Learning Resources

Abstract: Book review of Learning From the Future: Competitive Foresight Scenarios, by Liam Fahey and Robert M. Randall. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1997. 446 pages. ISBN 0-47-130352-6. Pull quotes: "Scenarios need to be plausible, and they must be integrated into organizational decision making."

Abstract: Article Faculty and presidential perceptions of comprehensive change are not always as different as you would suspect. Pull quotes: "The most agreed-upon source of high pressure compelling institutions to undertake comprehensive change, as reported by both faculty and presidents, came from presidents and cabinets." "Who is in charge? Who does what? The more interesting, and possibly more important, question might be, who thinks who is supposed to do what?" "This study shows that presidents and faculty agree more often than the conventional wisdom would suggest."

Abstract: Article It takes external pressures and internal leadership to energize integrated planning.

Abstract: Book reviews of The Case for Tenure, eidted by Matthew W. Finkin. Cornell University Press, 1996. 211 pages ISBN 0-8014-3316-9. (and) New Pathways: Faculty Careers and Employment for the 21st Century. American Association for Higher Education: Alternatives to Tenure for the Next Generation of Academic, Inquiry # 14, by David Breneman. 1997. 16 pages; Academic Freedom Without Tenure?, Inquiry #5, by J. Peter Byrne. 1997. 17 pages; Off the Tenure Track: Six Models for Full-Time, Nontenurable Appointments, Inquiry #10, by Judith Gappa. 36. Pull quotes: "Higher education institutions in recent years have hired an increased number of faculty in positions not eligible for tenure and fewer faculty in positions that will lead to tenure." "The broader society will largely decide the future of tenure."

Abstract: Contends that new technologies demand we rethink traditional campus roles and responsibilities, and especially how we evaluate them for accreditation purposes. Current accreditation criteria reflect the values and structure of the residential campus, but are inadequate for evaluating an electronic one. Warns against allowing accreditation to impede meaningful change, nor permitting change to disassociate from an adequate accreditation process. Examines ways in which both institutions and accrediting bodies can adapt new standards and tools for evaluation.

Abstract: Book review of Strategic Choices for the Academy: How Demand for Lifelong Learning Will Re-Create Higher Education, by Daniel James Rowley, Herman D. Lujan, and Micheal G. Dolence. Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1998. 309 pages. ISBN 0-7879-4067-4. Pull quotes: "Higher education must focus more broadly on educating a much larger percentage of the population to prepare our society and economy to survive in a global economy."

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: 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: 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.

Abstract: Book review for What Will Be: How the New World of Information Will Change Our Lives, by Micheal Dertouzos. Haper Collins, 1997. 328 pages ISBN 0-060-251479-2. Pull quotes: "We have not yet learned how to use computers very effectively." "Today, most of the Web is for sales or entertainment. Tomorrow, more of the Web will be used for work and learning around the globe."