It is argued that research testing the reliability and validity of college and university reputational studies should be conducted, a concern not raised by consumers and publishers. Two studies of "America's Best Colleges," published by "U.S. News and World Report," raise questions about the guide's validity and suggest that…

Concerns about published comparisons of colleges and universities are organized into a framework to guide further research. A systematic method for addressing specific issues about the guides is presented, and the environment in which the guides are used is examined. Research needed to assure that the guides make a valued contribution and are fair…

Paine College, a four-year liberal arts institution in Augusta, Georgia, serving mostly black students recently completed an assessment and evaluation plan aimed at all units of the college. The plan was developed by members of the Committee on Institutional Effectiveness and Research over 12 months and focuses on the school's primary mission to…

Drawing on four examples of institutional research undertaken at San Joaquin Delta College (SJDC), this paper offers six principles to help researchers make their work more relevant and to enable decision makers to utilize research more effectively. The research examples provide brief descriptions of the need for, methodology of, and findings of…

A procedure for developing a costing model is described. Limitations of a cost analysis are also reviewed, with attention to the problems of handling joint products, obtaining accurate faculty effort data, measuring educational outputs, and calculating marginal costs. A researcher charged with developing a costing model is faced with the task of…

The way that planning tools can be used to evaluate the economic consequences of implementing new academic programs at Grambling State University (GSU) is considered. The focus is projecting cost behavior for planning and decision making. The following planning tools are examined: cost-volume-revenue analysis, cost behavior analysis and least…

Identifies components of a comprehensive assessment of an educational institution's external environment; i.e., demographic trends, social indicators, economic trends, political change, technological advances, changes in the workplace, advances in information technologies, and value shifts. (DMM)

Some of the most commonly available and widely used tests and questionnaires relevant to campus assessment programs in subject areas, attitudes and satisfaction of students and former students, and other outcomes areas are listed. (MSE)

This study evaluated effects of two governmental financial aid programs to increase student access to higher education: the Florida Bright Futures Scholarships (FBFS) and the Federal Tuition Tax Credit (FHOPE). The FBFS program, similar to the Georgia HOPE (Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally) scholarship program, rewards academic performance…

Graduate education is entering an era of market segmentation, varying student demand, and changing requirements from employers, meaning graduate students will assess graduate opportunities differently and institutions will assess programs differently. The traditional view of graduate study as preparation for a research or teaching career 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.…

During the 1980s, a difficult period for many colleges and universities, the University of Michigan was able to respond successfully to changing circumstances. The university has conducted three analyses (costs, staffing, revenue) that have led to recommendations in the areas of organizational cultural change, a quality approach to strategic…

Analysis of data from a national survey of about 1,000 college faculty found African-American faculty reported higher levels of occupational stress than white counterpart, especially in areas of research and service activities. Possible effects of extra-academic assignments given to African-American faculty are considered. (Author/MSE)

In college administration, a climate for adaptive change should be created using the philosophy, processes, and tools of Total Quality Management in combination with other management innovations. An enterprise-wide infrastructure for distributing information on demand for decision makers to monitor institutional performance should be built.…

Although different in nature from academic activities, college fund raising also requires planning and management. To develop more responsive executive information systems, development officers must take the lead, ask the right questions, and work closely with campus institutional researchers, registrars, enrollment managers, and computer…