Information Systems (IS) departments are facing challenging times as enrollments decline and the field evolves, thus necessitating large-scale curriculum changes. Our experience shows that many IS departments are in such a predicament as they have not evolved content quickly enough to keep it relevant, they do a poor job coordinating curriculum…

In the first term of summer 1997, Florida's Pensacola Junior College (PJC) undertook an analysis of enrollment to determine trends from the previous summer. Results of the analysis, based on data reported as of the end of the add/drop period (i.e., the second day of classes), included the following: (1) 597 fundable full-time equivalent (FFTE)…

This book addresses the problem of the future of Germanics as a field of study at colleges and universities in the United States. It is noted that the study of Germanics has been losing tens of thousands of students for the past 25 years, that this slide downward is no longer attracting enough attention from the Germanics community, and if it…

This study was conducted to see how schools allocate resources during periods of declining revenue. It assumed that the places where staff reductions are made may indicate where districts feel they have "extra" resources. The study was conducted between 1969 and 1983 in Missouri and also includes supporting data from British Columbia.…

For several decades, school districts have attempted to anticipate and plan for enrollment fluctuations within 5- and 10-year periods. From a variety of humanistic, educational, and budgeting perspectives, total district and school-by-school forecasts and forecasting models must be as accurate as possible. This paper reviews nine historical…

A study was conducted of shifts in student demand for programs offered by the Illinois community colleges, focusing on enrollment and completion patterns from fiscal years 1981 through 1984 by program area. Four indicators were used in the study. First, enrollments were analyzed by examining changes that had taken place in the fall opening…

Differences between declining colleges and colleges not experiencing decline were investigated, along with dysfunctional organizational consequences that may be associated with decline. Attention is directed to 12 negative attributes resulting from conditions of decline, seven of which were found to be significant: no innovation, scapegoating,…

A study was conducted at Shelby State Community College (SSCC) in Tennessee to determine the extent, causes, and solutions to the problem of student retention. The study involved: (1) a comparative analysis of headcounts to assess the extent of the dropout problem, which indicated that enrollments declined sharply from 5,289 in 1983 to 3,399 in…

The kinds of affirmative action programs that are likely to be successful within postsecondary education are identified. Affirmative action is designed to increase minority access, survival, and upward mobility within the institution. The following arguments are proposed: (1) ethical and legal strategies are insufficient to accomplish the aim of…

Problems of estimating college enrollments are addressed, with attention to shortfalls caused by smaller cohorts of traditional students and attempts to enroll adult students. Emphasis is placed on student credit hours (SCH) generated and on participation rates of adults. Full-time equivalency is defined as 24 SCH per student. Adult enrollment is…

A principal from a district experiencing a sharp enrollment decline discusses some of the implications of the decision to close one of three high schools. The board policy developed to meet the challenge includes consideration of maintaining the quality of the educational program, the retention of tenured faculty, and the disposition of property.…

Based on case studies of the impact of declining enrollments during the 1976-77 school year in each of 9 rural Illinois school districts, this paper addresses the following: enrollment decline in smaller cities across the nation, with particular emphasis on Illinois; demographic characteristics of the east central region of Illinois, with…

This analysis looks at the effects of changes in school district size on the district budget. Specifically, budgetary changes reflecting the relative emphasis on instruction are analyzed. Proportional budget allocations are used to represent the relative investment of resources in functions or activities of school districts. Resource allocation…

Eugene (OR) School District 4J is experiencing declining enrollments on a district-wide basis, but these declines have not been evenly distributed throughout the district. Schools in the Central city and older neighborhoods are experiencing declines, while schools in newer neighborhoods at the periphery are generally more crowded. At some future…

This report provides 1981-82 statistical information on Catholic elementary and secondary schools in the United States and discusses the significance and implications of some data. The data include national population, birth rate, and age trends; enrollment trends in public and private schools; enrollment trends in Catholic schools by type of…