This brief summarizes efforts to reform developmental education at Zane State College and the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC). Focused on accelerating student success and progress, the two schools pursued distinctive approaches to reform that aligned with their institutional missions and student populations. Recognizing that the…

This article suggests principles that are fundamental to efficient organizational change and attainment of a shared vision of the institution. The principles were developed during analysis of organizational culture at a public state university. Twelve principles addressing imperatives for change and eight principles underlying the attainment of…

An approach to outsourcing following college or university reorganization, termed re-sourcing, involves developing an unlimited partnership with an external service provider that creates value for the enterprise. A re-sourcing relationship evolves from a search for a partner who understands the institution's unique mission and is committed to…

Change or the prospect of change can bring new life to an institution. In education's competitive marketplace, planned change (as opposed to change in response to a crisis) is both inevitable and necessary. Ways to sail smoothly through name changes, mergers, etc. are discussed. (MLW)

Threats in the external environment, the arrival of a planning-oriented new president, and new regional reaccreditation criteria prompted West Texas State University to undertake a successful strategic planning venture. Leadership must focus strategic planning in a manner that recognizes the decentralized and collegial elements present in higher…

The president of Michigan State University and member of the Knight Commission encourages universities to accept 10 principles of action embodied in the commission's report on reform of intercollegiate athletics. The principles stress the role of the university president, the primacy of the institution's educational mission, and fair treatment for…

The Willow Creek Community Church, an entrepreneurial, market-driven Presbyterian church founded in 1975, provided the model for a group of business leaders and campus business officers to consider how change can be effected in higher education institutions. The group concurred on founding principles for three utopian universities. (MSE)

A case study was done of the possible role of strategic planning processes for smoothing the transition period experienced by colleges and universities when changes in top leadership occur. The study was conducted in a medium-sized midwestern state university that had begun, 3 years earlier, a strategic planning process which had been…

Strategic planning can successfully counter crises threatening a college's survival by clarifying the mission, by shaping institutional reorganization and curriculum development and by focusing marketing efforts and attracting new support. Crisis background, financial exigency, and reorganizing strategically are discussed. (MLW)

In the newly competitive realm of higher education, strategic planning offers a systematic method for defining colleges and universities in order to enhance their strengths and market positions and to shape their futures. The focal elements of strategic planning and benefits and limits of strategic planning are discussed. (MLW)

A discussion of the effects of Australia's restructuring of higher education on institutional diversity focuses on one institution, the University of South Australia, which resulted from a merger of two institutions. The decision-making process for establishing institutional mission and objectives, implementation process, and research needs are…

The relationship in college administration between cost effectiveness/cost reduction and planning, management, and evaluation is explored, and approaches to cost accounting and financial ratio analysis are discussed. It is concluded that it is important to emphasize institutional mission and people rather than cost containment and productivity.…

An overview is provided of the activities and recommendations of Luzerne County Community College's (LCCC's) Ad Hoc Committee on Academic Excellence (COAE), which was formed to review recently published studies and reports on academic excellence in American higher education and to analyze the applicability to LCCC of the recommendations of the…

With limited enrollment growth and the need for more efficient allocation of college and university resources, it is reasonable to expect faculty members to teach more and adjust research responsibilities. This approach shifts the focus from individual faculty agendas back to the broader mission of the institution. (MSE)

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…