The most pressing social problems facing humanity in the 21st century are what systems theorist Russell Ackoff referred to as "messes"--complex dynamic systems of problems that interact and reinforce each other over time. In this article, the authors argue that the lack of progress in managing messes is in part due to the predominance of…

This paper provides examples of Aid-to-Thought uses in urban decision making, classroom laboratory planning, and in a ship antiaircraft defense system. Aid-to-Thought modeling and simulations are tools students can use effectively in a STEM classroom while meeting Standards for Technological Literacy Benchmarks O and R. These projects prepare…

School counselors represent an integral part of a quality educational program designed to meet the personal, social, academic, and career development needs of today's students. Michigan school districts are experiencing and reporting a significant shortage of qualified and appropriately credentialed school counselors. A statewide initiative was…

Reports on a study of the perceptions of 42 top- and middle-level administrators at 4 community colleges concerning the planning models and decision-making processes used at their college. Reports that both rural colleges relied on a consensus model, whereas the two urban colleges used autocracy and rational models respectively. (DMM)

Universities and colleges across the country are faced with growth in the campus population and the loss of surface parking lots for new buildings. The response of many institutions is to build new garages with the assumption that parking demand ratios will remain the same. Such an approach, however, can be extremely expensive--upwards of …