The coming decade will be one of accelerated change and limited resources. The pressures of continued bugetary constraints will be felt in every phase and at every level of the academic community, and the responses to these pressures will, in large measure, determine the complexion of private higher education into the next century. The ability of management to be meaningfully responsive in such an environment will be greatly influenced by: (1) the level of involvement--top management actively participating in establishing priorities; (2) the systems available--rapidly changing technology causing resultant changes in policy/procedural and people systems; (3) successful communication--information dissemination depending upon formal and informal channels and consistency in decision-making. This exploration of the interdependencies of these elements in a mid-sized private institution utilizes the perspective that decision-making is the vital art in meeting the needs of educational management as it confronts the issues of the 80's. (Author/JEG)