Curriculum may be more adequately explained as the work of an organization than as a plan for individual learning. Research is reported based upon case studies of four allied health programs in one university with the intent to employ concepts from the organizational literature to describe a group of curriculums, and to determine if relationships…

In some communities, commercial activity by the local university is perceived as a threat to the reciprocity of the "town-gown" exchange relationship. This study was designed to provide an information base from which negotiations in this area could proceed. Students (N=200) and faculty/staff (N=100) at the University of Maryland, College…

Given that for the past eight years women have constituted the majority of students enrolled in college journalism programs, a study investigated whether women hold the majority of staff and management positions on campus newspapers. Twenty-one schools in five southern and southwestern states were surveyed in 1986 about information concerning…

A study investigated whether college environments known to provide unusually rich out-of-class learning opportunities are associated with different patterns of student learning and personal development. Data were gathered during a year-long examination of institutional conditions associated with student involvement in out-of-class learning…

An overview is provided of the demographic and economic characteristics of the geographical area defined by the Peralta Community College District's boundaries in Northern Alameda County, California. In addition, projections are presented concerning the population and economy of the county until the year 2005. Highlighted findings of the…

Differences between declining colleges and colleges not experiencing decline were investigated, along with dysfunctional organizational consequences that may be associated with decline. Attention is directed to 12 negative attributes resulting from conditions of decline, seven of which were found to be significant: no innovation, scapegoating,…

Birnbaum's 1982 study of diversity in higher education is reviewed, and the development of an indicator series on institutional diversity is evaluated. Birnbaum studied diversity in higher education in the framework of a natural selection or population ecology model, which emphasizes the importance of environmental factors in shaping populations…

Boundary spanning in colleges as evidenced through the activity of offices of institutional research was studied. Literature in organization theory suggests that those institutions that adapt most rapidly to changes in their external environment are those that establish formal structures (boundary spanning roles) for monitoring that environment.…

A conceptual view of student development and the milieu of an urban commuter college are discussed. Student development is defined as the application of human development theory, principles, and concepts in an educational setting to identify the forms of development in students to which the institution is willing and able to commit its resources.…

Student brinkmanship in residence halls, resident assistant (RA) leadership, and residence social climate are discussed. In "brinking" the system, students challenge authority in ways that provide scant grounds for the institution to apply punishment. The study looks at relationships between: the RA's leadership behavior and student…

Studies examining life in the Indiana University residence halls from an ecosystem perspective have been conducted annually since 1978 to ascertain how students evaluate a series of issues related to residential living. The 1985 study, the eighth in a series, involved a representative sample of 824 students drawn from the residence centers. The…

The self-correcting process in higher education, which provides a basis for predicting institutional decisions related to personnel, curriculum, and the environment, is discussed. Since group process is important to influencing personnel decisions in higher education, the institutional researcher can make predictions based on the actions of…

The relationship between the congruence, strength, and type of organizational culture and organizational effectiveness was studied, based on questionnaire responses by 3,406 administrators, faculty department heads, and trustees from 334 colleges and universities. Respondents rated the extent to which certain characteristics were present at their…

Research supported by National Institute of Mental Health Grant No. MH14780-04. Findings were presented at the American Personnel and Guidance Association Convention, April, 1968.