Institutional accountability in higher education and accountability based on measuring "objective" outcomes are described. Assessment, whether it can be performed objectively, and what effects external accountability pressures will have on the practices of higher education are discussed. (MLW)

Assessment is intended to raise in value what the public gets for the dollars it invests in education, not to raise new dollars for educational institutions. To many people within universities, assessment is perceived as a threat. Ways to reduce anxiety that comes with assessment are discussed. (MLW)

The decade of the 1970s saw the evolution of a regulatory society and a growth in the degree of external oversight of higher education by elected officials. Achieving balanced governance in the 1980s centers around a leadership role at the state higher education coordinating level. (MLW)

The relationship between the federal government and higher education is examined with focus on federal aid and especially federal regulations. Justifications for the federal regulatory role and suggestions for improving the relationship by both higher education and the government are offered. (JMD)

The importance of international studies is examined with focus on international activities and their objectives, patterns of responding to difficult questions, and the importance of review. Goals identified include: to provide students with a less parochial perspective and to focus on the global aspects of a subject. (LC)

Recent state and national developments regarding assessment of higher education suggest that a decisive point for assessment policy is approaching. Too many higher education leaders remain uninvolved, and public patience is wearing thin. Increasing frustration with higher education may lead public policymakers toward greater prescription and…

Accountability of higher education institutions is discussed in the context of recent criticism of the institutional accreditation system. It is suggested that institutions reevaluate their responsibilities and reaffirm appropriate core values; however, application of those values will be influenced by the principal clients: students, employers,…

Recommendations of commission reports on improving quality in public education are seen as primarily political statements reflecting the public outrage over the declining quality of American schooling. If the recommendations for sharpening basic skills spill over into higher education, there will be pressure to make colleges into trade schools.…

The University of California at Los Angeles, in attempting to respond to state legislators' demands to redirect teaching and research to match society's needs, has faced substantial administrative challenges. A Responsibility Center Management model for strategic institutional planning has failed to produce desired changes and has tended to…

Colleges, universities, and the government have been trying to find the appropriate balance between autonomy and accountability, restraint and regulations. It is suggested that decisions should be made at the appropriate level within an organization, and over-regulation costs more in diminished creativity than could be saved through tight…

This article argues that the capacity for innovation in American higher education is at risk. Colleges and universities are persistently slow in accepting advancing technology, increasingly labor-intensive, and resistant to evaluation by their customers or in terms of efficiency. A rethinking of the roles and tasks of faculty and staff is…

It is argued that, although assessment of colleges and universities can promote discussion and encourage improvement of college instruction, accountability serves only to further chill the regulatory climate without specifying needs or solutions. As currently conceived, accountability cannot receive widespread faculty support because it usurps…

The liberal consensus that has shaped national education policy is seen as succumbing to dubious ideas and undesirable practices. Issues discussed include: educational equity, equality and quality; measures of educational achievement; accountability; "need" and ability; statism and monoply, pluralism and diversity; federal role; and…

This article argues that time is the single most important asset of college faculty and administrators and that, in the future, management of that time will be an increasingly important function of college administration. Ways to optimize use of time-related resources are outlined. (MSE)