When it comes to building student housing, the stakes for universities and colleges have never been higher. From competing for prospective students and environmental bragging rights to contesting for space on the typical campus, institutions face a fundamentally different landscape than they did when housing previous generations of students. A…

The contemporary university operates within a global context characterized by ever-increasing uncertainty and complexity. Strategic planning must, therefore, be cognizant of future trends and how those trends will affect the university by creating both threats and opportunities. Our hypothesis is that an approach we refer to as "strategic…

Increasingly, colleges and universities are using debt financing to respond quickly to new needs and for capital initiatives that will produce long-term benefits. The borrowing process is complex and subject to a variety of government tax regulations and legal limits. Recommends that both small and large institutions work with an experienced…

Strategies for dealing with preservation of historic buildings on college campuses, both architecturally distinguished structures and buildings that are part of a historically important area, are discussed. The rationale for preservation efforts, new trends and considerations in preservation, and master planning and costs are examined. (MSE)

Modern, technically advanced buildings on U.S. college and university campuses reflect a decline in aesthetic and academic architectural values. Colleges and universities must become better architectural patrons by maintaining a sense of (1) the special purpose of academic buildings; (2) scale; and (3) the campus aesthetic. (MSE)

An approach is proposed whereby all institutions in a state higher education system may proceed to plan for the year 1990. The approach incorporates two major planning tools--Delphi and Multiple Scenario Analysis--and shows how a structured process can help an institution to generate alternative views of the future. (MLW)

Discussion of statewide planning for higher education in South Dakota begins with background information on South Dakota's political and educational environment, then reviews the roundtable process that led to specific changes over the last five years, including increased efficiencies, change from formula to base-plus budgeting, and enhanced…

A review of the physical development of college and university campuses over 40 years looks at themes evident in each decade and identifies some constant underlying principles: the timelessness of a well-ordered campus; characteristics fostering collegiality, communication, and interaction; and qualities that give each campus a unique sense of…

A computer-based simulation model for anticipating the need for college facilities and generating and assessing alternative plans is illustrated with the campus plan for a new community college. (MSE)

Three-fourths of all change in higher education is now seen as driven by forces external to education. Books for educational planners are discussed covering such topics as: trends in U.S. society; shifting socio-economic class; geriatric nature of society; planning for excellence; improving quality; and leadership. (MLW)

Although, during most of higher education's history, institutional mergers have been driven by financial need, a growing number of colleges and universities are merging to advance quality and breadth of services as well. These proactive, entrepreneurial mergers represent a new planning strategy. (MSE)

A discussion of the changing economic climate for higher education looks at college costs in relation to other economic indicators, higher education costs in other countries, and hypothetical changes in spending and productivity in the next few decades. It is concluded that while the situation looks bleak, reconception of practices and…

Discusses the emerging stage in higher education planning following the physical growth orientation of the 1960s/1970s and the more competitive orientation of the 1980s/1990s. This new stage will move beyond strategic planning to structural changes that tailor academic/financial/facilities planning to higher education's four segments: research…

Changes in clientele, course offerings, accreditation procedures, and classroom locations head the list of trends affecting the evolution of postsecondary education in the United States. (Author)

Three principles of general systems theory are presented and systems theory is distinguished from systems analysis. The principles state that all systems tend to become more disorderly, that they must be diverse in order to be stable, and that only those maximizing their resource utilization for doing useful work will survive. (Author/LBH)