School vouchers, a school choice policy that allows students and families to use public funds to fully or partially pay the cost of attending private schools, became a major area of policy debate once again during Betsy DeVos's tenure as United States Secretary of Education. Recent evaluations have found negative impacts of vouchers on academic…

In this supplement, the cost to implement and operate the Dana Center Mathematics Pathways (DCMP) program across the participating colleges is presented separated into primary cost categories based on program components describing what portion of spending went to training, teacher time in class, teacher time outside of class, advisement,…

Higher education is deploying a range of innovative strategies in response to rising costs and financial challenges. This report presents findings from a NASPA [National Association of Student Personnel Administrators] study on cost-saving initiatives at three institutions. Each institution aimed to creatively address different areas affecting…

It is so easy to criticize the SAT that most observers overlook the weaknesses of its architect, the College Board. This author contents that, until the latter is replaced, however, the former will never be fixed. The College Board has every incentive to create a complex, stressful, expensive college admissions system. Because it is accountable to…

One of the standard labor practices of research universities is to hire, pay, and promote faculty members on the basis of the research they produce. In the humanities, professors write books and articles and universities reward them accordingly. The system amounts to a considerable expenditure for the institution and a significant portion of…

PRINCE2, which stands for Projects in Controlled Environments, is a project management method covering the organisation, management, and control of projects and is widely used in both government and commercial IT and building projects in the UK. This paper describes the application of PRINCE2 to the management of large clinical trials…

Properly designed and properly evaluated, entrepreneurial activities can have many kinds of positive financial and non-financial results for an alumni program. A service or product line that alumni can not get from any other source can benefit the budget and both internal and external goodwill. (MSE)

Straightforward application of simple economic concepts can explain relationships between expenditures and gift revenues, including those related to predisposition and capacity, and has practical applications in interpreting costs. (Author/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.…

Ten steps, generally following the scientific method, are identified and explained to assist the performance of a cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) study. Benefit-cost analysis (BCA) is compared to CEA, and implications of using CEA are discussed. (Author/LMO)

Areas to analyze in any evaluation of a school bus pupil transportation program are the administrator's role, operations and administration of the program, maps and map system coordination, time schedules for all schools, the recordkeeping system, the reimbursement aid formula, and specifications and bidding on transportation equipment.…

Emory University (Georgia) has advanced its fundraising by leveraging a $2 million challenge from the Coca-Cola Foundation. The school publicized the challenge, made the case for an added incentive to give, and integrated advancement functions to get greater results. Challenge grants can come from industry, foundations, and alumni; and careful…

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)