When the five-member Board of the Alameda Unified School District selected Kirsten Vital as the new superintendent in 2009, they chose someone from outside their tight-knit community. Board Trustee Margie Sherratt thought Vital was chosen to "get us moving," to be a change agent on closing the achievement gap. Vital, in her initial…

A case study at a major state university illustrates the opportunities and pitfalls accompanying the use of interinstitutional comparison. West Virginia University's experience suggests that the greatest impact of institutional and interstate comparisons is likely to be in long-range rather than short-term planning. (Author/MSE)

This dissertation examines performance-based funding in higher education in Alberta (Canada) using a case study that examined government funding of public higher education in that province. Six hypothesized goals for performance-based funding were developed from the literature, and relevant government documents were analyzed in terms of these…

This book provides a new look at educational management in the face of mounting financial pressures. The demands for accountability that today's university administrators must face require them to apply the sophistication of modern business and institutional management while preserving the expensive and often difficult-to-measure contributions of…

In response to a shift from the management of curriculum to the management of scarce resources to deliver a changing curriculum, this paper brings together three "value for money" case studies in college administration. The papers identify three levels of activity, ranging from the one-time opportunity for good housekeeping through…

Basic economic concepts applicable for college financial management are considered, along with the characteristics of financial instruments available to universities that have money to invest for short-term or long-term purposes. A discussion of various financial securities provides information for the endowment manager who has to select among…

An examination of public policy issues and accountability in education focuses on the current situation in California's system of higher education. It looks first at how the consensus about public financing embodied in the state's 1960 master plan for higher education has come apart since about 1990, and reports on two studies, one on recent…

This four-part report examines the management of retrenchment at six representative Southern California community colleges and two community college districts: Victor Valley College, Mount San Jacinto College, Citrus College, Chaffey College, Mount San Antonio College, Riverside City College, the San Bernardino Community College District, and the…

This monograph summarizes the current thinking in the national literature on the subject of cost-containment and productivity in higher education and applies findings to higher education in California. It presents a framework for characterizing the major factors driving higher education costs, outlines potentially promising areas in identifying…

This book presents a collection of essays dealing with key issues and trends facing the future of higher education on the international level as the world moves into the 21st century. Essays and their authors are as follows: "The Idea of the University: Changing Roles, Current Crisis and Future Challenges" (Torsten Husen); "Patterns…

Policy strategies implemented at the State University of New York in response to enrollment decline and financial cutbacks are considered. The following areas are addressed: institutional mission, administrative organization, enrollment plan, method of reallocating resources, a systematic program for staff development, program evaluation,…

The concept of traditional planning, programming, and budgeting systems (PPBS) is defined and compared with imperative planning, a term used to refer to whatever procedures higher education officials use to integrate program planning and budgeting. The University of Wisconsin system is described as an example of emerging budgetary practice in…