The first summaries of the CAUSE National Database, which was established in 1980, are presented. The database is updated annually to provide members with baseline reference information on the status of administrative information systems in colleges and universities. Information is based on responses from 350 CAUSE member campuses, which are described in terms of control, type, and size. Detailed findings are presented concerning administrative information systems organization, staffing, budgeting, computer hardware and communications, and software. It was found that the larger, more complex institutions were more likely to have separate administrative computing installations, even though 69 percent of responding institutions reported combined academic and administrative installations. When detailed information about full-time-equivalent staff in each administrative information systems organization was analyzed by five major staff categories, little difference was noted regarding the distribution among the major institutions groups (management, analysts/programmers, systems programmers, operations, and clerical). Almost three-fourths of the institutions were spending between one and four percent of their total operating budget on administrative computing. Differences between public and private institutions, and between 2- and 4-year institutions are examined. Charts are presented that show the distribution of computers by the major institutional groups and by the 10 leading manufacturers. Information concerning the use of proprietary software and administrative applications is presented. Appended materials include questionnaires, information on research methodology, a list of participating institutions, and a bibliography. (SW)