Higher education institutions educate those who are the most talented and best able to secure the future for the next generation. This study examines an efficient strategy process in higher education and emphasises the importance of sufficient dialogue during the process. The study describes the strategy process of the Turku University of Applied…

Community college systems were established across North America from the early 1960s through the early 1970s. The new systems had two principal models: in one model, the college combined lower-division, university-level general education with technical education programs; in the other, most or all of the colleges were intended to concentrate on…

Demands from state level agencies for greater accountability, less academic program duplication, and greater cost containment have pushed U.S. colleges toward greater seriousness, and more competence, in planning. A prominent factor in greater effectiveness in planning models is integrally relating planning, management, and evaluation. (MLW)

The level of awareness, knowledge, and current practices regarding strategic marketing within institutional research (IR) offices were studied for colleges in the Rocky Mountain region. Of the 18 responding offices, 9 indicated that their institutions utilized a marketing approach to planning. Of these 9 offices, 56 percent reported formal…

College and university information is poorly developed for the purpose of making strategic choices and management guidance. A strategic triangle, with critical success factors at each vertex, can help model appropriate information. (Author/MLW)

The University of Toledo has applied a systems approach to the design of an academic program evaluation model. The systems approach seems to be the most appropriate because it emphasizes the whole system instead of component systems. Selected evaluation models are reviewed, Toledo's research paradigm is described, and the function of a university…

Methods by which the college, after 90 years, began long-range planning are described along with how it moved to the cyclical model after 12 more years. (Author/LBH)

The planning process at Christopher Newport College in Virginia is described. The college has utilized an integrated planning system that incorporates qualitative and quantitative elements into a process that can adapt to the institution's unique social and political situation. (Author/SF)

Increasing demands for accurate forecasts in such areas as student enrollment, energy expenditures, and facility capacity are placing new demands on the institutional researcher. A variety of forecasting models and methods are available, all to be used with caution in long-range forecasting. (Author/MSE)

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)

New strategies for allocating limited resources to achieve maximum program effectiveness in times of declining enrollments coupled with inflation are discussed. A model for resource allocation is proposed and a case study presented. (Author/SF)

Colleges and universities, it is suggested, can enhance their effectiveness by adopting a systems approach to organizing, planning, decision-making, and evaluating. A decentralized, participative model that emphasizes systematic planning and management by objectives is presented. (Author/MLW)

The history of the present allocation model of a Dutch university is evaluated. This model was widely accepted at the start. As budget decreases continued, the model was increasingly criticized. At present it is no longer accepted as an instrument for policy decisions. The details of the model itself have become issues of political interest and…

A nine-step method for defining and pursuing key performance indicators (KPIs), derived from a strategic planning process, is outlined, and its applications at the University of Northern Colorado and Illinois Benedictine College are described and tabulated. A chart summarizes current and projected KPIs for Illinois Benedictine College for each…

Lack of strategic planning by colleges and universities has inhibited higher education's ability to respond to the changing global environment. A majority of institutions plan from year to year, with crisis management becoming the norm. Because the external environment is evaluated infrequently, the institution does not have the broad view…