The recommendations of a national committee on the organization, quality, and efficiency of Australian universities are reviewed. They cover accountability, flexibility, and efficiency of operation. Implications for the future of universities, especially small ones, are discussed. (MSE)

In an examination of the need for expansion in Nigeria's higher education, past trends are examined in the context of current efforts to keep up with the high demand. Finance is found to be the ultimate and critical determinant of the growth of the university system. (MSE)

Two hundred college and university vice presidents of finance were questioned about the evaluation processes currently used by their institutions in making resource allocation decisions. A strong parallel with hospital budgeting was found, with prestige maximization subject to some overall budget constraint. A longer range approach to academic…

Cost-benefit analysis is used to illustrate current thinking about academic program review and analysis. It indicates that, at the margin, some important benefits of doctoral education have been understated and marginal costs exaggerated. It is suggested that program review choices are best left to the institutions. (MSE)

The need for colleges and universities to clarify goals in light of current financial constraints is discussed. The goal formulation strategies and techniques of the Institutional Goals Inventory and the Dephi technique are examined in the context of their application at the University of Ottawa. (MSE)

Because of recent demographic and technological changes, traditionally stable educational organizations are experiencing high levels of uncertainty and decreases in productivity. To combat disfunctional consequences of change, many institutions have adopted myopic and piecemeal decision-making processes that need to be changed for systematic…

Planning model literature from its earliest use to the present, emphasizing the generalized resource allocation models, is summarized. Several examples of categories of models are cited. An in-depth analysis of six resource allocation models (e.g., CAMPUS Simulation Model, TRADES Financial Planning Model) is presented. (Author/MLW)

University autonomy in Australia is examined: why institutional independence is important, how it has eroded since the late 1960s, factors leading to the erosion, and possible university responses. Concern is expressed about the universities' ability to withstand further government encroachment. (MSE)

The creation of three new institutions in Australia is examined for evidence supporting or refuting theories that new institutions tend to be dominated by academic or administrative interest groups. (MSE)

The problems facing universities because of external pressures for changes in their teaching, research, and governance and management policies and practices to align them with public policies are discussed. Examples of these external pressures are provided in the context of general system theory. (Author/MLW)

A study compared China with the United States, Canada, Australia, and Austria on two aspects of college planning: planning capability consisting of human factors (commitment, participation, coordination) and technology; and planning capacity consisting of system openness and options, decision making, planning authority, and other administrative…

A profile of evening or working students in Holland was established on the basis of personal and background data, motivation, and problems. This report recommends an early start for an educational institution, organized nationwide, but with local departments, that focuses especially on working students. (Author/LBH)

A manpower planning model is used to examine the likely effects of slower university growth in the career prospects of staff in British universities. An approach is suggested in which senior levels would be allowed to vary over time to prevent staff promotion prospects from declining, and the cost of such a policy is estimated. (Author/LBH)

A discussion of issues and considerations in planning for the opening of distance education institutions in developing and developed nations draws on the experience of recently established institutions and looks at government involvement, the political process, and the role, composition, schedule, and reports of planning committees. (MSE)

The applicability of a general management development model to Australian higher education is examined in the contexts of a university, a multicampus college, and a large urban institute of technology. The model identifies a dynamic relationship between an institution's structural characteristics and its management needs. (MSE)