This research combines systems and critical theory to analyze the relationship of the athletic department and the institutional development office. The purpose of the study was to propose a model of coordinated athletic fund raising based upon a theoretical framework that explains athletic fund raising as an organizational function within the context of the interdependencies of a system. In the first phase of the research, a theory-based model of coordinated athletic fund raising is set forth. Several key characteristics of a coordinated approach are identified. In the second phase, results of telephone interviews with athletic fund raisers at Division I institutions are reported. Basic descriptive statistics and qualitative data analysis techniques are used to present a full and rich picture of how athletic fund raisers assess the relationship between the two offices. In the third phase of the research, a comparison is made between empirical findings and the model. Relationships between development offices and athletic departments vary greatly in nature and in scope. The majority of athletic fund raisers report that the relationship between the athletic department and development office is strained. Poor relationships may be deleterious to the athletic fund raising effort. A comparison of reported existing relationships to the model suggests that few existing relationships approach the level of coordination presented in the model. The theory-based model is determined to be useful in providing insights into the complex forces that affect athletic fund raising. Recommendations for moving relationships closer to the model focus on strategies that athletic fund raisers can employ to improve the relationship. Recommendations to athletic fund raisers include finding ways to produce and market critical fund raising resources to the development office; emphasizing negotiation as a strategy to improve exchanges; and working to establish better feedback mechanisms and more open lines of communication with the institutional development office.

This study uses in-depth interviewing along with participant observation and document analysis to develop an understanding of academic advising at one land grant university (Lincoln and Guba, 1985; Merriam, 1988a; Seidman, 1991; Spradley, 1980). Through in-depth phenomenological interviews, this study asks how academic advisors understand the work of advising, the changes proposed and occurring in this setting, and how they manage the deep-seated dilemmas and perplexing choices inherent in the advising role. In addition, it inquires how these choices and decisions connect to issues raised by national reform initiatives of professionalization and standardization for the field. A group of twenty-eight faculty, professional and classified staff academic advisors from twenty different academic departments, counseling centers, and programs within the advising support system were interviewed. This included nineteen women and nine men who provided academic advising as a significant part of their work role. A sequence of three separate, ninety-minute audio-taped interviews were done with each participant (Seidman, 1991). When transcribed, verbatim material was analyzed for patterns and commonalities that were shared among advisors as well as uniqueness of practice (Patton, 1980). In interviews, as academic advisors reconstructed their experience and understanding of their work and work life, they repeatedly cited a common set of organizational issues. This interview material was developed into seven thematic chapters that describe and examine the context and historical development of academic advising; the changing student profile; the missing spirit of connectedness and inadequate preparation; divided roles and fragmented delivery system; self-constructed advising definitions and orientations; individually developed advising techniques and use of advising tools; and the issue of status.

As the financial health of institutions of higher education become uncertain, a need exists to assess an institution's short and long-term viability. The purpose of this study is to determine whether a model developed by Leslie and Fretwell (1996) could have predicted the fiscal health for a public institution of higher education. The model includes factors that should be used in determining fiscal health. They include the following: (1) the effects of economic, demographic, and political trends; (2) trends in the institution's financial condition; (3) stability, openness, and courage in management; (4) vitality of education programs; and (5) the interaction of all of these factors. This case study focused on two 5-year periods at the flagship campus of a northeast public university system. The audited financial statements of the campus were used to determine the accuracy of the model. This college was selected because it had experienced both a financial decline and revival within a 10-year period. Through a review of related documents, a questionnaire, and interviews, the model was constructed and analyzed. A total of 18 independent variables were constructed to represent the four factors. The analytical framework was based upon causal path analysis. Even though this study was admittedly exploratory, the findings revealed that the Leslie and Fretwell (1996) model is a useful management tool and could provide meaningful information for administrators and trustees in planning and decision-making. Conclusions drawn from the research suggest that 7 of the 18 variables could assist in predicting the fiscal health of the campus in this study regardless of whether the fiscal condition declined or improved. The variables were divided into three types: (1) leading, (2) coincident, and (3) lagging. The leading indicators that could be useful in predicting fiscal health are (1) share of state appropriation, (2) SAT scores, (3) enrollment, (4) applicant yield and (5) senior staff turnover rate. The single coincident indicator was the state appropriation. Finally, the only lagging indicator that could have predicted fiscal health for the campus in this study was deferred maintenance. The limitations and implications of this study as well as recommendations for further research have also been provided.

