Information on existing salary systems at 82 small private colleges throughout The U.S. is presented. Included are discussions on salary scales in relation to merit rating, and the monetary value of typical awards. Twenty-eight of the 82 colleges indicated ongoing merit rating plans. Study results include the following: (1) merit rating is not the…

This manual is designed to provide an alternative for small colleges that are unable to use computer-based software and models available through the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS). Included are concepts drawn from other NCHEMS costing projects, using simplified worksheets for cost-analysis computations rather than…

The change in the organizational structure and goals of Mount Wachusett Community College (Massachusetts) from its inception to its current state is analyzed with respect to decision-making concerning staffing. At its infancy, the administration is seen as a rational focal structure; a central power grants resources and staff members are afforded…

While the elite private colleges may survive the enrollment declines of the 1980's and 1990's, the less elite, so-called invisible private colleges may have more difficulty. Finance, enrollment, and competition are the three major elements seen to threaten these institutions' futures. They face an uncertain financial future since historically they…

The 413 members of the North American Association of Summer Sessions were surveyed to determine programming for college summer sessions in the 1980's. Summer session directors were asked about who the students of the 1980's would be, what programs should be developed, where programs should be held, and what time frames for course offerings would…

In a discussion of the development of higher education in America, its European roots are traced to provide a historical perspective to some current issues. The paper examines the Renaissance, the Reformation, and the Enlightenment in relation to the influence that each of these historical periods had on the first colleges and universities in this…

A case study of the Eisenhower College legislation of 1974 follows the legislation from its inception in May 1970, to final enactment by Congress in December 1975, and through the administrative problems that resulted in the college's closing in July 1982. (Author/MLW)

Franklin and Marshall College concluded it would come closer to its educational goals by reducing its size. Use of a planning model to project institutional finances based on tuition, gift, grant, and enrollment estimates predicts a potential major improvement in the college's position. (MSE)

A former faculty member at Eisenhower College, an experimental college that closed after only a few years' operation, gives an anecdotal account of some of the problems the college faced and how the administration handled them. (MSE)

The steady emergence of small-college honors programs in the early 1970s and the subsequent rapid growth of community college honors programs after 1978 are reviewed. The many successes in these colleges to capitalize on their existing strengths have avoided the problems of larger, university programs. (Author/MSE)

This investigation examined the history and durability of educational innovation at six colleges and universities (Pitzer College (California); New College of the University of South Florida; Hampshire College (Massachusetts); University of Wisconsin-Green Bay; University of California Santa Cruz; and The Evergreen State College (Washington) that…

A case study of financial turnaround at the highly specialized New England Conservatory of Music describes five strategies to balance costs and resources within the framework of the school's objectives. Areas of cost minimizing and revenue maximizing are outlined and discussed. (MSE)

Describes the origins and characteristics of Deep Springs College (DSC), which since 1917 has teamed liberal arts instruction with the physical labor of running a cattle ranch. Uses alumni survey responses to assess the long-term effects of attending DSC. Examines paradoxes inherent in the school and its future prospects. (DMM)

Trustees, it is suggested, should keep an eye out for burgeoning short-term debt, over-optimistic income estimates, hidden enrollment problems, student attrition, and loss of special revenue sources. The absolute size of a college is seen as a factor in making the decision to close. (MLW)

A study conducted at Alma College to determine how and why grade inflation occurred is discussed. Grade inflation is seen as being caused by many factors including calendar changes, requirement reductions, better defined grading scales, and shifts in faculty attitudes. (MLW)