Discussion of the conflict common in the relationship between a college and its host community looks at some of its common characteristics and at institutional barriers to the use of alternative dispute resolution strategies using a third party. A preventive approach is recommended over reactive forms of resolution, and this approach is…

While educational institutions and industry share some common elements of the administrative decision-making process, a major point of divergence is the treatment of conflict. In higher education, conflict is seen as destructive and should be avoided, but it can be handled positively. Types, common elements, and styles of conflict are reviewed.…

When academic officers must settle conflicts, knowledge of the law is insufficient. Advice of counsel and formulations of law cannot substitute for their frequent and confident articulation and interpretation of well-understood professional values, because they are responsible for assuring the integrity and quality of educational programs. (MSE)

The consultant can assist the administration in setting up an educational program on collective bargaining, can advise about the creation of data systems, can help select and coordinate task forces, and can help implement a comprehensive audit of board policies and practices as well as administrative procedures. (MLW)

The role of the University Visitor, whose traditional function is to mediate conflict within a university and contribute to its governance, is examined in the context of Australian higher education. Medieval English ecclesiastical origins of the office are described, and calls for abolition are examined. It is argued that the office should be…

Contemporary university administrators are usually wimps, and timidity in facing easily enraged campus radicals only invites outrageous demands which, in turn, subvert intellectual life. This must be changed. For much of human history leaders had to display physical valor and this trait should be restored to the college administrator job…

One way universities have served society since the Middle Ages is by providing an environment giving students and faculty freedom to explore new ideas without fear of retribution. Properly used, conflict can be the catalyst for advancing wisdom. However, the university is at risk when rational discourse is replaced by conflict as the means of…

Three main themes in the conflict experienced by college department heads are examined: conflict inherent in the structure of higher education (institutional), conflict created when people work together (interpersonal), and that woven into the chair position (positional). These conflicts are not necessarily negative or positive; these…

A community-dispute mediator with training in law, business, and organizational development talks about how and why he became a diversity trainer, the value of honoring diversity within an organization, how institutions can bring diversity issues into focus constructively, and the role of diversity training on college campuses. (MSE)

Suggestions are made for creating healthy working relationships within a college administration and for improving the administrator's ability to cope with college politics. After introductory material examining the difficulty some educators, especially women, experience in utilizing power and politics to achieve desired goals, the report discusses…

Two crucial factors in collegiate athletics are identified: revenues and the innate human compulsion to compete. All of the problems of college sports are seen as being related to financial pressures, with an inequity existing between revenue-generating and rule-setting institutions. (MLW)

Conflict is examined in relation to the situation in which it occurs, by the goals toward which it is directed, by the inherent human costs and benefits of its employment, and in terms of the intentions of the participants in the process. (MLW)

College leaders can be symbols of moral unity for their institutions. The leader must have a vision of the institution's ethical life, then be able to create and sustain it in the campus community. Strategic planning can help resolve conflicts constructively, based on values expressed in the mission statement. (MSE)

Conflict is common in college student life, where economic stress, close living conditions, and exposure to new people and ideas challenge students. Four vignettes illustrate typical conflicts concerning roommate relationships, workplace relationships among students, broken intimate relationships, and sexual harassment. Resolution options and…

The extent to which collective bargaining, as a model for conflict resolution, has permeated higher education is examined, and extracts from collective bargaining agreements are analyzed to illustrate the unique nature of collective bargaining for this purpose. It is concluded that when a mutually respectful relationship exists between faculty…