Examines the benefits of Decision Support Systems (DSS) for end-user group decision making. An experiment was conducted which required groups to reach a consensus on human resource-related decisions. The results of the experiment provide implications for the use of group DDS in organizations and for future study. (Author/AEF)

Building a college's potential for a major gift requires that (1) faculty, administrators, and volunteer leaders share a strong sense of where they want the institution to go and how to take it there; and (2) the development professional communicate that vision and excitement to alumni, community, and other possible donors. (MSE)

It is proposed that market research needn't be formal but can be useful. Suggestions include using a variety of existing information sources; conducting focus groups; using readership surveys of school publications; paying attention to the timing of surveys; and sharing results with others who can use it. (MSE)

Advice for college alumni administrators on selecting, preparing for, and working with a new president includes participating on the selection committee; getting to know the president and his administrative style; adopting the president's point of view; demonstrating to him the campus' assets; introducing him to alumni; and working cooperatively.…

The campus media center, the only campuswide service dedicated to support of the institution's instructional mission, plays an essential role in supporting college teaching but is often handicapped by lack of recognition, inappropriate administrative structure, and absence of strong leadership. (MSE)

As scrutiny of intercollegiate athletics programs increases, a likely means for evaluating athletics programs is self-study. This method can be valuable in enhancing internal decision making, help assure the institution and others of the integrity of the evaluation process, focus on key issues before they become problems, and improve campus…

The importance of communication between college advancement professionals and fund raisers is emphasized, and some techniques are offered for resolving specific communication issues, including time constraints during travel, timely filing of reports, resistance to computers, completeness of information recorded, resistance to information sharing,…

Both centralized and decentralized college or university development programs have advantages, depending on the nature and needs of the institution. Changing program structure may have consequences that reach far beyond fund-raising details. A survey of 10 institutions revealed some common characteristics and many hybrid forms of organization.…

Eight steps to use in promoting the alumni office on campus and create lasting ties with other campus offices are outlined. They include keeping in personal contact with campus colleagues, staying involved in campus programs, keeping the top administrators and campus informed of activities, garnering support, being professional, keeping current.…

It is argued that bringing the cultures of business, industry and advertising into higher education, in the form of quality assurance systems, goes beyond a healthy challenge to be destructive of many traditional values of university culture. Imposition, and acceptance, of the language of management reflects this phenomenon. (MSE)

If college planning is to work, planners need to accept, understand, facilitate, and use the political processes within their institutions. Rather than try to inhibit or bypass political discussions about change, planners must learn new skills to marshal support for their strategic ideas. (MSE)

Two workshops are described in detail. One explores ways to increase the effectiveness of work groups and includes the workshop leader's personal observations. The second involves training transformational leaders, whose characteristics include idealized influence, individualized consideration, intellectual stimulation, and inspirational…

Two case studies, a study of retention of health care personnel and a study of internal organizational communication, are presented that illustrate the application of multidimensional unfolding (MDU) and mapping to organizational concerns. This approach to multivariate analysis allows clients and stakeholders to picture the results of complex…

Expands understanding of social support by addressing the communicative use of support in a community program for troubled teens. Presents the ways in which the organization accomplishes and constructs support. Identifies and explores two novel aspects of supportive communication: supportive communication that may be perceived as uncomfortable and…

Identifies and describes strategies for effective fundraising: imagining the possibilities, identifying fund-raising sources, targeting fund-raising efforts, maximizing time by utilizing public relations efforts and involving staff, writing quality proposals and requests, and staying educated on fund-raising topics. Sidebars describe planned…