College administrators faced with declining enrollments must take a realistic approach and recognize the effect of any planned actions. Some financial warning signals are listed, and guidelines are offered to adjust management practices and philosophies to the enrollment trends. (Author)

This first in a series of problem-solving exercises challenges readers to examine a small college faced with declining enrollment, decreasing financial support, and industrial pollution. Background information is provided and includes enrollment trends, finances, and characteristics of the administrators, faculty, students, and trustees.…

Since employee salaries and fringe benefits make up the major part of school budgets, any reduction in budgets must be accomplished by reducing personnel. Concentrating on Oklahoma, but citing legal decisions in other states as well, a legal summary is presented for reduction in force when funds are unavailable to complete a school budget. As in…

Describes the process of change at Syracuse University (New York) focusing on the role of core values, institutional mission, and a vision for the future in the change process at a time of declining enrollment and economic difficulties. Results of the process are noted, and suggestions are made for adapting the approach for public colleges and…

Student enrollment in Pennsylvania public schools continues to decline, but school costs continue to rise. In the next 5 years, the Northern Area of Allegheny County will lose the equivalent of one of the larger school districts. Substantial cuts in teaching and administrative positions have already taken effect. Over the last 25 years, Northern…

Perspectives on the context and results of the investigation conducted by the National Commission on Excellence in Education are presented. It is noted that the Commission's analysis sought to determine the extent to which colleges fail to set and maintain high standards, and the extent to which they fail to make their measures and benchmarks of…

Historical trends in American postsecondary education and policy issues for the 1980s are discussed. It is noted that at the same time that access to higher education has been increased, there has been a commitment to diversity in colleges. Along with increased numbers of college-aged persons in the 1960s, the U.S. Government, illustrating a…

An innovative, flexible scheduling technique for advanced levels of a foreign language program is described. The technique, predicated on individualized pacing and continuous progress, is generalizable to all elective programs, and offers a workable solution to satisfy the enrollment "numbers game" and to lend breadth and depth to the curricula of…

How schools weather budget reductions shows the difference between effective and less effective school systems. Policymakers' response to reductions depends on an array of factors: general economic conditions, access to data about future trends, community expectations and "myths," past records of school effectiveness, local education…

The role of college admissions standards in promoting excellence in American education and the role of colleges and high schools in helping students make the transition to postsecondary education were topics of a 1982 public hearing. Concerns of the hearing included: the relationship of admissions standards to declining enrollments and to…

Problems facing health professions schools and academic health centers that can damage health were identified by the Southern Regional Education Board, along with recommendations for action within the states. Nine problems for these schools and centers concern: declining applications and enrollments for dental schools and many schools of pharmacy,…

A longitudinal, comparative case study examines the impact of enrollment decline on and the response to it by 15 suburban school districts in 2 metropolitan areas. Data were collected during 1978-81 through interviews, observation of public meetings, documentary and statistical sources, and case histories developed for each district from 1964-81.…