This study uses a regression model to determine if a significant difference exists between the actual budget allocation that an academic department received and the model's predicted budget allocation for that same department. Budget data from a Southeastern Master's/Comprehensive state university were used as the dependent variable, and the…

Respite is one of the critical support systems for families and carers who support and care for a person with a life-long disability. This study examined the profile of respite services in the Australian state of New South Wales and explored respite providers' views of the factors influencing respite use, and their expectations of respite…

The derivation of discipline cost indexes, developed to permit accurate interinstitutional comparisons of relative costs among disciplines, is explained using expenditure data from five peer institutions. How the indexes have been used in one research university's budget allocation process is then described. (Author/MSE)

The way that funding allocations are made to colleges and departments at Appalachian State University (ASU) (North Carolina) was examined. Funding patterns related to full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment and faculty allocation units (FAU) were addressed. An account is provided on attempts to gather information on how funds are distributed to…

Problems relating to program discontinuance and the role of institutional research are discussed, drawing on a study supported by the Exxon Foundation of 10 predominantly large public universities that have either reviewed and closed programs or have gone through recent financial difficulties. Careful analysis is necessary to know that savings are…

Higher education's search for growth in revenues and missions, largely successful to date, may be reaching its limits. If this is true, future attention in college administration will focus more on reducing expenditures, with implications for institutional research opportunities, use of resources, and the institutional research office's…

The role of institutional budgeting strategies in promoting institutional change is examined, looking specifically at two budget components (general-purpose lump sums and earmarked funds). Experiences of the University of Utrecht (Netherlands) with internal competition for reduced funds as a means for stimulating change are discussed. (MSE)

Several approaches to determining a new formula for the allocation of faculty positions (and associated salary and operating funds) are discussed. These approaches are: weighting schemes used at peer institutions, faculty workload measures, and use of a state funding formula. A survey was used to solicit data concerning weighting schemes used at…

Two options for enrollment management taken from an earlier study at Western Washington University are examined to determine the effects of various enrollment levels. The two scenarios are presented along with a description of various policies that could be used to meet enrollment goals. The methodology and enrollment projection model used to…

The Information Exchange Procedures (IEP), which were developed through a project sponsored by the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems, are briefly described, and the application of the IEP in Virginia is examined. The IEP were designed to enhance the institution's ability to identify alternatives in the allocation of resources…

Three categories of options for colleges dealing with reduced resources are defensive reactions, constructive structuring and flexibility, and long-term new directions. Areas toward which resources need to be redirected, however, include broadening educational options for minority youth and encouraging client-centered and goal-oriented learning.…

The validity and reliability of the Institutional Performance Survey (IPS) as an institutional self-study instrument were assessed, with a focus on four types of validity (content, face, construct, and concurrent) and three types of reliability (test-retest, internal consistency, and rater reliability). It was found that IPS appears to reasonably…

The methods and considerations in determining computer needs of both academic and administrative computer users in higher education institutions are discussed. It is suggested that computer power in the future may require local distributed interactive computing networks and/or remote job entry to a large off-campus computer. (SF)

In higher education, facilities data are essential for long-term capital and financial planning and for testing assumptions underlying anticipated policy change. Executive information systems should incorporate life-cycle considerations (planning, construction, renovation, and management) and resource linkages (describing interrelationships of…

The Information Exchange Procedures (IEP) cost study project of the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems is described and its applicability to six major research universities (MRU) is assessed in this pilot study. The IEP enables peer institutions to compare information about their resources, activities, and educational…