Decentralization, for the purpose of this study, is defined and variations in control patterns actually found in eleven nationally known university organizations are presented. Sections of the research instrument used to collect the data are included. (Author/CK)

Affiliating universities in India have administrative responsibility for their teaching departments, postgraduate (P.G.) centre, and affiliated colleges. Growth in the number of colleges has resulted in desire for decentralization. These authors propose that P.G. centres be given more autonomy and administrative responsibility for some of the…

Institutions of higher education that have become disenchanted with the traditional ways of organizing student personnel services have begun to seek a new model. This model calls for the creation of a new university office called University Affairs, at least one subunit of which would be student affairs. (Author/WM)

Institutions can capitalize on the ties alumni and friends have to a particular unit of the university. The question of how to organize fund-raising efforts both to take advantage of this loyalty and to get individual units more involved is discussed. Four models are described. (MLW)

A blended system strikes a balance between centralized and decentralized fund-raising. Fund-raising should concentrate on serving the needs of people, not just on raising dollars. (MLW)

Brigham Young University (Utah) has addressed the need for maintenance and support of distributed computing systems on campus by implementing a program patterned after a national business franchise, providing the support and training of a centralized administration but allowing each unit to operate much as an independent small business.…

Computerized management information systems have long been used in business, and data integration and sophisticated programing now enable many businesses to decentralize their information operations. This approach has advantages and disadvantages that colleges and universities must weigh and plan for carefully. (MSE)

University administrative data processing is moving toward a more distributed environment. An architecture must be established that incorporates central sites, campus centers, and end users in a networked pool of computer systems, with applications located at appropriate nodes in the network. (Author/MLW)

The administrative structures and functions of multi-campus colleges/districts of the same size as the Community College of Denver (CCD) were investigated to determine the positive and negative aspects of multi-campus colleges vs. separate independent colleges and of centralization vs. decentralization of 38 administrative functions. A survey of…

The role of statewide governing and coordinating boards to represent a statewide, public interest point of view within that structure, avoiding partisan politics and partisanship among educational institutions or interest groups is discussed. Three functions of the statewide postsecondary agencies are identified: planning, program and budget…

In many institutions, increasing numbers of offices are becoming involved in institutional research activity. A theoretical perspective, derived from theories of power, information, and change in organizations, is proposed for better understanding this phenomenon. (Author/MLW)

At Carnegie Mellon University, collaborative strategic planning promotes institutional distinction through the development of focused departments that exploit university strengths and opportunities. Implications of decentralized university organization and the need for centralized leadership are discussed. (MLW)

Five models of organizational decision-making are described, and a case study of the rational model as seen in the budget process at Stanford University during the 1970s is presented. Several issues are addressed to help administrators who are interested in increasing the organization's rational decision-making. The five models are as follows: the…

A research program at Trinity College in Ireland is reported that focused on the decision-making process, particularly the committee structure. Described are the role of individuals within committees, centralized versus decentralized decision-making, costs, sources of rigidity, and problems of the concentration of power. (Author/LBH)

The process and experiences associated with strategic planning in a recently decentralized administrative information systems environment are described. Background information on why Virginia Commonwealth University decentralized the authority, responsibility, and accountability for the delivery of administrative information services to major…