Text Steps was a project piloted by Ascendium Education Group in 2015 and expanded to 13 school districts in Wisconsin between 2018 and 2020. Its goal was to combat summer melt through a texting program. Summer melt, in which college-intending high school students are unable to enroll in the fall for any number of reasons, is a well-documented…

This "Building Capacity for Change" "playbook" highlights practices and strategies that proved to be effective in supporting the rollout and implementation of certain programs under the New York State Department of Health's First 1,000 Days on Medicaid Initiative, a series of evidence-based reforms aimed at improving health and…

Whether facing budget and staff cuts or event logistics, alumni associations can make good use of volunteers. Three important rules for volunteer program management include maintaining good volunteer relationships, knowing when to ask for help, and recruiting good veteran, novice, and even nonalumni volunteers. (MSE)

Every college alumni program needs a mission statement specifying why it exists. In creating a statement, administrators should consider who designs it, drafts it, must endorse it, must adopt it. When institutional purpose and resources change, it can be redrafted. It should be an active guide, regularly reviewed and used. (MSE)

A discussion of information management within institutions looks at the relationship between data administration, the application of formal rules and methods to information resources, and distributed data processing, the dispersion of computing functions, and data at electronically interconnected nodes within the organization. Technology, tools,…

Constructs an input-output model, similar to those used to analyze interdependence among sectors in an economy, for application to administration of a school within a university. The model makes possible forecasting of personnel requirements for each component within the school, generated by changes in external demands for school services that…

Applying a consumer satisfaction model to higher education program administration provides the manager with a systemic view of satisfaction, related variables, and postpurchase (alumni) actions. By manipulating the variables leading to consumer satisfaction, the institution can satisfy its consumers and increase the likelihood the consumer will…

Results of a survey of the Western Association of Financial Aid Administrators concerning the prevalence and stringency of validation procedures used in 1985-86 are presented, and the impact and effectiveness of federal verification procedures in offices in that region are discussed. (MSE)

Before colleges and universities can take advantage of the full potential of information technology (IT) to improve administration, they must be able to measure its value and justify adoption. A "return on management" methodology links IT, managerial, and organizational performance to assess management value added, thus relative productivity, of…

Active asset management has not been consistent or cost-effective for college and university endowment funds. Indexing offers higher returns than median active management, provides more investment stability, is available to small institutional endowments across a broad spectrum of investment asset classes, and at lower cost than active management.…

The process of project management is illustrated through application to one activity, development of a new brochure, within the admissions program of a fictional college. The project life cycle is described, and a work responsibility schedule, project completion schedule, and critical path chart are used as planning and implementation tools. (MSE)

The role of the university research administrator has evolved from that of "mediator-expeditor" among faculty, university, and sponsor to that of regulator of the grants process. This has had a significant impact on the kinds of research administration jobs available, characteristics of research administrators, and nature and content of…

The use of selective, as contrasted with across-the-board, state funding as an incentive for program improvement in higher education institutions is discussed, and the experiences of four states (New Jersey, Florida, Ohio, and Tennessee) are examined for forces that work against the long-term feasibility of this approach. (Author/MSE)

Students can make valuable contributions to college alumni publications when involved in writing apprenticeships. Making the relationship work requires advance planning, flexibility, and an understanding of student limitations and the constraints under which they must work. (MSE)

A discussion of the relationship between the campus activities programing office and performers addresses the need for a contract, its essential and optional elements, sponsor and artist rights and responsibilities, ethical considerations, riders, potential conflicts, and the need to check legal issues with college counsel. (MSE)