Explores ways in which educational institutions may undertake market research, using case studies from various educational situations. Recommends market research for long-range planning and marketing activities. (SK)

Three different approaches to environmental scanning for strategic planning are offered. Long-range planning in the San Francisco Community College District, the University of Nevada, Reno, and the California Postsecondary Education Commission are described. (MLW)

This paper describes how various formal planning approaches were developed and applied at Pennsylvania State University. Phases (horizontal reduction, vertical reallocation, strategic planning, and strategic management) are identified as are principles including planning for change on the margins and continuity, providing for feedback, and…

The challenge in university governance is to provide sufficient autonomy to sustain academic vitality while ensuring that this energy is directed toward the broad public interest. Maine and New Jersey, two very different states, have been experimenting with structural changes, primarily decentralization, to balance autonomy with accountability.…

The multiple scenario analysis technique for organizational planning used by multinational corporations is adaptable for colleges and universities. Arizona State University launched a futures-based planning project using the Delphi technique and cross-impact analysis to produce three alternative scenarios (stable, turbulent, and chaotic) to expand…

A bibliography intended to provide resources to those involved in planning on the small college campus is provided. Sources and types of information available include case studies, theoretical models, application and evaluation strategies, research reports, technical guides, and philosophical speculations. (MLW)

This publication presents case studies of 10 colleges and universities that developed creative approaches to resource allocation in order to confront the fiscal realities facing higher education. The case studies describe strategic review and planning efforts in times of fiscal austerity. They look at streamlining, but also explore permanent…

A case study is presented that used the methods of Generic Design Science to conduct strategic planning for the Department of Communication at George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia. Applied in the context of an academic environment, the methods yielded a comprehensive management and planning design for focusing administration and faculty…

An enrollment projection model designed and implemented at LaSalle College had five phases: establishing clear goals, model construction, model implementation, model estimation and validation, and using the forecast. The history of LaSalle's model and the elements in decision making are outlined. (MSE)

Four university joint big decisions committees (JBDCs) were investigated to learn why they were established, their relationship with the traditional governance structure, functions within standard models of campus organization, and impact on institutional planning. The JBDC is seen as a growing governing force on campus, especially during periods…

Describes a roundtable on institutional change attended by 27 college and university senior business officers and other school executives in which participants used a case study of Sears, Roebuck and Company to draw parallels with higher education, then focused on "telling the story" of higher education, and finally developed plans for…

The adaptation of a typical corporate strategic planning process to a midwestern state university is discussed. The university found that an ongoing planning process with a yearly cycle offers several advantages not available with prior approaches, and that strategic planning is a culture that takes time before it becomes pervasive in any…

The development of a university-wide office automation plan, beginning with a short-range pilot project and a five-year plan for the entire organization with the potential for modular implementation, is described. (MSE)

Methods used at the University of Richmond to rethink its mission and develop a five-year plan with budgets are outlined, including setting up task forces, keeping to deadlines, budgeting, allowing minority views, keeping the trustees apprised and committed, and getting faculty reactions. (MSE)

Many small, private colleges lack the resources to develop a planning, management and evaluation (PME) system and the result is planning becomes a neglected function. An in-depth study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for the Detroit Institute of Technology is described. (MLW)