Learning Resources

Abstract: Charges institutions with the responsibility for planning beyond the immediate need for survival, and for imagining instead what might be possible. Sees the potential for colleges and universities to model what it means to be a learning organization at all levels, and suggests cultivating a spirit of innovation, experimentation, and risk taking. At the very least, the author concludes, institutions must learn what keeps them from taking action, reflecting on the needs of learners, or extending across the institution the strategies that have been proven to work.

Abstract: Asserts that planning is a tool, not a replacement for sound campus management. Using three case studies, two at Tufts University and one at Dean College, the author provides commentary on the usefulness of formal participatory planning in effecting change. In one instance, formal participatory planning was used, in the second it was avoided, and in the third, it was partially employed. Concludes with a reflection on the lessons that may be drawn from each of these examples.

Abstract: Describes the evolution of greater participation by boards of trustees in the formulating and developing strategic plans. Using Elon College in North Carolina as an example, the authors suggest how trustees, administrators, and faculty might work together to effect planning, policy development, and strategic change.

Abstract: Book review of Foundations of Futures Studies: Human Science for a New Era, by Wendell Bell. Two volumes. Transaction Publishers, 1997. Volume 1: 365 pages, ISBN 1-56000-271-9. Volume 2: 371 pages, ISBN 1-5000-281-6. Pull quotes: "By imagining and forecasting possible futures for higher education, we tend to be freer to discover important possibilities and prepare for strategic actions." "Among the paradigmatic shifts in thought and research in the past several decades has been the elevation of concern about the future to a position approaching equality with concern about the past."

Abstract: Book review for Information Architects, by Richard Saul Wurman, edited by Peter Bradford. Watson-Guptill Publications, 1997. 235 pages ISBN 1-888001-38-0. Pull quotes: "Information architects design ways for us to see the patterns underneath all the information fragments." "Many people in higher education find that the management and understanding of electronic information resources is an enlarging challenge."

Abstract: Book review of The Student Aid Game: Meeting Need and Rewarding Talent in American Higher Education, by Micheal McPherson and Morton Owen Schapiro. Princeton University Press, 1997. 161 pages. ISBN 0-691-05783-4. Pull quotes: "Merit aid (properly done) for the more gifted college applicants sends a badly needed signal to the high schools that young people who study hard, develop a talent, and learn a lot can look forward to tangible rewards."

Abstract: Examines educational practices that depend on new technologies and considers how those practices are shaping the way we think about what it means to educate. Also assesses how planning is impacted as a result. Explains how a campus might integrate new technologies into its existing modes of educational services delivery, resulting in a more comprehensive, "technologically responsive" institution.

Abstract: Book review for Lifelong Learning: New Visions, Implications, and Roles, by Norman Longworth and W. Keith Davies. Kogan Page (London), 1996. 174 pages. ISBN 0-7494-1972-5. Pull quotes: "The 21st century will be 'the learning century.'" "Lifelong learning, rather than just university learning early in one's life, will become more important."

Abstract: Contends that most planners make assumptions about planning and about human and institutional ability to change, and that these assumptions necessarily impact the outcome of strategic planning efforts. Examines the functions served in planning comprehensive institutional change, and suggests that planning failures reflect too great a focus on technique and outcome. Applies the analogy of human development to illustrate the organizational life cycle, with an exploration of institutional "identity issues" – the physical, social, and psychological aspects, as well as the institution’s sense of self.

Abstract: A review of planning efforts in the last twenty-five years suggests that few deliver the kind of transformational change that is generally promised. Views planning as a progression from general directions to specific, tangible decisions, and outlines five conditions usually present, in varying degrees, when successful planning occurs: consensus building, focus on institutional needs, good fit with campus culture, effective faculty participation, and effective leadership. An institution revealing a significant weakness in any one of these areas might best direct its attention to addressing that weakness before pursuing overly ambitious planning efforts.