Institutions that have organized and centralized their data enjoy an obvious advantage in grappling with strategic planning and other issues. As the drumbeat for accountability, planning, and demonstrating effectiveness to internal and external stakeholders intensifies, the stature and importance of institutional research offices on most campuses…

A general research analysis model that can be used by colleges and universities is presented. The model may be useful to institutional leaders with no formal training in marketing and can assist in understanding the delicate interaction between activities and components critical to the overall marketing process. (Author/MSE)

A new model for administration of institutional research in small colleges is proposed as an alternative to the traditional centralized program model. Application of the model for two years suggests that its decentralized but integrated approach responds well to the institution's internal and external research needs. (MSE)

Statistical modeling provides a method for colleges to use alumni-development information to create an equation predicting who is likely to respond positively to fund-raising appeals. This can make fund raising more cost-effective, provide higher returns on minimal investment, provide results quickly, and improve competitiveness. Resources…

Perceptions of college institutional research directors concerning the quality of executive decision making at their institutions were studied. Perceptions were assessed using a theoretical model of Groupthink developed by Janis, who postulates that a high amount of environmental stress should lead to a greater degree of…

An examination of recent experiences in the varied institutions of The University of Wisconsin System suggests valuable lessons regarding the impact of various approaches to faculty reduction. Principal provisions of retrenchment regulations are summarized. (Author/LB)

Using a theoretical model of institutional culture, organizational climate, and faculty motivation, a study examined how faculty (n=1,123) and administrators (n=381) in 10 colleges differed in their perceptions, whether differences were affected by institution type, and to what extent faculty and administrators had different implicit models of…

Designed for use by community college personnel, this handbook provides information necessary to conduct a study of the impact of a community college on the business volume and other economic aspects of the community. Section I explains models for assessing the following seven types of economic impact: (1) college-related local business volume;…

Models for college and university Interinstitutional data sharing are redefined by examining the organization and activities of existing data-sharing groups across 11 dimensions: data-sharing purpose; nature of data-sharing structures; definer of process; calendar; scope of surveys; participant characteristics; source of data-sharing initiative;…

Center College of Kentucky's "central myth," or self-understanding, articulated strategically, became the basis for planning and decisions responsible for significant institutional achievement. (MLW)

The nature and form of useful management information in a variety of situations is discussed. It is suggested that questions posed by managers may determine the effectiveness of the management information system. Questions concerning demographic trends and enrollment declines are used to illustrate this point. (SF)

A methodology for developing a strategic, long-range organizational information architecture is described. The development of a plan to identify key categories of information to enhance decision making and operational productivity is detailed. Figures and tables detail the methodology's application at the University of Minnesota. (DB)

A public relations model provided the basis for the five-step ROPES college fund-raising model: (1) research on the institution, the funding opportunity, and the publics targeted; (2) objective setting for both office output and program impact; (3) programming to meet those objectives; (4) evaluation of the effectiveness, not just efficiency, of…

Three models for college and university decision-making about scarce resources are outlined: (1) shared governance, (2) corporate management, and (3) total quality management. Two underlying principles of all the models are, first, that faculty are the heart of the institution and, second, that successful institutions are governed through the…

An elementary mathematical model is used to analyze tuition and privatization policies for higher education institutions. One finding is that an appropriate tuition can increase the social income of alumni. Another salient finding is that some of the model's results are counterintuitive, suggesting its utility in decision making. Methodological…