The purpose of the digest is to review the research on institutional transformation as it relates to institutional culture. The discussion of organizational culture's importance in institutional transformation is organized around three primary aspects of the change process: (1) readiness and responsiveness; (2) resistance to change; and (3)…

This Critical Issue Bibliography (CRIB) Sheet presents resources on college rankings publications, criticisms of rankings methodology, effects of the rankings on the public, and alternatives to the major rankings guides. The annotated bibliography lists 5 Internet resources and 17 other resources, all of which are in the ERIC database. (SLD)

This digest focuses on providing the reader several key insights into the change process in higher education by: (1) presenting a common language for organizational change; (2) describing the multidisciplinary research base on change; (3) highlighting the distinct characteristics of higher education institutions and how this might influence the…

This summer 2003 issue of New Directions for Community Colleges advances the conversation among researchers and practitioners about possible approaches to classifying two-year colleges. The 10 chapters include the following: (1) "Classifying Two-Year Colleges: Purposes, Possibilities and Pitfalls" (Alexander C. McCormick and Rebecca D.…

This digest offers a brief discussion about the growth of distance education in the postsecondary arena and summarizes the U.S. Department of Education's progress in evaluating current rules governing financial aid for distance learning. Department of Education statistics show that there was a 72% increase in the number of institutions offering…

This Critical Issue Bibliography (CRIB) Sheet focuses on how technology is having an impact on the overall institutional processes and goals of higher education institutions. It is important that technology should not just be added to existing processes and structures, but integrated into institutional processes. This annotated bibliography…

The popularity of college ranking surveys published by "U.S. News and World Report" and other magazines is indisputable, but the methodologies used to measure the quality of higher education institutions have come under fire by scholars and college officials. Criticisms have focused on methodological flaws, such as failure to consider…

This CRitical Issue Bibliography (CRIB) Sheet lists resources that focus on maintaining the financial health of an institution of higher education. It describes resources in three areas: (1) tuition strategies; (2) cost containment; and (3) fundraising. The focus of the bibliography, however, is on cost containment and efficiency, and it details…

In this day of increased competition for students, educators need to know what makes their institution exceptional or how it is perceived as providing something of value that other institutions in the local area do not. Without this information, community colleges will find it difficult to thrive and adapt in the future. Efforts to determine the…

Institutional stature, its development and determination, and strategies for its enhancement in colleges and universities are discussed. Focus is on the fundamental dimensions of stature, how it is affected by the external environment, and what colleges can do to improve it. Chapters are as follow: "Definition and Dimensions of Stature" (higher…

The properties of institutional culture are identified, and the way cultural perspectives have been used to describe life in colleges and universities are examined. Seven sections cover the following: cultural perspectives (the warrant for the report, organizational rationality, the remaining sections); culture defined and described (toward a…

Identifying effective and ineffective schools is a dominant issue in education in light of the increasing concern for achievement and accountability. Educators involved in school improvement projects face the dilemma of choosing from a variety of methods for measuring school effectiveness. The primary purpose of this paper is to describe for…

A discussion of institutional stature in higher education focuses on its development and determination and strategies for its enhancement. The central theme is that although colleges and universities are affected by trends in the external environment, they can plan, respond, act, and organize themselves to improve their stature. The report…

The essays in this collection argue that community colleges have much to gain by seeking out and maintaining positive recognition of the features that distinguish them from other colleges in the region and state. In addition, the sourcebook contains articles discussing the process of conducting a search for institutional distinctiveness and ways…

This digest summarizes in a question and answer format a full length report of the same title. It addresses trends in college student enrollment patterns with an emphasis on behavior underlying student choice of college. Demographic changes and cuts in important sources of student financial aid brought significant enrollment declines to higher…