Institutional vitality, a broad measure of the quality of organizational life at colleges and universities, has not been systematically addressed in the literature. To identify management and personnel practices which contribute to institutional vitality within student affairs divisions, a two-stage methodology was employed. First, an institutional case study was conducted in which 72 professionals at one university student affairs division completed a 50-item self-report questionnaire focusing on the articulation among divisional philosophy, goals and objectives, and individual performance; employee assessment of performance evaluation practices within the division; and employee views of professional growth and advancement opportunities. Findings from this case study were then used as the basis for a 98-item questionnaire measuring similarities and differences along similar dimensions, which was completed by 30 select chief student affairs officers (CSAO) throughout the western states. The case study analysis revealed organizational dissonance, vertical communication problems, haphazard employee evaluation procedures, ambiguous promotional paths, and traces of employee cynicism. In contrast, the descriptions of the 30 student affairs organizations by their CSAOs indicated an underlying adherence to high professional standards and successful management practices that may be characteristic of vital student affairs organizations. (NRB)