The allocation of funds to public colleges based on performance criteria rather than activity or enrolment criteria is often described as performance funding. In the United States, performance funding policies have become a frequently used instrument of higher education accountability. The history of such policies, however, is a complex one, with…

American higher education is an enterprise of complex heritage, mission, and governance culture--an enterprise expected to serve as both cultural curator and cultural critic. Contemporary issues such as the call for accountability and the pressure of marketplace ideology present colleges and universities with a possible breakpoint change moment in…

Administration is a "performing art" whose trust is the orchestration of talent. Colleges and universities do not exist to be administered, but those who teach and learn can be impeded or encouraged by the quality of administration at every point, from department to institution. The two guiding principles in administration are purpose and…

Questions of college performance in the United States are inevitably answered in terms of numbers rather than performance. A Tennessee policy links two percent of state funding to outcomes rather than size. The policy has major implications for funding and performance in colleges and other service-oriented institutions. (Author/MLW)

Discussion of quality assurance in colleges and universities looks at theories and definitions of quality; four approaches to quality (traditional peer review, the assessment-and-outcomes movement, the Total Quality Management movement, and accountability and performance indicator reporting); the moral and ethical dimensions of quality; and ideals…