Warnings of an impending leadership crisis in community colleges are raising interest in the role of chief academic officer (CAO). Despite the centrality of the position, the CAO is largely neglected in the academic research literature. Information from CAOs about their perceptions and experiences as leaders is needed to create and develop supports for their expanding leadership role. Factors that affect collaboration among CAOs must be identified to determine the extent to which CAOs are interested and able to collaborate to solve common problems. This qualitative study ultimately probes the potential benefit of developing a network of chief academic officers in community colleges to confront and resolve shared challenges and opportunities, particularly at the regional level. CAOs serving in 40 public community colleges in the six New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont were sent an original written survey probing their views of CAO leadership, collaboration and demographic characteristics. Twenty-five surveys were completed and returned for a response rate of 62.5%. Five CAOs, selected by geography, size of institution, and views on collaboration were selected for hour-long interviews to explore in depth their survey answers. The study findings indicate that the CAO is a critical leadership role in New England community colleges faced with expanding demands and shrinking resources. CAOs are also active collaborators who value the knowledge and experience of their peers in formulating responses to common problems. A model of collaboration as a function of engagement and concerns is used to clarify collaboration among CAOs. The model suggests that collaboration reaches its full potential when engagement between CAOs becomes more personal and there is recognition of mutual concerns. Collaboration among CAOs could be facilitated by providing additional time and resources to support communication and travel. A higher percentage of CAOs in New England are female, white, slightly older, and have served, on average, fewer years in their position when compared with national studies. Recommendations for supporting collaboration among CAOs, especially within geographic regions, are presented, along with a call for more research on the role of the CAO in community colleges.

Major decisions for public universities are often shaped by the political dynamics which function continuously inside the institution and within the larger external community. A persistent problem in the study of higher education is the need to better understand this complex external environment and to build adequate consideration of it into the planning and decision making process. This study examined a particular instance of planning and decision making for an urban public university; the site selection process for the Boston campus of The University of Massachusetts. It identified the major components and dynamics of this prolonged search and developed recommendations which can be generalized to similar institutions. Study methods included review of University archives and contemporary news media, interviews, and review of public records. The researcher first sought to describe the broader context in which Massachusetts public higher education developed during the decades prior to the sudden decision to create a Boston campus for the University of Massachusetts in 1964. Then a chronology was constructed describing major events and decisions reached during the site selection process. A particular effort was made to determine the nature and methodology of the University's planning process. The study then examined the internal organizational structure and political environment within the university and the broader political and economic environment in the external community in order to assess their impact on the final outcome. A key finding was that the immediate local political and economic context surrounding an urban public university will have a profound impact upon policy decision making for the university. Since the near neighbors of such an institution will tend to view its presence in terms of its immediate impact on their daily lives and not in terms of its broader long term benefit to society, this local context must be known and understood by the university's decision makers. Lack of adequate state-wide coordination of the development of public higher education in Massachusetts during the 1960's and the lack of an adequate public relations effort on the part of the University were major contributing factors which hampered the site selection process.

