There is little doubt about it: Colleges and universities are reluctant to change. They are large and diffuse organizations with few clear lines of control. Yet the external environment in which colleges and universities operate is changing quickly. The changes make it essential for institutions to implement at least some aspects of strategic…

A five-year plan for admissions in a large state university is presented that considers current and projected enrollment, budget, space, equipment, computer liaison, recruitment, research personnel, publications, orientation, and public relations. (MSE)

The process of project management is illustrated through application to one activity, development of a new brochure, within the admissions program of a fictional college. The project life cycle is described, and a work responsibility schedule, project completion schedule, and critical path chart are used as planning and implementation tools. (MSE)

Since the creative group is the agent for change, for developing innovative responses, a manager must create a climate in which a creative group can flourish. There are three steps to this process: setting the course, focusing the forces, and making the decision. Leadership and decision-making techniques already developed can aid in this process.…

The relationship of student major choice and other individual characteristics as reported in the American College Testing Program's (ACT) pre-college Assessment Program to persistence in the college major is examined for Michigan State University students. Implications for program planning are discussed. (MSE)

An August 1996 conference on innovation in college student services is described, including discussion of the University of Delaware's student services model, common factors in program development identified by participants, common barriers, and the innovations undertaken at a number of diverse higher education institutions around the country.…

Colleges and universities are using innovative methods to improve services that affect the institution's enrollment-management function, primarily in registration and information management. Registrars' offices can also promote academic excellence by incorporating honors into transcripts, participate in student recruitment by providing timely…

The college registrar can help campus information technology (IT) specialists identify/clarify new information management needs, by defining the business process within which the new task will function; determining the task's interaction requirements; listing details of the business process to be automated; letting IT professionals know the best…