Generation of voluntary support for colleges and universities has become an ever more important function that is key to the success of all postsecondary institutions. This is true even for public institutions, which have shifted from primarily focusing on alumni relations activities to executing billion dollar campaigns that equal those conducted…

Making the "right" risk management decisions involving students with significant psychological disabilities requires a clear and comprehensive understanding of the legal obligations and duties at issue. It also requires taking into consideration the best interests of these individual students. At the same time, decision makers must focus on the…

When the H1N1 virus ascended to national attention in April 2009, colleges and universities in the United States were thrust into the role of managing an unforeseen health crisis. While other institutions were scrambling to coordinate the appropriate crisis response to the H1N1 virus, Babson College was using the lessons it had learned during its…

On January 26, 2009, the Brandeis University Board of Trustees voted unanimously to close the Rose Art Museum (Waltham, Massachusetts). The proceeds from the subsequent auction were to be reinvested in the university to ensure its long-term financial health. The reaction to the decision by campus constituencies provides a case study to show the…

What is institutional research (IR)? One of the most widely definition of the institutional research is by Joe Saupe, who emphasized institutional research as a set of activities that support institutional planning, policy formation, and decision making. Institutional researchers and IR functions are embedded in the offices of strategic planning,…

In this age of accountability, transparency, and accreditation, colleges and universities increasingly conduct comparative analyses and engage in benchmarking activities. Meant to inform institutional planning and decision making, comparative analyses and benchmarking are employed to let stakeholders know how an institution stacks up against its…

This chapter provides an overview of the literature on organizational learning and the learning organization, sets out key concepts in each area, and reviews the way that organizational learning and the learning organization have been applied within higher education.

What follows is the Portland State University story, a reflection on change as a scholarly act within a learning community using techniques from organizational learning.

Proposals to make governance "more efficient" by reducing or limiting the faculty role in shared governance are likely to diminish institutional effectiveness.

Using national survey data, the author finds little relationship between decision-making authority and the actual decisions that are made.

Changing structures may be a less important factor in creating an effective approach to governance than leadership, relationships, and trust.

Presidents are expected to articulate vision, devise plans, and facilitate decision making. These different dimensions of the job are sometimes complementary, but they may also compete for the president's attention or suggest contradictory ways of proceeding.

In her first month in office, a president learns of charges of racial discrimination in the university's intercollegiate athletic program to which she must respond at the same time as she is learning her way around campus and establishing herself in the community.

Even a cursory reading of the higher education literature reveals a growing concern with the changing mix of tenure-track and non-tenure-track faculty. The focus a few years ago was on the apparent withdrawal of tenure-track faculty from commitment to instruction, especially at the first- and second-year levels. The focus now is on the rapidly…

Faculty members desiring administrative roles can find the structure and function of shared governance a fertile ground for growth through practical experience in institutional decision making. Typical areas of faculty governance work include departmental and degree-level curricular matters; policies on such matters as reappointment, tenure and…