Learning Resources

Abstract: This study examines the relationships among college prices, expenditures, and revenues within four groups of public institutions and three groups of private not-for-profit institutions. To provide context for the analysis, aggregate trends for 1988–89 to 1997–98 were compiled. These data were analyzed through the use of statistical modeling techniques, in which separate models for the public and private not-for-profit sectors were identified and updated with more recent data. In each of these models, the associations between “sticker prices” (published tuition levels) and costs, revenues, and other factors were explored to provide some insight into the nature of higher education finance.

Abstract: Colleges and universities are faced with increasing demands for accountability and performance data with respect to faculty activity and productivity from diverse audiences and constituencies, ranging from academic planners and legislators to parents and taxpayers. This article argues that different audiences have different information needs and that a one-size-fits-all approach to describing faculty activity and productivity is both inappropriate and potentially harmful. Concrete strategies are proposed for providing appropriate information to these disparate groups.

Abstract: This article reports on a methodology long used by The Texas A&M University System—notably the campuses of Prairie View A&M University and Texas A&M University-College Station—to monitor the efficiency with which their resources are employed in the enterprise. Others can now use these concepts to respond to and prepare for these new fiscal realities, to react before institutional weakness becomes too enervating, and to help constructively shape the changes that are coming, rather than simply react to them. Concomitant with that methodology is a proposed model to apply these findings to examine complex financial issues that currently influence higher education and will continue to do so during the next decade.

Abstract: Over the past decade, the escalating price for a college education has become a prominent concern among the American public, institutions of higher education, and state and federal governments. As a result, much effort has been expended in examining and seeking solutions to this complex problem, with a significant focus on the costs of delivering higher education. This article provides a basic overview of the concept of cost in higher education and related issues, discusses the major consumers of higher education cost data and their perspectives, outlines the major sources of data on higher education costs, and describes some of the major (and perennial) issues related to higher education costs.

Abstract: This publication, a follow-up to the popular Planning for Student Services: Best Practices for the 21st Century, introduces the topic of web portals and call centers needed to support web services. It also describes the lessons learned from one-stop centers, which are causing facilities to be redesigned and new service career paths to be defined. Services have become a strategic issue for institutions, and web strategies—driven by web services—have become critical as well. The authors, who are among IBM best practice partners, present case studies of their institutions by describing their experiences in these areas. They also show how they have been successful in integrating technology into their student services projects, redesigning their processes, implementing change, and extending their brand.