With the pool of high school graduates decreasing, national and global competition increasing, and the need to invest in new technologies and approaches growing, many universities and small colleges alike are struggling--not just to thrive, but to survive. In this challenging environment, mergers and consolidations are often viewed as options of…

This report examines the change process at a regional university in achieving a higher level of excellence in all its programs and activities. Results from 30 interviews are discussed in explaining how this university endured a major retrenchment and survived and thrived while simultaneously contributing to the surrounding community's economic…

Three position papers, originally presented at a special symposium of economists and educators, are presented concerning the policy impact that the changing economic environment will have on colleges and universities in the financing of higher education in the United States. The position papers are: "The University and the Reemergence of…

Uses the example of British polytechnic institutions' conversion into universities as a warning to the United States to avoid transforming community colleges into baccalaureate-granting institutions. Asserts that conversion places undue burdens on community colleges while altering their historic mission. (NB)

Distinctive colleges and universities, as opposed to the great majority which fit into a more or less standardized mold, possess a unifying theme or vision which is expressed in all their activities. They often respond to newly emerging societal or community needs unmet by existing colleges and universities; they challenge conventional ideas about…

This brief report summarizes a longer document with the same title. Distinctive colleges and universities possess a unifying theme or vision that is expressed in all their activities. They also usually respond to newly emerging societal or community needs unmet by existing schools of higher education. Distinctiveness, however, can limit the…

A systems model, developed by David Easton, is used to provide some clarity to many of the issues involved with collective bargaining in American higher education. The model serves as an illustration for understanding how decisions are made, and as a conceptual frame of reference to analyze the political situation. The issues surrounding…

Based on data gathered on-site at 13 colleges and universities, this volume offers an in-depth analysis of how colleges and universities have been affected by hard times, how they have risen to the challenges, and what their responses mean to the public and its support for higher education. Part 1 describes the study itself in detail and reports…

This collection of research reports focuses on recent studies conducted by practitioners in the fields of public service and continuing education in Texas colleges and universities. "What It's All About," an editorial by David Wells, explains the balance colleges must maintain between serving their community and remaining fiscally…