Putting data-driven decision making into practice requires the use of consistent and reliable data that are easily accessible. The systematic collection and maintenance of accurate information is an important component in developing policy and evaluating outcomes. Since 1982, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has been collecting…

Microcomputer technology is direct, personal, and well suited for the task of decision support. Learning to use it constructively and effectively to improve higher education management is the challenge of the immediate future. (Author/MLW)

Broad understanding of an institution is fundamental to strategic planning, and information and communication are integral parts of this understanding. An institutional fact book used at Georgia State University is discussed both as a basic information system and as a practical communication vehicle. (MLW)

A case study of the implementation of a computerized decision aid in the Graduate School of Management at UCLA is presented. This decision tool helps determine the annual teaching schedule by assigning faculty to courses and other activities on the basis of their responses to course preference questionnaires. It can also help determine recruitment…

The M.I.T. INSITE (INstitutional Space Inventory TEchniques) system, a management information system developed specifically to provide facilities management information for decision making in the planning stages, is described. Since 1973, M.I.T. has shared the INSITE technology with a consortium of users from academic, health care, corporate and…

Sound management of human resources requires policies and procedures that are developed carefully and applied consistently. Monitoring personnel decisions and developing databases that document their outcomes will help ensure that such decisions are not only made fairly but are perceived so by faculty. (Author/MSE)

Many colleges and universities will soon adopt distributed systems for executive information and decision support. Distribution of shared information through computer networks will improve decision-making processes dramatically on campuses. Critical success factors include administrative support, favorable organizational climate, ease of use,…

The planning, management, and evaluation system is discussed as an effective aid for academic decision makers during a period of retrenchment for higher education institutions. (Author/SF)

Improved management systems can be developed for colleges and universities if assumptions are correct and a well-defined process is used. A life-cycle approach is suggested whose subsystems and implementation at Augsburg College, a small private liberal arts institution, are described. (LBH)

Design concepts and techniques for building integrated executive information systems and decision-support systems for mission-critical college applications are presented from the developer's perspective. Financial planning, student retention, and enrollment demand are offered as examples of administrative applications. Sample screens are included…

The need to incorporate institutional research directly into the college decision-making process is discussed. The important role that computers and a management information system can play in this liaison for two-year colleges is emphasized. (Author/SF)

In college administration, a climate for adaptive change should be created using the philosophy, processes, and tools of Total Quality Management in combination with other management innovations. An enterprise-wide infrastructure for distributing information on demand for decision makers to monitor institutional performance should be built.…

Colleges and universities have begun to benefit from advancing technology. Considering the problems higher education faces and the potential that enterprise-wide information access offers, institutional leaders must look ahead and decide where to invest in information technology support to achieve maximum benefits in quality improvement and cost…

This article recommends that each college or university develop a management database about its human assets. A handbook has been designed to aid in the creation of such a database and includes explanation of basic concepts (faculty as individuals, the notion of human assets, and definitions of effort, workload, output, productivity); basic data…