The prospect of declining enrollments challenges those in higher education to plan creatively for the future. For illustrative purposes, the concerns of mental health, aging, and criminal justice are related to higher education and examined in terms of four primary planning variables: programs, people, facilities, and funding. (JMD)

After years of having one of Boston's strongest adult education programs, Northeastern University's University College suffered an enrollment drop in the fall of 1983. Some of the steps taken to improve enrollment included: marketing research, fine-tuning the program, and promotion experiments. Some marketing tips are provided. (MLW)

The recent literature on issues of quality, retrenchment, and evaluation suggest the kinds of planning and institutional research needed to aid college and university decision processes to sustain and improve program quality. An extensive bibliography is provided. (MLW)

One sociology department has responded to the decline in its student enrollment by developing an applied sociology program at the graduate and undergraduate levels. The BS degree emphasizes research skills and an internship; the MA degree facilitates training in interdisciplinary problem-solving skills; and a Research Institute coordinates…

Suggests that college administrators redirect their attention from studying attrition rates to enacting retention strategies based on responding to student needs and providing a more meaningful educational experience. Several studies dealing with the development of retention programs are reviewed. (JAC)

This paper examines the organizational development and process phases of establishing a student recruitment system at Southeast Missouri State University which began when the student recruitment unit of the school was transferred to the Office of University Relations. The various components of Southeast's efforts in influencing a student's choice…

Declining enrollments in college-level geography courses have caused educators to assess current curriculum and research emphases within geography departments and to appraise those courses of action they might take to enhance geography's attractiveness to students. Current problems affecting geography can be placed in two categories--(1) general…

The variety of conventional and creative responses of U.S. higher education institutions to declining enrollments and related educational change is outlined, and the shift in the role of state governments in higher education is discussed. (MSE)

Law schools' future is no more or less certain than that of higher education generally. The question is whether law schools can conserve the qualitative gains they have made in recent years, especially within a static or declining larger institution. Effective administration, cooperative faculty, and generous alumni are crucial. (MSE)

The development of a staff flexibility index at Glassboro State College is presented. It was an outgrowth of retrenchment problems for tenured faculty. Institutional flexibility was defined as the continuing ability of the institution to implement new or modify existing programs, employing a rationale that sees the ability to employ new faculty or…

In discussing the future of teacher education, several factors can be considered. The control of teacher education is exercised by college and university faculty, professional associations, government agencies, and accreditation groups. In preservice and inservice teacher education, there is a need for more discipline-based study and clinical…

The French-speaking population of Quebec constitutes a small, isolated island in the midst of an English-speaking world. The cultural survival of its six to seven million inhabitants depends upon the quality of its educational system. In the last few years, however, the balance of this system has been upset by a number of factors and the…

In an effort to stem declining foreign student numbers, Japan will moderately increase its traditional scholarships for foreign students and sponsor 1,900 students from other countries under a short-term student exchange promotion program. The new policy also encourages the national universities to join private ones in developing ties with…

When faculty and department heads rated alternative responses to retrenchment pressures in a fictitious but realistic situation, few differences were found among department heads' and tenured and nontenured faculty's preferences. Most preferred protecting instructional programs even at the cost of research and service activities. Implications for…

Acknowledging that one of the most difficult challenges postsecondary educators must face is the maintenance of adequate student enrollment, this paper describes the creation of a speech communication laboratory as one component of a university-wide effort to maximize student retention. The paper first discusses several suggestions researchers…