Endangered small, private colleges can take steps toward survival, including mission clarification, expanding services to existing and potential clienteles, introducing management by objectives, and developing public relations and fund raising. Long-range options include avoiding the postsecondary mainstream and striving for efficiency of…

The magnitude of funds needed to rectify the college deferred maintenance crisis make a quick fix unrealistic. However, by increasing funding levels and shifting spending patterns over time, institutions can address the problem without jeopardizing other goals and projects. A consortium of higher education associations recommends a…

Faced with deteriorating physical plants, a need for new facilities, and a shortage of financial aid funds, colleges and universities have become players in a debt-financing game, which can hasten the organization's demise. The board must ensure that today's securities do not become tomorrow's junk bonds. (Author/MSE)

College mergers have taken many forms and created a variety of legal relationships. Suggestions for those new to the experience include these: informed personal leadership of trustees and presidents may be crucial; difficulties should be recognized from the outset; and the process should begin with studied choice and in friendship. (MSE)

To help new regents understand the serious nature of their responsibilities, Oklahoma requires them to take 15 hours of classes, including 2 hours on ethics. The program sets a new standard for higher education governance, intended to increase committed leadership, public respect, competitive and nationally recognizable programs, and student…

When governing boards address problems piecemeal and develop present-tense solutions, it is thinking operationally, not strategically. A shift to strategic planning involves analyzing the board's use of meeting time, asking bold questions about the institution's purpose, and committing to change. A well-planned retreat can begin the changeover.…

Eighteen suggestions are provided that might make life easier for the traditional president's spouse who plays a role of deep involvement in the life of the institution. They include: planning, developing a list of activities, being visible in the community, developing a personnel file. (MLW)

An effective energy conservation program, it is suggested, will require institutional changes and capital costs. The energy problem is seen as not simply a technical problem but a management one requiring the attention of the entire campus community. Some energy saving tips are provided, including quick fix items and investments. (MLW)

The article presents key demographic facts and trends to guide long range planning by institutions of higher education. Effects on future enrollments of such trends as increased ethnic diversity are identified. Consequently, trustees are encouraged to support structural flexibility in programs of study and changes in the direction of increased…

This article discusses five high priority internal or institutional issues cited by respondents to a survey of higher education leaders. They are (1) tuition policy and financing, (2) cost control and productivity, (3) planning and budgeting, (4) capital renewal and replacement, and (5) research funding. (DB)

A small, Catholic college curtailed expenses without damaging programs by involving faculty, administration, and trustees in a detailed contingency planning process that resulted in a report stressing quality over quantity and outlining short- and long-term strategies for institutional planning. (MSE)

Priority internal administrative issues include tuition policy and financing, capital renewal and replacement, faculty and staff salaries and benefits, minority hiring and enrollment, and costs and productivity. Although costs and minority issues are more prominent than in recent past, endowment management, debt financing, and charitable…