Alumni administration is an activity of a college designed to allow alumni to exercise their rightful role in the governance and support of the institution. It is an asset of tremendous worth to the president and can help meet the various problems of higher education today. (MSE)

Research administrators can avoid falling into bureaucratic traps by (1) understanding what is important and what is subordinate to it; (2) becoming a better manager; and (3) improving public relations by being more accessible, soliciting complaints, consulting, supporting clients, making the rules work for clients, and educating clients.

Advice for alumni program directors to increase productivity and counter negative images includes developing a long-range plan for budget-building, being flexible enough to seize opportunities, building a base of support within the institution, cultivating support among senior administrators, building on successes and expecting excellence, and…

Institutional advancement is a management process that requires coordination, not only of how resources are acquired but also how they are allocated, utilized, evaluated, and accounted for. The president cannot tolerate poor performance by any member of the development team. (MSE)

Research on university marketing structures suggests environments without unique market segments result in circular, multi-layered structures; marketing autonomy is directly related to resource control; communication and cooperation among organizational layers is inversely related to resource control; number of autonomous organizational layers is…

Since planning is a continual process, the college public relations manager plans for what could occur and prepares for it. The manager's responsibilities include working with the board and president, budgeting, setting objectives, innovating, representing, staffing, coordinating, and directing. (MSE)

Five situations are posed in which a college advancement administrator must make an ethical judgment. They involve renaming a building named after a graduate, use of personal versus institutional funds for a sensitive information search, use of unrestricted gifts, respecting donor intentions, and candor in information dissemination. Readers are…

A professional, effective, and efficient college alumni office is the key to linking loyal alumni and campus. A wise alumni administrator will also increase alumni participation through communication, become involved and influential in campus affairs, gain the support of the president, and offer a program valuable to constituents. (MSE)

Factors in effective research program administration are discussed, and administrators are urged to focus on understanding and supporting what's important, and subordinating all other organizational functions to that; using good managerial skills (effective planning, organization, staffing, delegation of duties, control, creativity, and positive…

Some optimistic views about the future are presented, on the presumption that institutions will honestly face their problems and shortcomings and set about the process of self-renewal and self-regulation. Important to this process is a mutual acceptance of responsibility by the president and the advancement professionals. (Author/MSE)

Successful alumni travel programs require good organization, careful targeting, and attention to detail. Planning includes understanding audience demographics, choosing an appropriate tour, knowing current travel trends and constraints, selecting the best host for the group, calculation of costs and tax limitations, choosing a good agent, and…

A former corporate public relations (PR) professional shares strategies for communicating and cooperating with the chief executive officer, and particularly for coping with differences in perceptions of the public relations officer's role. Basic attributes of a successful PR professional are outlined: good communication skills, an analytical…

Outlines an eight-step approach to launching an integrated college or university marketing/fund-raising program: finding a visionary campus leader; getting presidential support; assembling a three-tier marketing structure; considering new ways of defining quality; developing a marketing "blueprint"; selling the program on campus; embracing…

The departure or death of an important college or school fund raiser can threaten campaign morale and momentum. The experiences of development programs in such situations illustrate a variety of strategies for management, including good record keeping and institutional communication, teamwork, assuming business as usual, having two people in…

The guide is designed to help elementary school administrators and school communities in making decisions about FLES (foreign language in the elementary school) program design and implementation. An introductory chapter provides definitions of relevant program types (FLES, exploratory/FLEX, and immersion). The second chapter reviews the current…