A survey of 452 public and private two- and four-year colleges and follow-up interviews at 32 institutions investigated the integration of academic program review into other institutional decision-making processes, particularly those of planning, budgeting, and student outcomes assessment. The extent to which this effort has been successful is…

In 1981, South Central Community College received funding to develop a long-range planning process. The process was to be modeled on the 3-year planning cycle developed by the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems and to use the college's existing organizational structure. Since November 1981, the planning process at the college…

This handbook for institutional researchers focuses on describing methods and techniques for conducting and merging external and internal analyses in order to produce an expanded vision of alternative future environments. Such vision is needed for the formulation of strategic long-range plans. Section 1 begins with a discussion of how an internal…

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is committed to bringing together museums and libraries across the country for conversations dedicated to developing a better understanding of the roles of libraries and museums as providers of public service to communities. The Future of Libraries and Museums in the 21st Century Planning…

A step-by-step approach is provided for developing an environmental scanning system for colleges and universities to assist them in planning for the future. The objectives of such a system are to detect social, scientific, economic, technical, and political interactions important to the organization; define potential threats and opportunities from…

A study of Strategic Planning at the Medical Sciences Campus (MSC), a unit of the University of Puerto Rico, examined the structures and cultures which may hinder the strategic planning process. The study collected data through a questionnaire which used an ecosystem dual rating scale to request information on the importance and frequency of…

At Washington State University's College of Business and Economics (CBE) a strategic planning program was introduced using a focus on the student as the product and the potential employers as the customers of the product. Using this approach the focus of planning is redirected with future employers the most heavily weighted source of feedback on…

Emphasizes agriculture's economic importance and lists the top 10 states according to 4 possible criteria for determining economic dependence on agriculture: number of food and fiber system jobs, number of farmworkers, proportion of food and fiber system jobs, and proportion of farmworkers to total food and fiber system jobs. (JHZ)

Franklin and Marshall College (Pennsylvania) has used institutional mission, strategic planning, lessons learned from previous experience, and sound general management principles to guide reallocation of resources during a period of financial constraint. The objective was repositioning, not retrenchment, and the resulting academic program is…

Higher education's search for growth in revenues and missions, largely successful to date, may be reaching its limits. If this is true, future attention in college administration will focus more on reducing expenditures, with implications for institutional research opportunities, use of resources, and the institutional research office's…

Planning to meet the needs of the future is a critical concern of an Arizona school district. The Mesa Action Planning System (MAPS) provides a framework for community involvement with a 200-member community-based planning committee, selected from constituent groups, and a 12-member steering committee. The planning committee will receive a summary…

This report describes how colleges and universities in the Not-for-Profit sector can bridge the strategic management research gap by applying competitive analysis in the strategic planning process. This business analysis tool can be used to assist colleges and universities, just as it assists businesses, in understanding the competitive forces…

Describes how formative data on enrollment patterns and class offerings are collected and used at Oklahoma City Community College in marketing and scheduling. Evaluates the research effort in terms of its value in long-range strategic planning and managed decision making in day-to-day activities. (DMM)

This research project is concerned with such questions as the following: How has East Germany responded to the challenges facing education's relationship to development, especially with respect to conditions imposed by the scientific and technical revolution? What contribution has its educational and training system made to industrialization and…

At the direction of the Floria State legislature, a study was done of outcomes assessment in Florida's higher education institutions. A committee formed to conduct the study met on nine occasions to review background information, receive public testimony, and discuss draft materials. The committee received information from public and private…