Learning Resources

Abstract: “A look at what the future looked like in 1995, and what happened in higher education as we moved through seventeen years to 2013? Then, a look ahead . . . Remember: Just because we are changing a great deal does not mean we are transforming.” Another SCUP title, Transforming Higher Education—A Vision for Learning in the 21st Century, was once a higher education bestseller. In this monograph, co-author and SCUP Distinguished Service Award recipient Donald M. Norris and his team review what the Academy was doing and thinking in 1995, and what has happened since. They take stock of the present and look back at it from the perspective of 2020. Pragmatically, they suggest dual paths forward. Which will your institution take? Path A, reposition the core? Path B, leap into the future? Or perhaps, as the authors suggest, both?

Abstract: If faculty senates are to maintain a place in the modern university, then they must be both effective and viewed as such by faculty, administrators, and other campus stakeholders. One way to shape faculty senate efforts is to create and exploit a clearly defined mission statement. In this article, we offer a four-step, committee-driven, technology-assisted process to develop a mission/vision statement that is anchored in the theory. The proposed process is efficient and easy to administer and can be used at other universities. We also discuss our experience with the process and offer recommendations for other university faculty senates.

Abstract: Too often, Boards of Trustees feel that final approval of the institution's Strategic Plan is sufficient. However, most Plans will only be successfully implemented if the Board has complete ownership and a commitment to be actively involved in many areas of the institution (not only fund raising). This article describes a successful process and key strategies to develop Board engagement and ownership of the Strategic Plan and ongoing involvement in the successful implementation of the Plan.

Abstract: Few presidents leave under "normal" expected circumstances. Quite often this void left must be filled with an interim appointment. What the interim is expected to do, length of service, and ramification of the choice of interim are issues a governing body must consider before the need becomes reality.

Abstract: Calls for a reexamination of the way in which higher education institutions select their leaders. The prevalence of the "lame-duck" syndrome, exacerbated by resignations up to a year in advance and the appointment of interim leaders to serve while searches for permanent leaders take place, has repercussions throughout the institution in terms of willingness to take risk and to implement substantive change. Proposes some possible alternatives to the current system of recruitment and replacement as a means of facilitating strong leadership on campus.

Abstract: A review of the monograph “Ensuring Effective Governance,” by William L. Deegan and James F. Gollattscheck (eds.), New Directions for Community Colleges, Number 49 (Volume 13, Number 1). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, Inc., 1985.