Within the Illinois Community College System (ICCS), each of the 49 member colleges reports to the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) on their improvements in productivity. This report summarizes the productivity reports on the ICCS colleges, examines the results of a series of analyses of productivity conducted by the ICCB from a statewide…

This essay examines the administration of public multi-campus universities, focusing in particular on central administration and the State University of New York (SUNY) system and on responses to the need for fiscal austerity. Before treatment of the main topic begins, the essay offers a look at five reasons for the suspicion and resentment that…

This paper presents the results of a qualitative study of the leadership of nine presidents who have accepted the risks and challenges of executive leadership in nine small Midwestern colleges. Focus is directed toward these presidents' risk-taking strategies with respect to the major leadership challenges of being a senior executive of a small…

Within the Illinois Community College System (ICCS), each of the 50 member colleges reports to the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) on their productivity improvements. This report summarizes the productivity reports of the ICCS colleges, examines the results of a series of analyses of productivity conducted by the ICCB from a statewide…

As a result of the economic crisis following the Arab/Israeli war of 1973, many developing countries cannot adequately finance quality education systems. Adjustment options in the education sector include increasing resources, improving the efficiency of current resources, developing cost efficiencies, and retrenchment. A foreign aid fund…

The role of institutional budgeting strategies in promoting institutional change is examined, looking specifically at two budget components (general-purpose lump sums and earmarked funds). Experiences of the University of Utrecht (Netherlands) with internal competition for reduced funds as a means for stimulating change are discussed. (MSE)

Although the public school choice plan implemented in Richmond, California, in 1987 through 1990 received much favorable publicity, the school district filed for bankruptcy in 1991. This paper describes the plan and the events preceding financial collapse and presents data on student absenteeism, dropout rates, test scores, and school…

Reactions of public college and university officials (e.g., universities of Maryland and Iowa) to issues in lobbying for more funds during a recession are reported. Reactions range from continuing traditional approaches such as testifying at hearings to participating in protest rallies and urging students, parents, and college employees to fight…

Steps taken by Phillips Academy (Massachusetts) to contain costs during a serious deficit included short-term measures (increasing tuition and some fees, increasing enrollment, tightening administrative procedures, reduced personnel costs, and reducing programs) and long-term actions (early faculty retirement, increased retirement benefits,…

In recent years, Trenton State College (New Jersey) has focused its efforts on providing quality undergraduate programs to reverse an outmigration of college students from the state. When it faced severe financial difficulties, the students actively supported a fee increase designed to help the institution maintain quality education. (Author/MSE)

The predominantly African American University of the District of Columbia is beset by a perennially shrinking budget, the city's severe financial problems, board pressure to increase tuition substantially, decreased degree output, weak political support, and competition from many private universities within the city. These may be compounded by…

Budget cuts at the University of California at Los Angeles are causing drastic reduction of some community services, particularly in health clinics. At the same time, a controversial public-policy and social-research school will be created from existing graduate programs. (MSE)

Sometimes a simple idea, such as selling gel bracelets that say "Libraries Matter" to raise money, can spark something much bigger. In this article, the authors explain how their Libraries Matter campaign grew beyond their own regional system to cover their whole state and eventually other points around the globe. This successful…

The Ontario Student Loan Program has experienced problems with default on student loans, as have loan systems in other countries where governments rely mainly on banks and special departments of quasi-public institutions to monitor or police the borrowers. This report discusses the need for radical modifications of the student loan program to…

Seneca College is the designated community college for the City of North York, in the Greater Toronto Area, and is the most culturally diverse college in Ontario, with over 70 languages spoken by students. It also offers the largest business and among the largest applied science programs in Canada. In November 1995, in response to severe…