While ethical norms for conducting academic research in the United Kingdom are relatively clear, there is little empirical understanding of how university research ethics committees (RECs) themselves operate and whether they are seen to operate well. In this article, we offer insights from a project focused on the Scottish university context. We…

This Education Trends report examines the different structures and strategies--including the creation of state offices, the consolidation of others, and collaboration and coordination across several state agencies--used in the states to govern early education. State examples and policy considerations are included to provide insight and help…

Far from allowing a governance of universities by the invisible hand of market forces, research performance assessments do not just measure differences in research quality, but yield themselves visible symptoms in terms of a stratification and standardization of disciplines. The article illustrates this with a case study of UK history departments…

Building on the resources offered in the first volume of this series, this second volume offers governance members, leaders, and other academics valuable insights into the governance process in higher education. In a chapter drawn from his keynote address at the March 2015 SUNY Voices conference, Steven Bahls, president of Augustana College,…

A survey of 52 public research universities revealed great variety in the depth of faculty involvement in budgeting and in structures through which faculty participate. Faculty do not, in general, have major roles in resource allocation decisions. The concept of shared authority should be reconsidered in light of current reality. (MSE)

The agenda, structure, and responsibilities of a board of trustees standing committee--the campus student affairs committee--are discussed. The size, selection, and rotation of student affairs committee members will vary with the traditions and policies of the individual institution. If possible, the committee should include students among its…

The college or university academic affairs committee of the governing board holds the primary responsibility for defining, overseeing, and modifying the "policies" that fulfill the institution's academic mission, including: ensuring that the academic program is consistent with the institution's mission and strategies; ensuring that the academic…

A statistical and analytical procedure for selecting states for the purpose of comparing their postsecondary systems with New Jersey's is detailed by a public commission appointed by the New Jersey Board of Higher Education. The approach used factor analysis to examine information on specific variables that describe the socioeconomic and…

Vermont's Blue Ribbon Commission on Higher Education was appointed in the summer of 1973 to consider major issues involving Vermont's postsecondary education programs. This report addresses the major problems in statewide coordination. Internally, fragmented planning and policy implementation are considered, and externally, multiple voices and…

The committee on buildings and grounds of a college or university governing board is charged with the broad responsibility for overseeing an institution's physical assets: land, buildings, and equipment. Specific tasks include ensuring the adequacy and condition of capital assets, developing and periodically reviewing policies, advocating for new…