Increasingly, colleges and universities are cooperating to save money. Tactics include sharing of administrators; multicampus employee insurance policies; joint faculty appointments, departments, and programs; and electronically linking library collections. Obstacles include institutions' fear of losing identity and difficulty in reaching…

In 1983, Spain's Socialist government enacted the Law for University Reform (LRU), which decentralized university administration and strengthened institutional autonomy as a means of encouraging reform and greater accountability to social needs. Discusses the legacy of the Franco regime, LRU provisions for university organization and governance,…

Examination of recent reforms at three Mexican public universities suggests that university administrators have had little will or power to regulate expansion in the face of growing social demand for higher education. Discusses "populist" and "modernist" conceptions of university reform, which focus on social needs and economic…

Despite the deficiencies of accreditation, it is more likely to protect academic quality and faculty professionalism and is preferable to any foreseeable system of federal regulation. College faculty should participate in reforming accreditation and seek continuing involvement in the proposed new national organization for accreditation. (MSE)

Accountability of higher education institutions is discussed in the context of recent criticism of the institutional accreditation system. It is suggested that institutions reevaluate their responsibilities and reaffirm appropriate core values; however, application of those values will be influenced by the principal clients: students, employers,…

Higher education in Australia and the Netherlands illustrates two international trends: restructuring toward systems of fewer, larger institutions; and government tendencies to continue setting broad policies while decentralizing other responsibilities to institutions. Success in restructuring is attributed to the interaction of public policy and…

Five articles about the management of library and information science schools discuss the administrative relationship of the school to the parent institution; faculty governance; the changing role of the library school administrator; funding provided by the parent institution for education and research; and external funding for library education.…

This paper examines various ways in which states, colleges, and universities are balancing tensions between demands for greater institutional autonomy and demands for greater accountability to state legislatures. Noted are the states' varying fiscal situations, mixed messages on autonomy given by state governments to institutions, and increasing…

Reviews the history of Pennsylvania's higher education system since 1755. States that the Community College Act of 1963 imposed a funding system that has proved both inadequate and difficult to change and has discouraged the formation of new colleges. Discusses the current state of community college sponsorship, enrollment, funding, and outcomes,…

If higher education creates universities that only adapt to circumstances, they will not shape the future. A universal university must have universal access; universal delivery; a vocation to educate, not just train; a watchtower function; a universal ethical role; solidarity with sister institutions and society; autonomy with accountability;…

Pioneer district/charter-school contracts try to balance the quest for autonomy with accountability requirements. Districts' experiences in three states (Colorado, Oregon, and Wisconsin) and their chosen navigation tools offer clues to developing productive processes and relationships for negotiating successful contracts. A sidebar defines the…

Explores quality-assurance mechanisms for higher education and their use as a government policy instrument. Outlines several national or system-level approaches adopted worldwide; reviews an Australian quality-assurance program conducted from 1993 to 1995 and its successor program; and comments on ways in which the government used quality…

The current state of student assessment in higher education in the United Kingdom is examined, particularly in light of the introduction of government-sponsored, standardized national vocational qualifications, marking a new stage of government intervention. A review of current practice finds confusion about what to assess, how to assess it, and…

Explains and advocates a reform package (SuperHECS) for financing Australian undergraduate education, designed to give institutions more autonomy and more incentives for efficiency, generate more student choice, enhance teaching quality, and be fair to all eligible Australians. The program should cost the government no more than current…

A common set of economic pressures has led the various sectors of higher education to adopt entrepreneurial models of financing and service.