Strategies for change in higher education are offered in an attempt to better cope with the changing environment facing higher education (i.e., diversity of students, declining enrollments, and retrenchment). Section I (Planned Change Theory and Research) examines strategies for change, the ivory tower image, and educational and organizational…

Based on extensive research, this book questions the benefits assumed to accrue from enlarging American colleges. The application of the industrial economies-of-scale model to academic institutions is challenged, since the purpose of academic institutions is not production but learning. Evidence is cited of hidden "diseconomies" of scale on large…

This paper reviews the issues facing trustees of liberal arts colleges, including such external challenges as ideological criticism, college costs, national economic trends, and competition from other types of institutions. Trustees are urged to address such issues as external criticism of the institution, concerns of students and parents about…

A survey of 243 New England colleges and universities found a strong relationship between institution size and the scope of its institutional research function, reporting relationship, and size and qualifications of the research staff. Size of staff and qualifications of the institutional director were significant predictors of involvement in…

Five college and university trustees and administrators explain how their institutions are approaching tuition containment. Issues the institutions have addressed in this context include need-blind admissions policy, using the Consumer Price Index as a budgeting criterion, enrollment changes, relationships with service vendors, personnel policy,…

Practitioner papers and research papers on higher education planning and budgeting are presented. "Before the Roof Caves In: A Predictive Model for Physical Plant Renewal" by Frederick M. Biedenweg and Robert E. Hutson outlines a systematic approach that was used at Stanford University to predict the associated costs of physical plant…

This book about the problems facing the president of a college or university is intended mainly for administrative personnel but may be of interest to college trustees, faculty members, and individuals interested in higher education. It is claimed that it is impossible economically to sustain the many non-educative activities that are borne by…

The strategic planning process developed at Hartwick College (New York) begun in 1992 is described, and the college's resulting commitment to information technology is discussed. Issues arising during the process included choice of operating system(s), winning over skeptics, software selection, development of technical support, establishment of a…

A study by the American Council on Education examined the conditions and needs of the private sector of higher education. The policy options outlined here are in four categories. The first category, improving federal-state coordination of policies affecting private institutions, proposes two ideas: a request by the President that each state…

Hartwick College (New York) developed a strategic vision for its future and invested significantly in information technology to transform that vision into reality. Guided by its president and trustees, Hartwick, a small, independent liberal arts college, formed a strategic plan in phases. At a formal board retreat in 1993, with faculty, students,…

A guide to the practice of institutional research and planning in American higher education in the 1980s is presented. Attention is directed to the impact of current changes in the external environment on higher education and implications of these changes for institutional research and planning. Topics include national issues crucial to the future…