Describes Portland State University's participation in the Urban Universities Portfolio Project, discussing how the partnership between institutional researchers and faculty members addressed important issues surrounding institutional mission and its relationship to planning, assessment, and accountability. (EV)

This paper focuses on key strategic decisions taken at Tufts University (Massachusetts) under President Jean Mayer noting the role of formal planning and institutional research. Initiatives in the following areas are described: the School of Veterinary Medicine, nutrition, environmental management, entrepreneurial liberation, fund raising, and a…

Reviews the rationale for the systematic involvement of government agencies in early childhood care and education programs. Discusses barriers to the development of a universal rationale, emphasizing the role of widespread popular and official ambivalence about the role of women outside the home. (FMW)

The utility of the fail-safe "N" statistic was evaluated by computing it for studies in three organizational research domains in which discrepant conclusions were reached by initial and subsequent meta-analyses. Calculation of the fail-safe "N" may have led to more cautious interpretations. Implications for meta-analyses are…

A guide to environmental scanning looks at its rationale and relationship to strategic planning, and outlines three administrative approaches: establishment of a committee, sponsoring a scanning conference or event, and assigning the task to the institutional research or planning office. (MSE)

Any successful innovation creates a body of practice, policy, lore, and belief that becomes harder to change the longer it survives. Using case studies to illustrate, the essay outlines a conceptual model for institutional self-assessment of its innovative health and recommends strategies for keeping the innovative spirit alive. (Author/MLW)

Presents a marketing model for private junior colleges, including a research component to analyze the college, its students, and its competition; an assessment of the academic program, student services, and finances; a communications strategy for recruitment, public relations, and image enhancement; and an evaluation component. (DMM)

An institutional research model used at Washington University is outlined and other practical suggestions are offered to financial aid administrators inclined to conduct similar research. The original study assessed the effects of loans on students after leaving school. (MSE)

Information use can be defined in many ways depending on a variety of organizational, personal, and presentational factors. The experience of evaluation researchers provides some guides for practice. (Author/MSE)

Organizational barriers to information use vary with types of decisions and the phases of information collection, analysis, and communication. Strategies suitable for one environment will not always work in others. (Author/MSE)

Institutional researchers can use cognitive psychology theory and research to improve their support of academic decision-makers and to improve how information is communicated and used. (Author/MSE)

Written reports still constitute the primary means of communicating institutional research findings. They may have a variety of formats, but should always rest on a well-documented research process. (Author/MSE)

New technologies have increased the speed with which research results can be disseminated and enable new forms of iterative problem solving, but must be used deliberately and with care. (Author/MSE)

Recounts Triton College's efforts to identify its distinctive elements. Reviews empirical evidence showing that Triton's school schedule, curricular offerings, and continuing education and support services are distinctive among local colleges. Discusses students' and staff members' perceptions of Triton. Considers the value of the research to the…

Presents an annotated bibliography of ERIC documents and journal articles providing models and guidelines for, and examples of, institutional self-assessments. (DMM)