Learning Resources

Abstract: Interinstitutional salary comparisons, in the view of Lawrence B. Durham, Director of University Planning Services at the University of Alabama, have proven to be a valuable planning tool for institutions seeking to achieve salary equity while maintaining accountability. In citing the characteristics of recent salary surveys at both the national and regional levels, Durham stresses the desirability of the regional approach, and discusses a number of ways in which this method more effectively meets the requirements of institutional salary planning. The following article has been adapted from the author's remarks at the SCUP 11 Conference in Washington, D.C.

Abstract: The following article, which was presented to SCUP 11 conferences in July 1976, illustrates a "target ratio" model for effectively coupling decentralized planning and centralized budgeting within a college of arts and sciences. According to the model, budgetary expectations for the college as a whole are expressed to the dean as a target ratio of income to expense. The dean in turn sets suitable target ratios for each department, recognizing differences in thier budgetary potential by assigning different ratios. The contribution of each department toward fulfilling the overall college budget is acknowledged by a simple formula relating the college ratio to the departmental ratios. In the view of the author, who is Special Assistant for Academic Affairs to the Provost and the President at The American University, the target ratio approach to budgeting supports the planning process by providing departments with realistic expectations of the budgetary resources available to them over a multiple-year time span while also allowing them maximum flexibility in planning for the use of these resources. It also gives departments a reasonable guideline for predicting the budgetary consequences of their planning decisions.

Abstract: In the following paper, which was presented at the SCUP11 Conference in July, 1976, the author attempts to delineate two models for administrative decision making in academe, which were derived from an analysis of the logical properties thought to be inherent in well-formed or reasoned decisions. Both models were designed to avoid the difficulties encountered when administrators view decision making merely as an "art" in which decisions are made on the basis of "occurrent," or private, non-falsifiable judgements. John P. Minahan is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs at the State University College at Buffalo.

Abstract: According to John W. Moore, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of Vermont, the understandings gained about academic planning--particularly under conditions of institutional stress--are perhaps the most significant aspects of UVM's recent experience in building a planning process. In outlining some of the pragmatic lessons about planning and decision makers is to determine those things that can be done, rather than feeling compelled to push toward unrealistic goals. The following article was delivered at the 11th Annual Conference of the Society in July 1976.

Abstract: This summary rounds out a series of profiles that document experiences with the use of instructional technology in 21 colleges and universities. Most of these institutions are veteran users of technology; over the years they have learned what works, what doesn't work, and why. The profiles focus on these perceptions and their application to programs for reaching off-campus students and for better service to traditional students. They were prepared by writer/technical-expert teams who visited each of the campuses to report this information for decision-makers seeking ways to respond to the changing missions and needs of their institutions. The author, a member of the EFL staff, has written widely on education and is the editor of this series. These activities have been supported by a special grant to EFL from The Ford Foundation.

Abstract: Allocation of a lump sum appropriation among seven colleges and universities in a single system, according to the authors, can often be a source of wide dissension. In the following article, which was presented at the SCUP 11 Conference in July, Messrs. Holmer and Bloomfield point out that the institutionsof the State of Oregon have achieved consensus on a budget allocation model that rests on recent advances in cost analysis. The model would allocate funds for instruction on an IEP-type base: equal for each major discipline and by level of instruction. Staffing standards for each level of instruction in each discipline have been derived from an exchange of such data among members of the Association of American universities. The claimed virtues of the model lie in its adherence to three premises: 1) equal pay for equal work (by discipline and level of instruction); 2) the use of external standards as a basis for funding the instruction function; and 3) insistence that institutions be free to reallocate allocated funds in accordance with institutional priorities rather than an externally-derived average. Freeman Holmer is Vice Chancellor for Administration of the Oregon Department of Higher Education. Stefan D. Bloomfield is Assistant Director of Planning and Institutional Research at Oregon State University.

Abstract: The following article, which is based upon the authors' experiences in formulating a planning model for Oklahoma State University, emphasizes the importance of maintaing both quality and vitality throughout the planning process. By encouraging all units of the University to evaluate their relative merit according to established criteria, and by allowing them to compete for resources through the allocation of "excellence monies," Oklahoma State has developed a successful procedure for insuring that current and emerging needs are adequately met. Richard M. Robl, who presented the model to the SCUP 11 Conference, is Director of Educational Development and University Self-Study at Oklahoma State. Thomas A. Karman and James H. Boggs are, respectively, Special Assistant to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University.

Abstract: The recent trend toward faculty unionization, according to Fred E. Crossland, Program Officer of The Ford Foundation's Higher Education and Research Division has at long last provided an opportunity for both ends of the academic spectrum to reevaluate their respective planning roles. The collective bargaining process, which has served to sensitize faculty and administration alike, should eventually lead to more cooperative--and effective--institutional planning. The following article has been adapted from the author's presentation at the SCUP 11 Conference.

Abstract: Drawing on his experiece as Provost for Planning at West Virginia University, Raymond M. Haas deals in the following article with the importance of a proper charge to the Planning Office as a means of achieving integrated planning. He further proposes that the role of the Planning Office should be clearly coordinative in the nature--to the point where its only responsibility for actual planning should be in planning the planning process. Finally, he argues that "... integrated planning can be achieved only when planning is a regularly scheduled activity which occurs frequently, and which produces results that manifest themselves in the allocation, reallocation, and effective use of resources within the institution." The author's remarks have been adapted from his presentation at the Society's 11th Annual Conference in Washington, D.C.

Abstract: This article is part of a longer report titled "Regional Planning in Postsecondary Education: Objectives, Obstacles, Alternatives," which was adopted by the California Postsecondary Education Commission in February 1976. At the direction of the California State Legislature, the authors explored regional planning in other states as well as in California in an effort to determine the advantages and disadvantages of voluntary versus mandated interinstitutional cooperation. In this revised report, the authors discuss the current state of regional planning in California and propose a number of alternatives for future cooperation.