With a records and forms management system, the administrator can control his paperwork. (Ed.)

This paper describes the reasons for development and implementation of planning management systems in institutions of higher education, relates the history and significance of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education Planning and Management System (PMS) program, and compares 2 approaches to implementation. It is suggested that a…

The primary mission of the WICHE Management Informations Systems Program is to help colleges and universities develop improved management systems and methods of resource allocation. A related aim is to develop procedures which facilitate exchange of comparable data among institutions. A necessary part of such exchanges will be a standard taxonomy…

Among many diverse pressures on higher education, there are 5 major stresses which together have produced a crisis in university management: the growing student population, rising costs, a rapidly changing demand for programs, student demands for relevance, and an increasingly repressive public environment. Although some academicians fear the…

This booklet uses the example of Micro-U--a hypothetical example intended as a training tool-- to illustrate the application of WICHE's basic Management Information Systems (MIS) concepts. Micro-U embodies a microcosm of higher education management problems related to the instructional functions MIS is designed to address. This initial version of…

This discussion identifies some of the social and organizational issues which will affect the design and implementation of a university management information system (MIS). Implications are discussed which affect both the data collection, and analysis and reporting segments of the MIS process. The analysis points out the extent to which an MIS…

Looks at a few of the basic underlying premises of business management theory and the possible misconceptions which exist concerning the application of this theory to higher education instruction. (Author/RK)

Highlights the development of a data management system to facilitate service delivery by the career planning and placement department at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. Recounts the development of the system, providing the context for data management and describing the issues associated with building and implementing a data model, and the…

This pamphlet discusses the original rationale for university systems, points out some of the problems existing because of the definition of that rationale, and proposes a new responsibility for university systems and a new challenge for their leaders. The pamphlet affirms that the system chief executive officer (CEO) and board of governors are…

Discusses difficulties within higher education management in achieving expected outcomes because of problematic elements in: artificial internal structures, funding formulae, the relative importance of system parameters versus system structure, and the significance of time scales and delays in influencing system behavior. Suggests that university…

Describes, for the student affairs officer, the importance of evaluating the context within which university-related decisions are made before choosing any proposed management techniques. (Author)

Covered in the proceedings of AACRAO's 63rd annual meeting are: basics in systems management; why, when, and how of reporting data; data base management systems; and budgeting. (LBH)

A project management system for organizing requests from multiple departments and controlling the workload of the development/maintenance computer staff is described. Practical solutions to deciding project priorities, determining time estimates, creating positive peer pressure among programing staff, and formalizing information requests are…

The importance and attention given to information systems are relatively new phenomena in the history of higher education. This chapter documents the ascendancy of information systems in the scheme of institutional priorities and considers the strengths and weaknesses associated with vended and homegrown systems.

A visit to American University's Department of Computer Services is summarized. Administrative systems in use and currently in production are described and a productive application of "structured walk-throughs" for systems design, computer programs, procedures, and documentation is discussed. (MLW)