The implications of declining enrollments for the University of Wisconsin (UW) system are addressed. The Wisconsin State Legislature mandated that the Board of Regents report by November 30, 1979, on its plans to deal with the prospect of a significant decline in University of Wisconsin enrollments in the 1980s. Basic assumptions are as follows:…

Policies and procedures for retrenchment used at Emporia State University, Kansas, are identified to serve as a model for other colleges and the universities. The procedures are as follows: When a formal, institution-wide program of retrenchment appears necessary, the president will inform the faculty senate when such action is to be initiated and…

Results of a 1979 survey of 46 states on patterns of program reduction are presented, and the institutional shrinkage process currently being implemented at the University of Michigan is examined. Additionally, several hierarchical and sequential reduction strategies, including Balderston's budgetary strategies, are reviewed. At the University of…

Recent and anticipated declines in openings for new science and engineering faculty are examined, along with recommendations for national policies to counteract this. It is suggested that the decline stems from two key sources: an absence of growth in total faculty size, and low rates of retirement among present tenured faculty. The extent of the…

The major thesis of this paper on declining resources and enrollment is that the management of decline, or, as the author calls it, "contraction," is not simply an economic and technical problem; it is basically a conceptual and political one. The author first considers the effects of contraction on schools, buildings, and courses,…

At least eight issues are currently facing Australian educational administrators: (1) Since 1974, as economic conditions have worsened, there has been a loss of public confidence in and support for education. (2) There is a public demand to get full value for each dollar spent on education. (3) The media, too, have criticized education because of…

Planning by the University of Wisconsin system for rational management of projected enrollment and fiscal decline is considered. It is suggested that a change in a college or university's mission may be an instrument for enabling a particular institution to meet unusual problems of declining resources. The elimination and consolidation of courses…

Strategies regarding retrenchment in higher education are examined in three papers and commentaries. In "Basing Public Policy on Student Achievement: A New Agenda Item," Francis Keppel recommends that the federal government undertake a program of acquiring data on student achievement in certain areas of the college curriculum to provide…

College community services, traditionally funded by the levy of special purpose taxes, have been threatened by the passage of Proposition 13 and the resultant abolishment of permissive taxes. Survey data show that the average budget cut for community services was at least 50%. These cuts resulted in: (1) a 76% increase in "fee" courses…

Changing student needs and strategies for adapting college or university programs to meet these needs are discussed. Significant changes in the composition of student enrollments during the past 30 years include an increase in the number of veterans, minorities, handicapped, older adults, women, and foreign students. Four possible strategies are…

Papers presented at the fifth annual Conference of the National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education are provided. The union's and management's views of the impact of fiscal crisis on collective bargaining are given in the first two papers by Robert W. Miner and Caesar Naples. The next two presentations by Robert…

The changing environment in which academic freedom is practiced and the new challenges confronting it are examined including: retrenchment and the crisis in state funding; national reform and accountability; the politicization of expertise; and the rise of new research funding patterns that emphasize government-university-industry partnerships,…

Eckerd College overcame its financial and enrollment problems through a comprehensive strategy involving creation of a multigenerational learning community, improvement of the overall college environment for education, generation of substantial revenues from new sources, and reduction of expenditures. (MSE)

A study investigated the impact of declining rural community infrastructure on social, environmental, and economic well-being in Western Australia's central wheatbelt. Questionnaires were completed by 398 residents of the central wheatbelt, on-farm interviews were conducted with 68 respondents, and 4 focus groups were held in area towns.…

The National Education Association's communications staff selected and summarized the 10 most important educational news stories of 1981-82. Topics include: (1) the effects of federal, state, and local budget cuts; (2) reduction in forces; (3) microcomputers; (4) tuition tax credits; (5) school integration; (6) the Department of Education's…