The implications of closing for Mount Saint Mary College were studied by a consulting team, the New Hampshire College and University Council. Options were considered, trustees consulted, and efforts and plans made to make the final year successful. Student, parent, and administrator satisfaction are reported. (Author/LBH)

The consultant can assist the administration in setting up an educational program on collective bargaining, can advise about the creation of data systems, can help select and coordinate task forces, and can help implement a comprehensive audit of board policies and practices as well as administrative procedures. (MLW)

A thorough review conducted by the right person can be a priceless tool for boards and presidents, incumbent and newly appointed, in guiding their institutions. Good reviews often carry more weight than accreditation reports. Article includes a reading list detailing the tools reviewers need to begin an institutional evaluation. (Author/MSE)

A discussion of the place of advisory boards in college administration looks at board types (general, program, and ad hoc), general and specific purposes, and steps to keep the board involved and functioning. Cultivating a productive and directed relationship between institution staff and these volunteer consultants is emphasized. (MSE)

Since renegotiation or termination of a president's contract by a governing board can bring misunderstanding, irritation, and trauma, an outside expert is suggested as being beneficial to both sides. A contractual expert can represent the governing board and help determine whether the chief executive should be rehired or terminated. (Author/MLW)

Speakers at the National Trustee Workshop addressed energy conservation on college campuses, the use of outside consultants on campus, the advantages and disadvantages of statewide governing boards, and the creation of incentives to encourage cooperative ventures among colleges, communities, and the government. (JMD)

Next to hiring a president, getting rid of one is the most important and difficult task a governing board will encounter. A smooth presidential succession is vital to an institution's well-being. (MLW)

Presents a plan for college president evaluation involving the board of trustees, the president, and an outside consultant. Rationale is based on president-board agreement on institutional goals.

The president of Ramapo College in New Jersey recruited business leaders and set up a quarterly seminar to advise his board members about the strategic planning process. (Author/MLW)

Possible advisory committee roles and responsibilities, and some examples of these in action, are described and discussed. Included are the Indiana State Advisory Council on Vocational Education's recommendations for maintaining an active advisory committee, which are based on the assumption that a board can be effective only if it receives…

When the faculty of the Community College of Philadelphia organized for bargaining in 1970, the board hired two outside experts to negotiate. In the course of four crisis situations the outside negotiators imposed their own solutions, creating tension in the administration and loss of control by the board. (Editor/LBH)

Instead of hiring outside consultants for each institution's problems, these colleges set up their own three-person permanent consulting team. Among its accomplishments are: averting a financial crisis, aiding a recovery from financial crisis, reorganizing for steady states, and launching statewide planning. (Author/LBH)

As objective outsiders, consultants can bring a fresh and unbiased view to institutional needs and perspectives. However, careful preliminary screening of consulting firms by colleges and universities considering their use is important, addressing a variety of cost considerations; prospective firms' experience and success record; and the specific…

The author argues that very wide consultation tends to discourage innovation and favor stand-pattism and that the very great benefits of openness and wide participation are flawed by apathy and non-participation, by muscle-binding legalisms, by processes which polarize two adversary sides, and by the encouragement of mediocrity. (JT)

The composition of the presidential search committee, the chair of the committee, the use of external consultants, the screening process, the interview, and the final decision making are discussed. (MLW)