Financial planning and resource allocation for chemistry--which has costs not shared by most other disciplines--in Victoria (Australia) colleges are discussed in light of enrollment trends and these colleges' contribution to the pool of chemistry graduates. Materials and equipment costs and class size are considered. (MSE)

An informal investigation of the use of computers at Delta College (DC) in Michigan revealed reasonable use of computers by faculty in disciplines such as mathematics, business, and technology, but very limited use in the humanities and social sciences. In an effort to increase faculty computer usage, DC decided to make computers available to any…

The paper offers a framework for examining the organization and governance of summer sessions that best support the college or university's institutional mission of teaching. Discussion centers on issues of legitimacy and integrity that arise when summer sessions deviate from the primary responsibility of meeting the academic needs of students.…

The Objective-Based Assessment, Planning, and Resource Allocation System (OAPRAS) that was developed and implemented at Middlesex County College is described. The integrated self-assessment planning and budgeting system was developed in 1981. The central purpose of OAPRAS was to link resource allocation decisions to the prioritized objectives that…

As part of a symposium that examined the utility of adapting the techniques of cost-effectiveness analysis for curriculum and program planning in higher education, this paper examines the methodology and procedures of the technique. A checklist outlines some of the problems and potential and some guidelines are suggested for cost-effectiveness…

Federal workforce training legislation currently under consideration is designed to streamline existing federal education, employment, and job training programs and increase accountability. As such, it would repeal most of the legislation that created these programs and replace them with block grants for statewide workforce and career development…

Information is presented reflecting the process of planning at New Mexico Junior College (NMJC). First, the NMJC mission statement highlights the college's goals of providing opportunities for individuals, communities, and business and industry within the framework of a comprehensive community college. Next, NMJC's continuous objectives and…

This paper describes resource allocation in Australian universities including the broader context of national restructuring and a case study of one university's attempt to restructure resource allocation within the university. The 1987 restructuring of the Australian system from a binary system to a unified national system and the associated…

The history of the present allocation model of a Dutch university is evaluated. This model was widely accepted at the start. As budget decreases continued, the model was increasingly criticized. At present it is no longer accepted as an instrument for policy decisions. The details of the model itself have become issues of political interest and…

The consequences of an external review of research programs and the restructuring of educational programs in the Netherlands as a result of retrenchment, and their implications for qualitative change in the university system, are discussed. (Author/MSE)

A study designed to provide a rational basis for establishing student teacher ratios for certain fields of study in Australian colleges is described. It analyzed student and faculty contact hours, student load, full-time-equivalent staff, class size, and academic workload and integrated them into mathematical models for the fields. (MSE)

The relationship between strategic planning and environmental determinism was investigated at the University of Minnesota. The central proposition was that for a particular type of institution (a liberal arts college of a large public university), the strategic planning process will not be strategic either in the sense of being environmentally…

Results of changes to the planning process at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands are described. During the past years, government actions related to retrenchment prompted the Dutch universities to change their planning process in order to increase flexibility and to account for differences in quality. Two important procedures were…

A model that allows for the assessment of alternative funding formulas for postsecondary educational systems is described. The need for a practical planning model to fit the changing context of higher education funding is emphasized. The importance of a relatively simple funding model that will allow consideration of the aggregate impact of…

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…