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)

Universities must achieve a new maturity in institutional planning and information management to meet the challenges of the 1980s. Decision support systems are analyzed and those that combine computing technology with knowledge about decision-making art found to hold the most promise. (Author/MLW)