This study examines the impact of a new Decision-Support System (DSS) on decision making in a community college in California. It looks at how attitudes and behaviors about data and their use were impacted by the implementation of a new DSS. The study found that the decentralization of data, through the DSS, produced a shift in terms of an…

Any good college resists rule, but it also has a built-in self-correcting apparatus, suggests this university president. Trustees should ask themselves: Does your college surprise you? Do you trust it? Do you wish you could be more a part of it? (Author/LBH)

All organizations have certain characteristics that make them unique. Corporate culture is defined as "a cohesion of values, myths, heroes, and symbols that comes to mean a great deal to the people who work in an organization." Culture as an internal management tool is discussed. (MLW)

Financial exigency can be avoided with understanding, courage and determination, and cooperation and planning on the part of administrators. Warning signs of impending danger and a checklist of 99 ways to avoid it are presented. (MLW)

The management of the symbolic life of academic organizations is discussed. Academic institutions may be best understood as value-rational organizations grounded in strong cultures described as ideologies and belief systems. Management of academic culture is outlined in terms of three elements: symbol systems, identification with the academic…

Research has shown that the level of respect in the workplace directly correlates with the contentment, production and loyalty of employees. If you were asked to help foster a more respectful environment, where would you begin? What initiatives would you introduce? Carnegie Mellon University has crafted a model for fostering respect at the…

In a world progressing with dizzying acceleration into the Information Age, the slow, measured approach of the traditional university can place administrator, faculty member, and student alike at a disadvantage. To move into this brave new world, the academic animal needs tools. "Beyond 2020: Envisioning the Future of Universities in America" is…

This volume begins with an essay by Noelle McAfee, a contributor who is familiar to readers of Higher Education Exchange (HEX). She reiterates Mathews' argument regarding the disconnect between higher education's sense of engagement and the public's sense of engagement, and suggests a way around the epistemological conundrum of "knowledge…

The effect of unpredictable resources on organizational performance in higher education was examined, along with whether some management strategies are more successful under conditions of relative predictability or unpredictability. Perceptions of administrators about institutional resources and performance were studied, along with the effects of…

Strategic planning for Centre College consists of two basic analyses: assessing the environment and discovering institutional identity. A strategic planning committee's job consists of several steps: articulating the institution's identity, analyzing strengths and weaknesses, setting goals, analyzing how strategies are working, and producing a…

Examines the functions of chief information officers on college campuses, and describes three major categories that the functions fall into, depending on the nature of computing within the institution; i.e., information technology as (1) a strategic resource, (2) an aid to operations, and (3) a source of confusion. (CLB)

A population ecology model of institutional fitness broadens the scope of perspectives on organizational success. The approach allows systematic thinking about internal and external factors identifies the critical dependency relationships between a college and other organizations that supply resources. (MLW)

Colleges need to plan for growing stress among faculty and administrators. There are a number of misunderstandings about stress, its several major causes, and the variety of symptoms. Campus leaders can learn techniques to cope with pressures and organize to reduce stress. Wellness programs hold promise and are increasingly popular on campuses.…

Recounts the rapid rise and recent decline of the once highly regarded Duke University (North Carolina) English department, characterized by disaffection and defection to other institutions of a large proportion of the faculty, disorganized teaching, and an unsettled curriculum. The perceptions of a number of the faculty involved are presented.…

The transformation of higher education systems under the pressure of new needs required by the "society of knowledge" in France and Italy has had a deep effect on the relationship between state and university, and therefore a direct impact on university governance. This article sums up the main results of a research carried out on…