Academic quality rankings of colleges, universities, and individual departments have flourished recently, and Jack Gourman's rankings have had a great impact on U.S. higher education. A study of Gourman's eight books, a comparison of their findings, and a 3-hour interview with Gourman are discussed. (MLW)

Focus is on the allocation of academic staff between university departments. General principles of staff allocation, techniques for allocation, and practical problems in implementing a given method are discussed. Decentralized decision making and allowing some freedom of choice are considered. (Author/MSE)

Policies and professionalism are discussed with reference to experiences in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Great Britain. A professional development policy is considered to be a prerequisite for inservice programs for academic staff, evaluation of academic performance, and career-related decisions. (Author/MLW)