Describes the Delphi Technique, an approach to elicit and refine the opinions of a group of people. Outlines the steps in the process and provides illustrations of the applications of the technique for schools and colleges in determining future research needs, assessing staff development needs, and identifying problems confronting administrators.…

Broad understanding of an institution is fundamental to strategic planning, and information and communication are integral parts of this understanding. An institutional fact book used at Georgia State University is discussed both as a basic information system and as a practical communication vehicle. (MLW)

Accreditation must resume its status as a voluntary system that responds to, rather than demands response from the institutions and programs it was and is intended to serve. Some suggestions are offered that allow institutions to be active rather than reactive to accreditation. (MLW)

This book offers a conceptual framework and a set of processes for clarifying institutional purpose and setting academic priorities that builds on the author's experience as a university president, and engages the academic community in choosing among competing demands for financial and physical resources. Chapter 1 makes the case for academic…

Pennsylvania State University's early response to declining resources and its current planning and budget process are described. Attention is also directed to the fiscal outcomes of the process over the past 5 years and several of the strategies devised to promote qualitative concerns and respond to variable growth-decline situations. From 1971 to…

Issues concerning administrator evaluation at the University of Toledo, including internal political realities and the need to incorporate qualitative dimensions, were evaluated. The overall framework for the analysis of administrator evaluation at Toledo was based on the political model of J. Victor Baldridge (1971), complemented by Bacharach and…

The development of an operational model that would enable a college institutional research unit to improve administrative decision-making by expanding its data base to include new activities not widely recognized throughout the institution is considered. Attention is directed to institutional research as a function within an institution,…

In order to assure that all desiring input into the goals development process at South Oklahoma City Junior College have it, a systematic structure was developed for soliciting, organizing, and prioritizing concerns and for their development into goal statements. Specific goals were solicited from students (through a questionnaire published in the…

The problems and opportunities for institutional research in academe as it becomes increasingly policy analytic in activity and orientation are explored. It is suggested that for the 1980s the most viable and dynamic role for institutional research will be in providing leaders in higher education institutions with policy-relevant knowledge in…

In July 1992, the Commission on New Directions for Michigan Community Colleges (CNDMCC) was established to identify key issues most likely to effect the 29 Michigan community colleges and develop recommendations for handling those issues. This report provides background information on the CNDMCC and discusses the commission's recommendations. The…

A General Policy Systems Theory is outlined and its application at a university in regard to governance in the face of retrenchment is described. The way that this model of nonrigorous but holistic research supports the Purpose, Target, Results (PTR) strategy and is in turn more useful than either operations research/management or science/systems…

During the 1991-92 academic year, the Long-Range Planning Committee at Holyoke Community College (HCC) completed an in-depth review of national, regional, and local trends likely to affect the composition of the study body and the need for programs and services provided by the college. In addition, the Committee identified internal trends and…

The importance of myth and ritual in understanding the use of computer simulators in higher education is considered. Myths are commonly held beliefs that maintain social solidarity and reduce ambiguity; rituals serve a similar function, but they involve actions in addition to words. Examples of common myths and rituals are used to illustrate the…

The Long-Range Planning Committee at Holyoke Community College (HCC) in Massachusetts has devised a 5-year plan to help the college focus on its most important priorities as it seeks to grow and accommodate change. This planning document identifies seven major institutional goals, objectives comprised by each goal, long-range strategies to achieve…

Decision-making responsibility in small private liberal arts colleges as perceived by faculty, presidents, and trustees is examined in light of the growing pressures of the 1980's on the institutions. Problem areas identified through a literature survey were the acquisition and allocation of financial resources, student recruitment and retention,…