A survey of 25 Quebec university department chairmen concerning the management of budgetary austerity found that administrative responses are generally perceived as reactionary and short-sighted, but long-term solutions proposed by chairmen are based on conflicting views of the overall role of the institution. (MSE)

The January aspect of college administration refers to the Roman god Janus, who was capable of looking forward and backward simultaneously. It is applied to academic deans who must look toward both administrative superiors and subordinates, and the same two-directional interface is imposed on presidents, department chairmen, professors, and…

Chief academic officers of public universities in Texas were asked to comment on trends affecting general education on their campuses. The role of academic departments in furthering--and inhibiting--changes in general education curricula is analyzed. (PP)

A poll of department chairpersons about personal and professional attitudes, motivations, and concerns is reported. Opportunity, challenge, and responsibility were recurring themes. Recommendations are made: giving additional released time, clarifying requirements for promotion, providing credit for accomplishments, publicizing need for unpopular…

A study reveals that influence is shared between department chairpersons and various interest groups, primarily within the university itself. Faculty are perceived by department chairpersons as the major group with whom influence is shared. Department chairpersons' misconceptions concerning university functioning need to be identified. (Author/MLW)

Responses by academic department heads in higher education institutions are reported regarding the current situation and recent trends in assessment purposes and practices; problems observed, improvements favored and suspected barriers to those improvements; and rules, policies, controls and review procedures are included. The author's comments on…

State education agency consultants (N=23) and local education agency administrators (N=124) rated criteria used to evaluate the success of programs for behavior-disordered/seriously emotionally disturbed students. Rated most important were student progress in the program, student movement to a less restrictive environment, and student success in…

The University of Trondheim's Norwegian Institute of Technology has redesigned its training program for deans and department heads to enhance the jobs' attractiveness, provide training opportunities, reduce problems of re-integration into the academic career, and introduce professional development talks by department heads with all staff. (MSE)

A survey of 994 medical school deans, basic science and clinical department heads, tenure committee members, and junior and senior faculty found the most frequently identified problems with medical education concerned evaluation of teaching. General and specific concerns were expressed by the 455 survey respondents. (Author/MSE)

A survey of 1,321 administrators, 927 trustees, and 1,158 department heads in 332 4-year colleges and universities examined the independent and conditional effects of organizational culture type and level of consensus about mission on the institutions' organizational effectiveness. Implications of results for enhancing effectiveness are discussed.…

A national survey of 53 dental schools found most were not interested in developing a separate division or department of dental anesthesiology. Of those with a dentist anesthesiologist responsible for teaching pain control, all have or favor such a division. Less than one-third employ professionals limiting their practice to anesthesiology. (MSE)

Discusses how research on practice can be disseminated to teachers in a way that informs school improvement initiatives. Reports on a project investigating how middle managers in 15 (British) schools received and used findings from research on departmental effectiveness. Without specific support, managers regarded the dissemination process as a…

This paper examines the changes that have occurred in the distribution and expenditures of funds in Rhode Island as a result of the change from categorical to block grant funding. Data were collected from the state education agency and each local education agency (LEA). Data on fiscal years 1982, 1983, and 1984 expenditures in and administration…

Educators should become more personally active in getting to know legislators and in calling attention to the kinds of experiences, information, and personal contacts that would enable legislators to make better decisions about education. (Author)

This report constitutes an evaluation of the first year of a 2-year training program conducted by the American Management Association. The program focuses on organizational planning in two State educational agencies and involves the sequential implementation of three distinct, offsite, residential training efforts. The first of these, the…