Economic news today is filled with discussion about whether the United States has entered a recession. For the author and other presidents of public colleges and universities, whether the downturn can be labeled a recession is far less important than dealing with the effects of economic conditions on institutions. During hard times, both public…

Two reports on institutional fund raising ("The Quest for Major Gifts: A Survey of 68 Institutions," 1983, by Addison L. Winship II, and "Seeking Major Gifts: How 57 Institutions Do It," 1991, by Anne W. Altizer) offer examples of how a healthy college endowment provides stability through difficult economic times. (MSE)

For the College of Mt. Saint Joseph (Ohio) to remain financially sound and to inform decisions about resources and academic programs, college leaders needed to understand instructional costs: costs per credit hour; how these vary by department, program; and meaningful ratios of revenues to costs. A system of differential analysis was developed to…

This article proposes a conceptual decision-making framework for college and university offices of institutional research during times when budgetary retrenchment and reallocation of resources is necessary. Key issues the office should consider include understanding the institution's purpose, strategy selection, evaluation activities, student…

A challenge now faced by dental school administrators is to maintain the feasibility of federally funded postdoctoral general dentistry residency programs when institutional, educational, and economic priorities stretch institutional limits. Some existing programs can offer ideas and insights through their diverse and nontraditional funding…

Small increases in research and development funding and the state of the economy pose serious challenges to research universities. It is unlikely that the financial pressures will moderate. Research universities will be challenged to downsize by restructuring resources without compromising their quality. (Author/MSE)

A study of five private liberal arts colleges (Arkansas, Catawba, Pomona, Waldorf, Washington) examined organizational changes in the 1980s, contributing factors, and overall institutional impact. Results suggest the colleges were better places to work and learn than a decade earlier, with improvements in campus life, curricula, faculty…

This comparative study examines the functioning of Indiana school districts that are placed under control of the state school property tax review board for the purpose of emergency relief. The study sought to determine the fiscal status on selected criteria of seven such "controlled school corporations" (CSCs) for the 1985 budget year by…

Between 1983 and 1986, colleges and universities issued about $20 billion of debt for facilities and student financing, and it is predicted that billions of dollars of new debt will be needed for building renovation. Debt capacity, management, and accounting are now major issues, and the purpose of this book is to provide a handy reference manual…