This report presents the recommendations of the Alabama Commission on Higher Education concerning funding for public colleges and universities in the state for 1998-99. Two recommendations are provided by the commission. The first recommendation is a statement of the Commission's estimate of the financial requirements needed to support the…

Public universities, especially those in state systems, are facing a crisis in governance, the result of divisive conflicts on state campuses and of deadening constraints from state capitals. Each campus must develop a clear statement of its purposes and priorities. (MLW)

The search process for a new president at Salisbury State University (Maryland) yielded lessons for other institutions operating under open meeting (sunshine) laws. Factors found important in the process include search committee cohesiveness, committee leadership viewed by constituencies as open and objective, a single voice speaking for the…

Assessment is one of the most beneficial activities a university can undertake. Assessment proceeds through four stages that are discussed including: readiness, implementation, acceptance, and commitment. (MLW)

The Articulation Agreement was developed by the Division of Community Colleges and the State University System of Florida and was approved by the State Board of Education in April 1971. The Agreement provides a basic framework within which students who complete programs under specified conditions are assured that their work will be accepted as…

The world of system chief executive officers (CEOs), including how their responsibilities differ from those of campus presidents, is discussed by the chancellor of the University System of South Texas. The system CEO's responsibilities include nurturing, leading, and managing. (MLW)

In its search for a new president, the University of Michigan was forced, under open meeting laws, to invent a semi-public search, with governing board members unable to talk privately with search advisory committee members. However, the four outstanding candidates were brought into the process before it became public; next time, the search might…

This paper explores the State University of New York's (SUNY) 34-year history as a background to planning the system's direction as it moves into the next century. The paper's specific focus is on the University's own internal planning mechanisms and its response to recommendations made by the independent review bodies periodically charged with…

This report documents the development of a long-range plan for instructional telecommunications in the Kansas Regents system. It was assumed from the outset that the plan would include provision for educational programs in the communities outside the state universities and would, in fact, extend to include a statewide computer network. The…

Describes a survey of librarians in the California State University that examined the extent of professional staff participation in decision making. Organizational structures that facilitate participative management are identified, and librarians' perceptions of its degree and effectiveness are discussed. (6 references) (Author/CLB)

This report presents the results of a review of course withdrawal and forgiveness policies at public community colleges and state universities in Florida, with a view toward standardizing such policies that impact articulation, the transfer of credit, and credit-hours-to-degree. It recommends that: (1) forgiveness, withdrawal, and incomplete…

This report is intended to provide current information and integrated analysis of state-level higher education policy developments. Part 1 considers state funding support in the following categories: changing rules, effects of changing rules, survival in a changing game, and the growth industry of higher education. Part 2 examines issues concerned…

This essay examines the administration of public multi-campus universities, focusing in particular on central administration and the State University of New York (SUNY) system and on responses to the need for fiscal austerity. Before treatment of the main topic begins, the essay offers a look at five reasons for the suspicion and resentment that…

This report presents staff recommendations of the Illinois Board of Higher Education concerning budget recommendations for higher education capital improvements for fiscal year 1999. The report recommends funding for 33 projects at a total cost of $240.4 million including $31 million for technology enhancements, $189.4 million for regular capital…

This document summarizes recommendations contained in five recent reports on California higher education and is directed to policymakers involved in higher education planning. The five reports were intended to raise public awareness of the major challenges facing higher education in California and to provide policymakers and others with various…