The allocation of funds to public colleges based on performance criteria rather than activity or enrolment criteria is often described as performance funding. In the United States, performance funding policies have become a frequently used instrument of higher education accountability. The history of such policies, however, is a complex one, with…

Written for college leaders at all levels as well as for trustees, this book engages the reader, via narrative and analysis, with the reflective and the practical knowledge essential to a constructive legacy. Leaders of colleges and universities hold in trust an enterprise of complex mission, governance, and outcome. Most will take office with…

Demands for public accountability have built to a crescendo over the past several decades, driving home the fact that governing boards have premier responsibility as guardians of a college or university's performance. But to what extent do higher education's many stakeholders hold common perspectives on the definition and purpose of…

American higher education is an enterprise of complex heritage, mission, and governance culture--an enterprise expected to serve as both cultural curator and cultural critic. Contemporary issues such as the call for accountability and the pressure of marketplace ideology present colleges and universities with a possible breakpoint change moment in…

This book outlines qualities of higher education institutional leadership and discusses how college administrators may bring about effective leadership based on honor, dignity, curiosity, candor, compassion, courage, excellence, and service. The chapters each describe and discuss one of the leadership ideals. Their titles are: "The Call of…

The essays in this monograph are intended to give visibility to the nature and nobility of teaching. The volume is a reflective celebration and an elevation of the call to teaching. Chapter titles include: "Acts of Teaching"; "A Good Question"; "A Good School"; "Lessons for Learners"; "A Need to…

The ways that the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) has sought to recognize the contribution of private higher education in Tennessee are addressed. Specific involvement of the private sector was provided in the preparation of the 1979-84 THEC Master Plan. Many of the planning issues identified in that plan touched on private sector…

A performance funding policy adopted in Tennessee in 1979, which recognizes and rewards instructional performance through the state funding formula, is described. The schedule permits institutions to earn an additional 2 percent of their educational and general appropriations based on an evaluation of institutional instructional performance on…

An administrator with a hybrid disposition, part scholar and part riverboat gambler, may serve more effectively than either model alone, suggests this executive of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. Many academic administrators try to live by common sense, which is often yesterday's heresy. (Author/LBH)

The infrequency of significant personal leadership in U.S. colleges and universities is traced to means/ends substitutions and to external distractions. As a result, administrators' attention is directed away from the purposes of their institutions. (LBH)

Ideas and experiences to improve the art of influence with state agencies are provided. College presidents and institutional research officers were interviewed. The role of state agencies' future issues that may affect campus and state agency relationships are examined. (MLW)

Administration is a "performing art" whose trust is the orchestration of talent. Colleges and universities do not exist to be administered, but those who teach and learn can be impeded or encouraged by the quality of administration at every point, from department to institution. The two guiding principles in administration are purpose and…

Questions of college performance in the United States are inevitably answered in terms of numbers rather than performance. A Tennessee policy links two percent of state funding to outcomes rather than size. The policy has major implications for funding and performance in colleges and other service-oriented institutions. (Author/MLW)

With artistic leadership, state agency roles can complement those of institutions and their governing boards, enhancing the renewal function of program evaluation and ensuring that evaluation centers on the improvement of educational effectiveness. (Author)

College faculty, administrators, and trustees must abandon the posture of blame and advance to shared responsibility. But they must confront two uncomfortable truths: some academics may not be able to sever self-interest in order to develop a new strategic vision, and trustees and public officials may be unwilling to examine expensive programs…