Theories concerning the organizational dynamics underlying the dispersion of institutional research activities within colleges are proposed. Two theoretical arguments concern whether or not a centralized, monopolistic institutional research office will be found on a given campus: the informational legitimacy argument and the limited attention…

Problems unique to central administrations and board members are discussed, including the line of authority, treating institutions equitably, exceeding statute-imposed limitations, the failure of board members to do their homework, and the extent to which the board should represent the people of the state and the institutions it governs. (MLW)

In the early twentieth century, supervisors began to move toward increasing professionalism in their positions. In the late nineteenth century, supervision was characterized by bureaucratic methods in a centralized school management system. Research reveals that after the turn of the century, there was a concerted effort by supervisors to…

The higher education system in Israel is discussed, noting that tertiary education in that country makes a clear distinction between higher (university and academic) education and postsecondary education that is largely vocational. The Planning and Grants Committee (PGC) of the Council for Higher Education is responsible for the budgets of…

Interviews were conducted with the presidents and senior administrators of 20 Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology located in the province of Ontario (Canada) to assess the relationship between organizational size and organizational structure. It was found that a relationship existed between the size variable and certain structural dimensions.…

The content and assessment of the curriculum is under discussion in many educational systems. Because the curriculum is a product of authority relationships, the role and position of several actors executing the authority relationships in the education system are under question as well. Traditionally, inspectorates, as part of the authority…

Managerial approaches to budget planning for state universities were investigated using an open budgeting model that emphasizes the function of communication, technical analysis, and participative decision making. System-level and central officers in 32 research universities were surveyed to determine whether they used and endorsed technical…

The argument is advanced that tertiary education in Australia, which comprises three sectors--universities, colleges of advanced education, and colleges of technical and further education--is hierarchically structured. Although the colleges were proposed to be of comparable status to universities, the new colleges of advanced education, which have…

The organization of local government in England underwent significant structural revision during the 1970s, creating centralized authorities focused on objectives and service delivery systems rather than on organizational structures and the separate services delivered. As the most autonomous local agency prior to reorganization, education was the…

American education is distinctive in the decentralization of its funding and control. Despite recent expansion, the role of the federal government is still restricted to funding and authority in special programs and situations, while both states and localities have authority to define educational purposes, programs, and policies. At all levels of…

Approaches to the organization and administration of higher education drawn from other countries are presented. In some countries, higher education is coordinated by a central bureaucracy in which there is much nationalization of the curriculum, a nationalized degree structure, and a nationalized system of admissions. This approach is contrasted…

A study is presented to determine (1) where people influential in public university governance believe various typical decisions are being made and (2) where they believe those decisions should be made. The kinds of issues that bring about most disagreement as to proper authority in governance and administration are identified. Centralization of…

The governance of community colleges in western Canada is increasingly influenced by the activities of federal and regional agencies, provincial legislatures, professional and trade associations, and advisory committees. Decision-making is increasingly centralized so that programs are standardized, procedures are routinized, and colleges lack…

The paper compares aspects of decision making in health and education in the United States and Great Britain from 1890-1970. The major purpose is to demonstrate variety in the degree of centralization within the two policy areas during this period. Centralization is defined as the degree to which all resources of a given type are controlled by one…