Asserts income inequality will grow as government spending cutbacks lead to funding cuts for social benefits and services. Notes the shift from federal to local administration of social welfare services suggests greater resource allocation power for local communities. Draws on the literature of multicultural community practice to focus on…

Explores whether observed levels of educational attainment and expenditure per student are endogenously determined by schools' optimizing behavior in resource-allocation decisions, considering both supply- and demand-side factors. This process can generate patterns of expenditure per student in line with empirical findings. Difficulties with…

Many governments worldwide have dramatically increased resources devoted to improving educational quality. However, by concentrating on inputs and ignoring incentives within schools, resources have resulted in little overall improvement in student achievement. Reviews U.S. and international evidence on the effectiveness of such input policies,…

The Powerful Partners Collaboration Grant is a collaborative effort using Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funds for educational outreach and increased visibility for libraries in the community. Powerful Partners grant recipients from North Carolina libraries have demonstrated positive outcomes for projects that required interagency…

Federal law that forbids sex discrimination in educational institutions receiving federal funds (Title IX) has created opportunities for women athletes, but some say men's sports have lost ground. Since athletics provide major educational opportunities for black men, less so for black women, critics are concerned blacks may be losing. (MSE)

Congress has earmarked $440 million for projects involving specific universities for fiscal 1997, a 49% increase from the previous year but far from the $763 million earmarked in fiscal 1993. The funds are not subject to the competitive review typically used for distributing federal money. Critics say absence of review makes the awards a poor…

Campus activities programmers are offered suggestions to make the budgeting process clearer. They include knowing funding sources, understanding distribution of funds, monitoring encumbered funds, developing a system to keep track of how funds are spent, avoiding overspending and handling re-appropriations, setting aside reserves, and asking for…

Offers background information on cost-per-hire. Includes reflections offered by human resources officials who discuss how they calculate this statistic and how they use it. Explains difficulties associated with calculating cost-per-hire, provides a sample worksheet, and uses a case study to show how this cost might be lowered. (RJM)

Argues that good budgets flow from good planning, and that good planning requires a careful process that asks the right questions. Looks at the need for planning, the importance of vision, the role of values, campus environment, hierarchies, the economic context, and unforeseen events. Advocates asking good questions using good information. (RJM)

Stresses importance of defining student services in educationally sound terms. Looks at prioritization through strategic planning, establishing funding priorities, retrenchment as a last resort, and standards and criteria for student services. Advocates spreading information on the role of student services and its function in education. (RJM)

Discusses why it is essential to look at costs related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) faculty not simply as a critical expense, but as part of an intentional investment strategy meant to produce an important and significant value-added benefit. Offers advice on planning, financing, and assessing this investment. (EV)

The rationale for using Activity-Based Costing (ABC) in a library is to allocate indirect costs to products and services based on the factors that most influence them. This paper discusses the benefits of ABC to library managers and explains the steps involved in implementing ABC in the user services area of an Australian academic library.…

Analysis of information technology's role in higher education looks at pressures to use technology, the slow pace of adoption, current directions in technological advancement, and its impact on institutional policy and resource requirements. Its impact on teaching and learning without a new paradigm for instruction is seen as limited. (MSE)

The best kind of performance-based funding system is that which encourages and rewards good practice. Any state incentive program should encourage colleges and universities to develop a comprehensive database, conduct more and better talent development assessments, increase student-faculty contact, and increase student involvement in learning.…

A campus atmosphere of cultural pluralism in which individual minority groups can maintain a sense of identity and uniqueness while acknowledging and building on shared experiences and values can empower all members of the college community. Student activities policies and procedures reconsidered in this light can lower barriers. (Author/MSE)