There is a general conviction in the People's Republic of China that vocational education is key to improving economic development and thereby increasing the competitiveness of the nation. During the period of economic transformation at the beginning of a new century, as the state moves from a command economy to one more responsive and…

The development of institutional research is traced and changing patterns are explored. The organization and activities of the Association for Institutional Research are described, along with a consideration of the proper role of institutional research in the future of higher education. (Author/LBH)

Difficulties encountered by policy makers as they seek to preserve and increase efficiency in university management are discussed, using the system of higher education in West Germany as a frame of reference. Topics include the training, research, and service functions of the university, educational finance, and the state-university relationship.…

External influences on higher education are reviewed and a framework for constructing a departmental planning process is suggested. Survey findings are reported on who affects such planning processes and how departmental chairpersons view the future. Issues considered include faculty evaluation, reassessing department structures, and encouragement…

This article proposes--and illustrates by actual example--the extent to which day-to-day facilities planning in universities must in the future be determined by the dynamics of change acting upon the university of tomorrow, whose objectives must be rethought and modified. Issues considered include the teaching, research, and especially the…

Outlines the University of Ottawa's characteristics and special missions, the main features of the Ontario system of universities that have affected planning in each institution, and the main planning initiatives--successful and in-progress--taken by the University of Ottawa. (MSE)

The assumption that higher education has begun a postexpansion decline is challenged, and the accumulation of new demands on higher education is examined from three perspectives: political, socioeconomic, and intellectual/cultural. It is proposed that higher education's role in modern society will intensify and change. (MSE)

Presentations at the September 1985 conference of the International Association of Consultants in Higher Education Institutions are reviewed. Activities related to university-industry cooperation for regional development in Japan and Massachusetts and at Stanford University and Queens University in Ireland are summarized. (MSE)

The response of one Scottish university to contraction of government funding, increased emphasis on efficiency, changing expectations of the university as a source of technology, changes in industry demands on the university, and demographic trends is examined. (MSE)

Two experiences with academic program review illustrating different approaches are described: (1) the recent assessment of research-doctorate programs, conducted by a consortium of four national academic organizations, and (2) the experience of the University of California. (MSE)

While the model of peer evaluation has limits in its use in research resource allocation, it is vital for the equilibrium of the science structure and the university's mission, as evidenced in the University of Quebec at Trois Rivieres's pilot exercise in research evaluation. (Author/MSE)

The University of Paris X (Nanterre) is an example of how government budgetary problems and the resulting emphasis on labor market needs affect the finance and functioning of the institution and of the current instability of the university's role in society. (MSE)

The primary role of the states in jurisdiction over postsecondary education is reviewed, along with the evolution of state higher education systems, the state planning function concerning institutional role and mission assignments, and state board practices in planning for diversity. (MSE)

Late twentieth-century growth in French universities that undermined centralization and the academic staff resulted in anarchic development until recent governments tried to control the system's evolution. For two years the government has tried to convince universities of the need for decentralization for responsiveness to outside stimulus.…

The University of Quebec's planning process, based on the periodic development of a master plan for its 11 institutions, is outlined, including the plan's main components, its formulation, and its impact on the institution's development. (MSE)