The University of Toledo has applied a systems approach to the design of an academic program evaluation model. The systems approach seems to be the most appropriate because it emphasizes the whole system instead of component systems. Selected evaluation models are reviewed, Toledo's research paradigm is described, and the function of a university…

Offers a behavioral definition of a public, demonstrates how the definition can be used by public relations practitioners in researching and analyzing their publics, and reports on a formulative study of a suburban hospital that can serve as a model for public relations practitioners who wish to do similar research. (Author/GW)

The development of institutional research is traced and changing patterns are explored. The organization and activities of the Association for Institutional Research are described, along with a consideration of the proper role of institutional research in the future of higher education. (Author/LBH)

Balancing privacy and disclosure interests will require restricting information requests and data systems, avoiding promises of confidentiality that cannot be kept, and informing administrators and researchers about their obligations regarding disclosure. (Editor)

Presents an in-depth review of the market research approach of a comprehensive financial community. Discusses the applied corporate findings when author was Vice President, Corporate Communications, Midland-Ross Corporation. Suggests that the basic concept is applicable to any publicly traded company whose senior management desires a more…

Ethnography, which records and describes culturally significant behavior of a particular group, is suggested as a method for college self-evaluation. The potential and limitations of the method are outlined, and current uses in education are discussed. (MSE)

Institutional comparison groups can be selected in several ways, depending on the comparison issue. The method chosen involves both technical and political considerations. (Author/MSE)

Issues in the evaluation of the college planning process are examined, and 13 questions to be addressed in assessing both strategic and operational planning functions are presented, including criteria for evaluating (1) the decisional aspect of planning, (2) planning data, and (3) the process. Evaluation methods are also discussed. (MSE)

Illustrates how proprietary schools and community colleges have used market research techniques to identify marketing problems, determine student characteristics, measure market penetration, understand market position vis-a-vis the competition, and assess applicants' perceptions. (AYC)

Maintains that a simple problem-solving model applied to policy design is inadequate. Argues that purposeful institutional change and government reorganization are not promising strategies for the improvement of public policy. (JDH)

Argues that community colleges must be able to incorporate information about themselves and their clientele into delivery systems, operational strategies, and strategic planning. Underscores the importance of program evaluation in institutional planning and of needs assessments as a vital communications process between service area and college.…

Discusses how descriptive data collection and presentation can influence decision making, using an informal action research model. Uses examples of Miami-Dade Community College research on retention rate and first-term coursework, high school preparation, and existing quality control versus proposed new statewide testing requirements, showing…

A strategic plan for the University of Miami charts specific objectives, programmatic and financial, that will lead it to prominence among the nation's teaching and research universities. Long-range plans for the information systems and academic systems of the university are discussed. (MLW)

The expanding networks of computer hardware, software, and organizations for controlling them and the institutional data bases they access are described. Improvements are making the data sources accessible but raise some new problems for data managers and institutional researchers. (Author/LBH)

Methods by which the college, after 90 years, began long-range planning are described along with how it moved to the cyclical model after 12 more years. (Author/LBH)