This paper discusses the future of education in relation to school trustees' responsibilities for public decision-making. Trustees should maximize local decision-making as the preferred alternative, the paper says, to try to avoid a depersonalized, highly bureaucratized, future society. Several authors' views of social and educational futures are…

A contexual model is introduced to simplify planning, to provide an understanding of institutions as interpretive systems, to guide the implementation of better strategic planning, and to provide a research paradigm that may integrate research findings for a better understanding of how the strategic variables are related to one another.…

Advises that young people should be helped to a clearer understanding of how the Selective Service System works and the options for satisfying a military obligation. (JD)

The interview with Derek Bok addresses his reasons for stepping down from the Harvard presidency; cost-cutting efforts at Harvard; "selective excellence" as a planning principle; current needs of Harvard; corruption of higher education by corporate ties; the changing college presidency; and the role of ethical considerations in decision…

Discusses counseling methods for individuals who, by virtue of their multiple interests, talents, skills, and drives, present unique career-making difficulties for themselves and for their counselors. Considers advantages and disadvantages of multipotentiality for career counseling, offers methods for identifying clients whose multipotentiality…

By thinking about and trying to predict the future, we force ourselves to articulate our feelings and thoughts about that future. A technique using intuitive and logical thinking based on right brain-left brain differences is proposed to aid in decision making by both groups and individuals. (Author/IS)

Offers insights on the use of the charrette for long-range planning, drawing from the experience of the Virginia Community College System (VCCS). Defines charrettes, explains their benefits and limitations, lists requirements for successful charrettes, and explains the process used by the VCCS to incorporate the charrette into long-range planning.…

Today's unprecedented rate of change requires that decision-makers use effective procedures to deal with the increasing complexity and uncertainty regarding the future results of their decisions. Strategic planning is a middle- and long-range method that fills this need. Its holistic, general-systems orientation is the only way to handle the…

To solve societal problems, both local and global, a global approach is needed. Serious diseases that are crippling present-day problem solving and planning are discussed, and the characteristics of a healthy, effective planning approach are described. (RM)

Futures research, like anthropology, is an undertaking that can change the researcher by bringing to light doubts and questions most people prefer to ignore. A futurist discusses his intellectual evolution since he started to study the future 17 years ago, sharing insights that came to him along the way. (RM)

Examples of retrenchment at colleges and universities are given as are five principles such as the need to reconsider institutional mission. Both strategic and tactical perspectives are applied to retrenchment decisions of college leadership. (DB)

Key assumptions, ideology, and biases of future studies are critiqued in an attempt to enhance the field's applicability and impact throughout the world. (RM)

A framework is provided for considering whether current New York community college planning and control systems can be made more effective and efficient through the use of business-derived strategic planning and management control technology. After a report summary and section 1's introductory material, section 2 reviews current pressures on New…

Presents seven principles for applying technology to training and development problems. Based on General Systems Theory (GST), these principles were developed to help with long-term decisions. Highlights include instructional systems development models; complexity in cultural systems; matching training materials to user characteristics; systems…

The objective of this booklet is to present an integrated picture of the philosophy, process, and practices of strategic planning in an organizational context. It is based on the premise that planning includes the design of a desired future as well as effective ways of bringing it about. Specifically, the document illustrates a planning…