This digest suggests steps to take to organize an outdoor education organization at a state, regional, or local level. After an individual or group has determined the need for an organization and an area to be served, the first step is to organize a working meeting of no more than 20 key persons. Next, the purpose of the organization and services…

Theorists have named environmental forces, organizational structure, group interaction, individual needs, or some combination of these factors in accounting for organizational behavior. Phenomenology argues that organizations do not exist apart from the people of whom they are composed; in this view their private perceptions and personal…

On the approach of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the American Sociological Association (ASA), readily available, official records were utilized to write its history. The product does not detail a history of sociology in the United States; it deals with a history of an organization facing, over time, a series of problems. There is a…

A study was conducted at Dundalk Community College (DCC) to identify and prioritize basic campus goals. The Community College Goals Inventory (CCGI), which focuses on 20 goal areas and the extent to which they are and ought to be carried out, was supplemented with items related to 20 local goal areas. The survey was distributed to all 28 college…

A recent interest in the organizational literature has been to identify the circumstances under which people exercise upward influence in order to achieve individual and organizational goals. To examine the circumstances under which administrators in a variety of firms exercised upward influence, i.e., influence on their superiors, to achieve…

In 1977, the Florida Collegiate Consortium for International/Intercultural Education was established to provide a coordinated approach to international education within the state. The consortium is governed by a board of directors, composed of the presidents of member institutions, and a steering committee, made up of representatives chosen by…

Rapid technological development, rising standards of living, and greater pressures of consumerism and consumer expectations have caused shorter product life cycles. Future organizational success will depend on organizations' abilities to respond to the changing opportunities and threats in the marketplace. As companies and products move through…

Combining cartoons with brief narratives, this handbook identifies the five steps for developing the community councils mandated for each Teacher Corps project. The five steps are (1) establishing the community council as an organization, (2) identifying short-and long-term goals, (3) expanding community involvement, (4) training council members…

This four-chapter report explores the possible contributions of a systems approach to institutional planning. After introductory comments, Chapter I reviews the management theory of Henry Fayol, which emphasizes management tasks, such as planning, organizing, commanding, coordinating, and controlling, which are "universal" regardless of the level…

A survey of 121 administrators at four community colleges was conducted to determine the degree to which the colleges utilized a systematic, rather than sporadic, planning process; to measure the extent to which administrators at each college agreed upon the importance of specific institutional goals; and to test the hypothesis that a strong…

Argues that museums, as public educational institutions, must meet the challenge of educating the public, specifically by planning for education that focuses on the pressing issues and problems of people's lives. States that museums must educate for public responsibility, and discusses the ethical and educational imperatives that guide public…

Donald Schneider, 1988 president of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS), examines the demographic composition of NCSS membership and discusses strategies for taking NCSS and the social studies profession into the twenty-first century. Profiles NCSS members and nonmembers, advocating increased participation of minorities as teachers…

Assessing the "fitness for purpose" of institutions of higher education (IHEs), Barnett examines purposes set by institutions themselves, and those set for them by society. Focuses on purposes which are general across all institutions, stating that in demonstrating their fitness for purpose, IHEs cannot neglect their internal purposes in…

Presents a conceptual model that hypothesizes how information technologies may assist in accomplishing two key functions of communication in research and development: (1) providing state-of-the-art information on the organizational technologies that are employed, and (2) facilitating coordination across technical specialties applied to the same…

Information management has taken on more meaning for the small to medium-sized college and university in recent years. Advances in hardware and software have brought improved performances to campuses at a lower cost. Some of the planning methods used by Regis College are outlined. (MLW)