Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University undertook a comprehensive organizational development analysis to identify the cultural facilitators and barriers to change and the professional development needs of managers. The results suggested a comprehensive leadership development plan to create a climate for implementation of Total Quality…

A rationale is offered for the use of administrative portfolios to evaluate academic-administrator performance. Representative functions, skills, roles, and activities that could be used to define assessment criteria are specified, focusing on the evaluation of department heads at a public university. Items to be included in the administrative…

In an effort to eliminate the part-time teaching track for all faculty except those who hold professional jobs outside academe, Georgia State University created 95 new full-time faculty positions and filled 62 of these positions with former part-time faculty. For the time being, however, all the positions are non-tenure-track "visiting"…

An interview with Marie McDemmond, president of Norfolk State University (Virginia) and the first woman to head a Virginia public university, examines her response to the university's hidden fiscal crisis, her conception of shared leadership, her experience as a woman administrator, controversies over her spending choices, and administrative…

This paper describes the results of research conducted on the variation in structure and function of institutional research offices at 55 public and private postsecondary educational institutions in Georgia. The study examined five issues central to institutional research: (1) professional role identity, (2) location of the office in the…

An evaluation was done of State University of New York (SUNY) Central Administration costs by comparing them to peer systems and by evaluating how economically its duties were carried out. Central Administration provides oversight and executive leadership to the system and manages budgeting, accounting, capital facilities, student affairs and…

The study investigated the pervasiveness of administrator and faculty involvement in, understanding of, and support for outcomes assessment in Virginia's public colleges and universities and explored critical factors influencing administrator and faculty support of outcomes assessment. Data were collected through mailed questionnaires and…

Seven papers from the 1987 CAUSE conference's Track VI, Hardware/Software Strategies, are presented. They include: "Integrated Systems--The Next Steps" (Morris A. Hicks); "Administrative Microcomputing--Roads Traveled, Lessons Learned" (David L. Smallen); "Murphy's First Law and Its Application to Administrative…

Results of a national study of budgetary control imposed upon 88 Ph.D. granting public universities by 49 state governments (excluding Alaska) are presented. A comparative analysis is provided of financial control practices in each state, along with an index that places these practices along a continuum. Information is included on the nature and…

Many apologies have been made for the part the German universities played in the Third Reich. The general stigma of having failed the people as intellectual leaders clung to the German academics for a long time. Their contention of helplessness before the forces of National Socialism gave rise to fears of similar weakness in the future. Although…

The way in which colleges and universities in Illinois are affiliated with one another is examined. The report assesses current affiliations as well as recommendations for some changes. Data were gathered via oral testimony and questionnaires mailed to the chairmen of all public governing and coordinating boards, system executive officers,…

A study of the graduate school choice process of new graduate students at one large midwestern research university shows how student attitudes vary across gender, ethnicity, citizenship, age, and enrollment status. (MSE)

Studies conducted in the University of California system and at the University of Virginia reveal that they have yet to take the necessary steps to diversify their faculties. Financial incentives were recommended to encourage departments to meet hiring goals. (MLW)

Institutional policies are needed to guide the responsible use of data, especially in a decentralized operating environment. Factors that influence the development and implementation of policies for decentralized data use are explored. Data use, technological developments, and the needs and responsibilities of users and the institution must be…

A successful college merger is often conditioned by geography, previous cooperation, complementary instructional programs, academic excellence, and common political interest. Suggestions when considering a merger are offered. A case study of a failed merger between Detroit Institute of Technology and Wayne State University is presented. (MLW)