Examined are: (1) the causes of growth, elaboration, and differentiation in middle-level collegiate administration; (2) the roles and status of middle-level administrators; and (3) the functions of national occupational associations in the professional lives of these campus officials. Results are based on a literature review, survey questionnaire,…

Suggestions for ways that middle managers can help themselves are offered in this discussion of administrative and staffing issues affecting the deans, directors, and assistants of support services. (LBH)

Academic deans, especially in liberal arts colleges, have been called amateurs because they have not been schooled for the position and have not had previous experience in the dean's office. A study of the official logbooks of three deans and the author's own experience are used to document the elements of the role of a dean. (Author/PHR)

The dramatic growth of complex national associations as important organizations for middle-managers is seen as the result of the demand for information, guidance, and training, as well as the desire for recognition and the status that comes from being part of a recognized group. (MLW)

The demand, supply, sponsorship, and need for staff development and training activities for middle-level collegiate administrators is examined and discussed. Data were gathered by a survey research questionnaire and structured interviews with 200 administrators and faculty at 20 colleges and universities, and an extensive review of the literature.…

An associate dean examines the status of middle managers of support services (admissions and financial aid officers, registrars, advisors, counselors) concluding that lack of opportunity for career growth leads to wasted resources. He recommends that colleges introduce programs of career development and suggests ways the middle managers can help…

Personnel officers, like other middle-level collegiate administrators, have become so concerned with their status on campus that they have forgotten their role, which is to serve: to serve the goals of the institution, which are or should be educational goals established by the faculty and its leaders. Personnel is now a vulnerable area, but its…

Describes what is perceived as a largely ignored crisis on campus, the status of the so-called middle managers of support services. Probes the condition of one subgroup, admissions officers, and reports on the author's observations of their situation, especially as it is found in private colleges and universities. (Author)

The demand, supply, sponsorship, and need for staff development and training activities for middle level college administrators is examined through interviews with nearly 200 administrators and faculty at 20 colleges and universities, and a review of the literature. It is explained that middle level staff serve three functions--as liaison with…

The role of middle-management in college administration is addressed. Focus is on financial aid officers who are good representatives of the major dilemmas faced by middle-managers. For example: their contact with students is limited by paperwork duties; they must look off-campus for training and recognition; and federal regulations greatly affect…

Which model provides a more accurate picture of future job responsibilities and professional standing for middle-level administrators in colleges and universities: the robot, or the reinsman who has ability, courage, and control but stays in the background? Competing forces are described in this speech: the institution's desire for stability and…

Collegiate middle-managers (deans and directors of support services) work in a complex setting that is part bureaucratic, part collegial, and part political. They are loyalists to begin with, and many strive to maintain allegiance to their institution. But the pressures and attractions of professional work, together with the general lack of regard…

Some possible solutions to the shortage of faculty jobs are addressed in two papers. In "PhDs in Nonacademic Careers: Are There Good Jobs," Lewis C. Solmon evaluates the prospects for nonacademic jobs for humanists, scientists, engineers, and social scientists, based on three separate studies. Projections on the probable major of undergraduates…

This study on collegiate middle managers examines: the effects of federal compliance requirements on collegiate administrators; the cause of growth, elaboration, and differentiation in middle-level collegiate administration; the functions, status, roles, and values of mid-level administrators; and the role of national occupational associations for…