The three colleges were located in different states and regions…