Issues management, concerned with the identification, analysis, probability, and timing of a developing issue and with organizational response, is discussed as an aspect of the institutional strategic planning process. Its application at Pennsylvania State University is described. (Author/MSE)

A study investigated whether determinants of college students' decisions to withdraw from an institution are similar to those affecting decisions to transfer to other institutions. Subjects (n=2,954) were entering freshmen at a state university. Results indicated different factors discriminated between persisters and dropouts and between…

A study examined the level of public funding for universities and its relationship to quality in 8 U.S. and 52 British universities. Data on productivity of science faculty in the American institutions were also examined and compared with efforts to fund British universities based on scholarship and scientific achievement. (Author/MSE)

The political processes involved in an academic program evaluation are discussed. Data gathered from a program evaluation conducted at a small, public, liberal arts university in the Southeast were used in examining the explanatory power of the various theories and models. (Author/MLW)

Explains the institutional research process used by the Oregon University System to identify peer comparators for the state's seven diverse public universities. The process combined detailed statistical information with a sensitivity to the political dynamics and judgments of campus presidents and staff. Identifies 10 conditions that contribute to…

Empirical procedures for analyzing readily-available, regularly collected data are illustrated. The models described indicate that major research universities and other doctoral-granting institutions are different in terms of their expenditure and revenue patterns, and that student-related variables are of secondary importance in determining those…

Reported are citizens values regarding the importance of: (1) various university goals and activities; (2) various academic fields or disciplines; and (3) various reasons for attending the University of Minnesota. In a stratified random sample of 722 Minnesota citizens there was a 56 percent response rate and categories of values were identified.…

In this study of 460 SIU-C students, five topics related to academic excellence are explored. The results are discussed within a political model of the academic system, treating the university as a political system and students as quasi-citizens who possess a rudimentary academic belief system. (Author/LBH)

A study using historical statistics as a strategy for joining the study of the past and present condition of colleges and universities has as subjects Amherst College, Harvard University, Transylvania University, the University of Kentucky, and the College of William and Mary. (MSE)

Follow-up studies of doctoral graduates at Ohio State and Michigan State are compared. The survey considered alumni perceptions of guidance committee activities, course work, comprehensive examinations, and dissertations. (Author/MLW)

A study to investigate correlates of professional activity of professors in retirement is discussed. Variables included professional role orientation, professional affiliations and contacts, material supports, department, and the state of knowledge in various fields. Sixty-four University of Iowa emeritus professors were interviewed. (Author/MLW)

The rate of faculty advancement through steps within ranks were examined in a sample of 40 departments on two campuses of a large state university system. The proportion of departmental faculty moving through steps faster than normal was correlated with the political power of the department on the campus. (Author/MLW)

A study of University of Illinois 1976 graduates (n=2,306) in 1977, 1981, 1986, and 1991 examined changes in salary patterns for all degree levels and majors. Results suggest women earn less than men in first full-time jobs, and gaps widen with time. Possible factors include women's breaks in full-time employment, and differences in majors,…

Over 4,500 students from 28 universities, colleges, and junior colleges constituting a state system of higher education were compared on extent of drug use. The largest differences were between universities and junior colleges on alcohol and marihuana. Differences in terms of actual numbers of users were small. Implications are discussed.…

Based on 1,198 responses from chairmen in 38 state universities, this study focuses on the perception of chairmen on where major decisions are made (university, college, or departmental level), characteristics of departments by academic field, and selected personal attributes of chairmen. (Author/LBH)