Among the many reasons why college and university costs are rising are factors internal to the institutions which hold down productivity. Most efforts to improve productivity usually fail because they do not introduce new energy or information from the outside. In order to improve productivity, formal, non-quantitative evaluation should include a…

This newsletter summarizes the debate on the use of state-level initiatives as levers to effect fundamental changes in higher education. It provides several perspectives on the use of incentive/enhancement programs to achieve state higher education goals. The concept of budgetary leverage is outlined, and the growth in enhancement programs…

This collection of essays examines strategies to strengthen financial management in the community colleges from the perspective of college finance and administrative support officers. Part I focuses on selected role functions that college business officers perform, containing "Integrating Academic Planning and Budgeting," by Byron N. McClenney and…

The way that a college can transform its periodic self-study process into an ongoing program is addressed, with a focus on the contribution of the institutional research office. Also considered are data elements that self-studies most often require and the way that data elements relate to judgments and interpretations made through the self-study.…

The use of a computer-based resource allocation procedure for cooperative education ("sandwich" coursework) at the University of Bath in Great Britain is discussed. Costs of undergraduate sandwich courses are compared with those of the more traditional 3-year, full-time undergraduate courses in British universities. Distinction is made…

This newsletter discusses factors that shape federal education funding policies. It examines the size of the federal deficit and its progress, as well as the factors affecting the resources available for education. The 1993 interest on the federal debt is projected to be $314 billion and payments such as these have held down funding for student…

This document consists of the four issues of the journal "Perceptions" issued during the 1992/93 publishing year (volume 27). This journal deals with services for students with emotional disturbances. The Winter 1992 issue contains the agenda of a 1992 conference on "Educational Excellence with Diminishing Resources" sponsored by the Association…

From 1980 to 1991, the University of Alberta undertook systematic reviews of all its academic and support units mostly for program improvement purposes, but also to acquire information for planning and budget decisions. This report responds to a 1988 request to examine the University's 1980-1988 experience with program reviews and to recommend…

This journal issue gathers together several articles on teaching with technology, with special focus on teaching of gifted students in California. "Computers and Creativity: Tools, Tasks, and Possibilities" (Bernard J. Dodge) discusses how teachers can establish an environment that will nurture creativity through use of computers.…