There is a need for theories of how college environments operate. Criteria for theories are proposed, with emphasis on the production of testable theoretical predictions. Three approaches appear unusually promising: role theory, organizational psychology, and social ecological analysis. The advantages of using such theoretical approaches are…

Given the importance of colleges and universities as social institutions, it is surprising that there are few theoretical ideas about how colleges operate or theories of how to implement change. The range of theoretical systems available to measure the college environment varies with the level of analysis, with the person whose environment is…