Possible changes in U.S. Postal Service rates and services, resulting from a planned restructuring, are discussed. College administrators are encouraged to review mail class use, available discounts, and even the design and quantity of materials mailed out. (MSE)

Considerations in selecting quality novelty/variety entertainers to perform at colleges and universities are outlined. Advantages of this genre include newness, package marketing, affordability, ease of planning, great visual effects, ease of drop-by programming, custom tailoring, mass appeal. Concerns include limited individual interaction in…

Increasingly, college administrators are trying to pass fringe benefits costs off onto employees to relieve financial pressures. The result is an accelerated but often unacknowledged drain on faculty incomes. Faculty in a contributory health insurance plan should seek to cap faculty contributions at a fixed dollar amount. (MSE)

In response to concerns about the cost of keeping up with individual desktop computing technology, several new solutions have emerged. Referred to as "thin clients," or network-centric computers, they include two types of desktop device: the network computer and the Windows terminal. Purchase cost, life span, support costs, and overall total cost…

Converting research facility costs from indirect to direct costs is used as an illustrative example of the problems of making changes in research program costing policy. (MSE)

Five veteran college alumni directors share strategies for creating an effective association: deciding what program aspects must be measured; assessing the program realistically; listening to customers; stretching program resources to hold down cost and work more efficiently; and remembering the value of the human touch in program design and…

This article discusses reasons why a number of colleges and universities are privatizing (having outside sources take over) some administrative and support functions such as publications as well as reasons why other institutions have rejected this growing trend. In each case, true costs of the change are a central consideration. (MSE)

Winners of a national contest for cost-cutting in campus maintenance, institutional planning, and program administration and the nature of their innovations are reported. (MSE)

Cooperative buying is a process developed to enable colleges and universities in specific geographic areas to block-book dates for an artist or attraction, resulting in lower costs to schools and more logical routing for artists. A seven-step procedure, beginning before the campus activities convention and continuing through contract completion…

Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) "risk contracts," under which HMOs cover Medicare-eligible individuals, are explained; and the costs, benefits, and coverage are compared with those of other managed care options. Employers with retiree medical plans are encouraged to consider using HMO risk contracts for both short- and long-term…

A study found that formal federally mandated equipment screening requirements are negligible in meeting their stated objectives of preventing purchase of unnecessary/duplicative equipment. Savings resulting from purchases not made represented under 0.008 percent of all federal dollars used to purchase equipment, with $10.35 spent for every dollar…

Arguments for and against formal alumni chapters are outlined. Pros include increased membership, better leadership, and strengthened development potential; cost effectiveness is possible. Cons include direct and indirect costs; informal alumni structures are seen as equally effective. (MSE)

This article outlines reasons why some colleges and universities choose to hire outside firms to manage telephone fund-raising campaigns and offers considerations in selecting the appropriate firm. Issues addressed include finding firms, inviting bids, checking references and facilities, making requirements clear, sustaining the relationship, and…

A guide for using cooperative buying to block-book campus activities or attractions through a campus activities convention provides a step-by-step process and outlines some specific considerations, including forms, pricing, preparation for the conference, follow-up approaches, and hints for new users of the system. (MSE)

By viewing individual communication services (voice, data, cable) as strategic tools in a communication infrastructure, Boston College (Massachusetts) was able to create an electronic communication environment with superior services at drastically reduced cost. The system provides voice, data, and cable access to every residence hall room,…