The 1980 CAUSE conference focused on how the management information systems area can add to the efficiency and effectiveness of the higher education institution. After acknowledgements and brief notes on general session topics, the papers are presented in six groups: (1) issues in higher education (futures planning, strategic decision-making, and resource allocation for computer support in two-year colleges); (2) managing the information systems resource (computer personnel retention, legal protection, catastrophic events and contingency planning, buying vs. making software, systems development, political influences); (3) the emerging technology (distributed processing, automatic speech recognition, the paperless office, world knowledge systems, word processing and document production, database management, videodisc); (4) trend and market analysis to impact analysis (continuing education trends, statistical decomposition, vertical information systems, environmental management and retention, long-range data processing, integrating institutional systems); (5) great applications (Stanford's Terminals for Managers program, registration productivity, student records, distributed continuous registration, experiential based transcripts, on-line transcripts); and (6) vendor presentations. (MSE)