A comprehensive information resource management system is the key to the future of quality data management. Instituting and developing the system requires a major commitment from institutional leadership. The institutional researcher can take steps to solve some of the initial problems and increase institutional awareness for the systems'…

This article provides organizational charts and brief descriptions of the public relations (PR) offices operated by Boston University, Webster University, and Austin Peay State University. The descriptions focus on staff size, staff titles, staff organization philosophy, strong and weak points, and advice for PR people in similar-size offices.…

Three administrative approaches to organize the secondary school to provide services for learning disabled students are considered. In the first, a staff member assumes the role of case manager, coordinating communication and records from staffings, placement team meetings, conferences with parents, and individualized education program…

This article presents an interview with Robert Deware, associate professor of organization behavior at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, who offers advice on setting up and managing a university public relations office. It focuses on issues of office size, staffing, structure, and strategy. (MDM)

Without feasible integration strategies, the institutional researcher and decision maker remain isolated from each other, to the ultimate disadvantage of the higher education institution. Practical and achievable strategies for the researcher include knowledge of the institutional climate and norms, developing communication skills, and practicing…

Reporting occupies a central place in institutional research but is ongoing and never completed. With automation and data management, the proportion of time spent on either routine or ad hoc reporting should decline. This function need not draw unnecessarily from resources for more interesting work. (MSE)

A handbook on the organizational structure and management practices of the Literacy Volunteers of America, Inc. (LVA), is presented. An outline of LVA's structure and policies is presented as basic training for leaders before they begin the planning and operational phases. The activity of starting an affiliate is described with respect to interim…

Selecting computer tools requires analyzing information requirements and audiences, assessing existing institutional research and computing capacities, creating or improving a planning database, using computer experts, determining software needs, obtaining sufficient resources for independent operations, acquiring quality, and insisting on…

The Texas Metro Network (TMN) is an informal group of Head Start Directors and Executive Directors organized for the purposes of improving the delivery of training and technical assistance and for assisting communication between large scale Head Start programs in the metropolitan areas of Texas. In pursuit of these aims, each member unit of the…

Every college should have a campuswide computer publishing policy. Policy options include (1) centralized publishing; (2) franchise, with a number of units doing their own publishing; or (3) limited, with the publications office producing the basics and assisting other units when feasible. To be successful, the policy must also be enforced. (MSE)

Five college and university fund-raising professionals discuss ways in which uncoordinated solicitations of gifts from the same prospective donor(s) by different schools or departments can be avoided by planning, coordination, and communication. Advantages and disadvantages of centralized and decentralized administrative approaches are considered.…

Key elements of public relations that may apply to the university research environment and lead to greater financial support for research activities are outlined, and examples from the private sector are used to explore the relationships between public relations, organizational growth, and financial stability. Practical suggestions are offered for…

A study was conducted to determine the organizational factors that were consistent with the success of two-year colleges in obtaining private financial support. Informal telephone surveys were conducted with 15 community colleges with successful endowment and fund-raising programs to gather information about organizational structures and factors…

The major concerns in university-industry research relationships, discussed from an industrial viewpoint, include: research and development (R&D) within the firm, for an industry, and for a society; types of R&D organizations; working with universities and government labs; potential problems; and possible directions for the future. (MSE)

The movement most likely to affect institutional research in the immediate future is implementation of outcomes assessment across the country. This represents a substantive and apparently permanent addition to the inventory of services provided to the higher education community by institutional research. (MSE)