Learning Resources

Abstract: State institutions of higher education in Connecticut are experiencing a dramatic and unprecedented period of change: the consolidation of four universities and 13 community colleges into Connecticut State Colleges & Universities (CSCU) and the creation of a new administrative structure. This article charts the early stages of this process, presenting events as they unfolded during Governor Dannel Malloy’s first term beginning in January 2011, through his November 2014 reelection, until his state budget was passed in June 2015.

Advocates of systemness in higher education are challenged to balance the promise of centralized leadership and localized prerogative in designing and implementing policy. Systemness offers the promise of synergy and innovation within and across the system guided by common purpose and vision.

This article discusses five specific implementation processes and challenges: a systemwide credit transfer articulation program; Southern Connecticut State University’s early Transform CSCU 2020 initiatives; an ongoing effort throughout CSCU to develop a systemwide identity; the potential impact of budget constraints on systemness; and difficulties selecting and developing administrators and leaders.

Abstract: New subscribers to the Harvard Business Review receive as a bonus with their first issue a compilation of fifteen classics, which appeared in previous HBR issues. One article, “Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail”, by John P. Kotter, first appeared in the March-April 1995 issue and is often referenced as a guide to strategic change in organizations. It is the purpose of the article to evaluate a change process undertaken at a large comprehensive baccalaureate institution in the context of Kotter’s suggested eight steps in transforming an organization.

Abstract: Book Review of A Guide to Decision Making in Student Affairs: A Case- Study Approach, by Stanley R. Levy and Charles E. Kozoll. Charles C. Thomas, Publishers, Ltd., 1998. 178 pages. ISBN 0-398-06871-2

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: Facing storms of change within and outside the academy, higher education officials have realized that major realignments are underway creating demographic, economic, political, and cultural imperatives. Quality, accountability, and institutional effectiveness have become part of the culture for stakeholders in higher education. Program directors, department chairpersons, academic deans and their associates, and academic vice presidents are anticipating continued change and are ready to respond in a timely fashion using new planning approaches and techniques.

In assembling this reader, the selection of materials was guided by a sensitivity to provide academic planners with tools to facilitate the transformation of higher education institutions from provider-centered cultures and organizations to leamer-centered franchises. Readings examine partnerships and alliances needed for higher education institutions to survive, if not lead, the transformation of society into the information age.

This book tells how planners can best situate themselves and their organizations in the emerging network of collaborative resources. It is organized into the following sections: Environmental Scanning, Curriculum Planning, Enrollment Management, Human Resources Planning, Planning for Information Technology, Student Services, Academic Planning Within the Larger Context, and Linking Quality and Accountability.

Abstract: Consortia, their impact on cooperating institutions, and critical factors in inter-institutional planning were the subject of a recent study for the United States Office of Education, directed by Harold L. Hodgkinson of the Center for Research and Development in Higher Education at the University of California at Berkeley. The critical issues, according to the study findings, are problems of reciprocity and autonomy, coordination of programs among diverse institutions, and strategies for campus involvement and leadership. The following article, by three staff members of the New Hampshire College and University Council—one of the consortia in the Hodgkinson study—is devoted to a discussion of the process of consortium decision-making, touching on the three key issues. The authors are: Lynn G. Johnson, the Council's associate director in charge of academic programs; Dr. William W. Barnard, consultant and coordinator of a two-year Cooperative Curriculum Project, and Douglas W. Lyon, coordinator of January Term Programs and communications coordinator.