Threats in the external environment, the arrival of a planning-oriented new president, and new regional reaccreditation criteria prompted West Texas State University to undertake a successful strategic planning venture. Leadership must focus strategic planning in a manner that recognizes the decentralized and collegial elements present in higher…

This essay provides examples of two types of educational assessment that serve two interrelated purposes of the reform movement. The first are climate-related evaluations that have created a sense of crisis, thereby stimulating a desire for change in schools. The second are policy-related evaluations at the state level that have stimulated major…

Advancement staff at the private Potomac School (Virginia) has evolved from a part-time volunteer to a six-woman team. The program has achieved high productivity and substantial success. The management style is characterized by teamwork, enthusiasm, mutual support, personal loyalty to the school, and some specialization. Volunteers are welcomed.…

Four major trends in corporate funding that may be seen as problems for higher education are outlined. Trends include corporate downsizing, decreased corporate giving, fewer one-time gifts, and increased emphasis on elementary secondary education. Specific examples are given of institutions turning these potentially negative trends into…

Describes the design of a learning environment, called the Climate Visualizer, intended to facilitate scientific sense-making in high school classrooms by providing students the ability to craft, inspect, and annotate scientific visualizations. Discusses how visualizations can promote creation of scientific theories, especially in conjunction with…

Presents research on the use of external information in the strategic management of retail banks in the United Kingdom. Explores the organizational role of the environmental analysis department, the character of business environment analysis, and the nature of information used in strategic management and its perceived importance. (Author/AEF)

Data from 313 colleges and universities indicate major endowments earned a return much higher than last year's and greatly exceeding the 3 percent inflation rate. Average return was still below that of major stock and bond indexes. A few institutions earned over 20 percent. Not all aspects of investment performance are reflected in these figures.…

Discusses the highlights of the 58th International Federation of Library Associations and Institutes (IFLA) conference, which was held in New Delhi, India, August 30-September 5, 1992. Outlines IFLA's structure, programs, and goals; introduces new officers; and discusses IFLA's role in strengthening and supporting libraries, particularly in…

It is not research and undergraduate teaching that are in conflict, but how we perceive and value those activities and organize our institutions to reflect those attitudes. Remedies include renewing faculty and graduate student commitment to home campuses, appropriate evaluation and rewards for excellence in teaching, and institutional…

Using a theoretical model of institutional culture, organizational climate, and faculty motivation, a study examined how faculty (n=1,123) and administrators (n=381) in 10 colleges differed in their perceptions, whether differences were affected by institution type, and to what extent faculty and administrators had different implicit models of…

Approaches to the economics of training and personnel development are reviewed, and results from an empirical survey of 450 Swedish training managers are summarized with regard to competence as a production factor. Preconditions for an economics of competence include a long-range perspective and combining qualitative and quantitative variables.…

Structural constraints in colleges that hinder cooperation between academic and student affairs staff are examined, and specific strategies for overcoming them are suggested. These strategies include both changes in policies and administrative structures and development of initiatives that foster partnerships. (MSE)

Proposes sociological models about dominance and intergroup dynamics as feasible theoretical supplements to psychological models to explain the sources and significance of organizational-level change. Proposes substantive sharing of power with diverse or nontraditional employees hitherto marginalized in U.S. organizations as one potentially…

Describes how the University of Nebraska-Lincoln libraries used the Myers-Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI) as a way to understand the personality profile of the overall organization. The MBTI personality types of the library's 33 managers are summarized. Implications for managing the organization and specific approaches are discussed. (two references)…

The conditions and trends for four clusters of global issues--the air and the sky, the fishes and the sea, the creatures and the land, and people and poverty--are presented. The topics of climate change, the ozone hole, air pollution, biological diversity, deforestation, and desertification are discussed. (KR)