In the debate over the rationale for college student financial aid, the key question is whether providing aid increases or decreases the net resources available to the college to fulfill its mission. For some institutions, such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, student aid may function as an investment. (MSE)

Fifty alumni association administrators offer tips on how they save money or make their programs more cost effective in a variety of administrative areas including event programing, staffing, postal services, support of chapters, looking for new sources of revenue, fees for services, publications, planning ahead, and sharing resources. (MSE)

Describes MATRIX-1, a small group activity that can be used to show interrelationships between various factors. Examples include values clarification; procedural phases; relationships among people; resource allocation; related concepts; and group decision making activities. Modifications to MATRIX-1 are discussed that allow for variations in…

When Governor Roy Romer challenged Colorado's 20 largest districts to undergo performance audits, 12 responded. Consultants recommended that districts provide more market-sensitive salaries, privatize certain functions, cross-train personnel, and create job flexibility. Districts can improve overall efficiency by generating accurate operational…

Examines the prospects for change in the financing of American higher education in the next decade, looking at current patterns of financing along three dimensions (total resources, cost per unit, apportionment of costs) that may or may not change profoundly and how they may do so. Considers the likelihood that such shifts will be evolutionary or…

Effective college information-technology (IT) planning must be integrated into institutional planning, mission, and goals. Topics discussed include key constructs for ensuring that the acquisition and implementation of IT furthers the institution's strategic plan, an inclusive governance structure and facility planning approach, funding…

South Carolina has instituted a system of accountability linked to funding for its public colleges; it includes six measures of faculty, six measures of graduate preparedness to succeed, and five measures of instructional quality. The practice has transformed the way the institution operates, but some educators question the fairness and…

Outdated and cumbersome administrative processes and technology at the University of Missouri prompted use of business process reengineering (BPR) techniques to bring about change. BPR helped quantify staff resources and costs associated with major administrative processes, know where those processes were occurring, and understand opportunities…

For the 1999 fiscal year, Congress earmarked specific spending measures that included at least $797 million for projects involving colleges and universities, a 51% increase over 1998. Earmarks are seen by some as inequitable because they are not subject to competitive, merit-based reviews typically used by federal agencies to distribute money for…

This pilot study looked at the British lay public's evaluation of 20 different disciplines by asking them to rank-order them. In a cutting-saving exercise those departments (disciplines) thought most worthy of saving were English, mathematics, and computer science; those rated as least important were anthropology, film and media studies, and…

Analyzes the extent to which differences in external funding sources and internal allocations of resources arising from managerial decision-makers persist between historically black and white institutions of higher education. Considers potential managerial and public policy implications at both the institutional level and the federal and state…

Preferential/differential student aid packaging, or reducing the self-help component of an aid package for specific students, is by definition discriminatory. Such student aid packaging is very old, but in recent years there is even more discrimination within need-based aid against the economically weak. A new approach is needed to reduce…

Describes how Rampano College preserved and redesigned its student affairs programs and services while being forced to manage statewide cutbacks in overall funding. Discusses how the Division of Student Affairs agreed upon concrete principles on how to best use resources and services, thereby meeting the challenges of the fiscal crisis while also…

Resource allocation in Alberta's postsecondary system has changed substantially since 1994, designed to reapportion financial responsibility for higher education, increase vocational outcomes of postsecondary education, and increase transfer of knowledge and technology to the private sector. This paper outlines how resource allocation has been…

Studies differences in social mobility between rich and poor families. Finds that borrowing constraints retard social mobility among the poor by preventing poor parents from investing optimally in their children's human capital. Also finds that sibling inequality appears to be independent of parental wealth. (Contains 18 references.) (Author/PKP)