Research has indicated that the first year of college is more stressful for the college student than the three remaining years. A descriptive, exploratory study was conducted which assessed the general freshman population of a large public university in Puerto Rico, a Spanish-speaking country. Freshmen (N = 1665) completed, in the Fall of 1993, a 73-item survey which collected data on demographics, academic and financial backgrounds, employment patterns, and academic, career, and personal needs. Students were asked to rate the intensity of the needs they were experiencing as they entered the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus. Results indicated that participants, as a group, rated academic-career related items stronger than personal items. In general terms, higher need levels were associated also with specific sub-populations of freshmen: females, students coming from public schools in Puerto Rico, and students enrolled in the Colleges of Business Administration, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences. The findings of this study are valuable for planning college counseling services at the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus and for clarifying student development theory. The identification of these needs should enable administrators, orientation planners, counselors, and policy makers of this University to design programs to better meet the academic, career, and personal needs of the freshman population as well as the individualized needs of specifically designated subgroups of incoming freshmen. The planning of such interventions must be followed by systematic evaluation of the effects of the programs that are developed.

The purpose of this study was to examine and describe the influence of mentors in dyadic relationships on the leadership development of women college presidents. To fully understand the influence of mentoring on leadership development, a case study approach was used to originate empirical data to provide additional knowledge about women's leadership development. The case study was conducted through in-depth interviews with three women college presidents, their mentor(s), and their protégés. A process model of cross-generational leader development was generated from the empirical findings of the study and the model includes three specific mentoring strategies—Modeling, Challenging, and Supporting as well as two key bonding stages—Developmental and Peer Bonding.

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which support service programs are available for Black and Hispanic students attending the nation's twenty-eight Jesuit colleges and universities. Where programs existed the objective was to describe their makeup. A subsidiary goal of the study was to introduce the Donald Brown Retention Model which is a series of elements that are essential to recruiting and retaining Black and Hispanic students on predominantly White campuses. The researcher hypothesized that as a result of cutbacks in federal and state funding during the latter part of the 1960's and continuing into the 1970's, Jesuit institutions, like other institutions of higher education, cut back, if not completely eliminated support service programs. Since the subjects of the study were scattered throughout the country, the data gathering technique deemed most appropriate was a questionnaire. Rather than select a statistical random sampling from the population, it was determined that all twenty-eight Jesuit colleges and universities would be included in the study. Among the major findings of the study was the eighteen (69.2 percent) of the twenty-six (92.8 percent) respondents indicated that a support service program had been established for Black and Hispanic students on their campus. The major services provided by these programs are academic advisement, tutorial assistance, personal, group and career counseling. Contrary to the hypothesis alluded to earlier, which suggested that support service programs fell to their demise during the late 1960's and early 1970's due to diminished funding, it was determined that virtually half of such programs did not begin until the 1970's. A further revelation was that funding for these programs, for the most part, came from the institution's themselves. It appears that Black and Hispanic students are succeeding at Jesuit colleges and universities. Yet, there are areas that can be improved. It is hoped that the Donald Brown Retention Model will prove useful in recruiting and retaining Black and Hispanic students at Jesuit, and indeed, all institutions of higher education.

This study examines and evaluates the effectiveness of the Federal Government's commitment to provide increased support to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the academic areas of science and engineering technology programs. It focuses on the implementation and results of Executive Order 12320, signed on September 15, 1981, by President Ronald Reagan, which mandates Federal Government Agencies and Departments to eliminate known barriers to HBCU participation in areas of research and development. The study considers the influences of the Federal Government's impact and historical relationships with HBCUs for the period 1981-1988. Additionally, it examines the level of efforts made to eliminate the underrepresentation of minorities in science and technology programs. Data evaluated for the study was acquired from Federal Government Agencies and Departments, HBCUs, private sector businesses and corporations, organizations, and other sources. It was analyzed to determine levels of science and non-science funding support for HBCUs and served as the historical framework for the study. The primary institutional sources of information and data collection for this study were from a number of HBCUs selected based upon identified and stated factors which contributed to various participation levels in Federally-sponsored science and technology programs. The target population was the universe of the HBCUs (two-year, four-year, and graduate level institutions), with the sample population chosen to represent all HBCUs on the basis of levels of participation in research and development, science and technology programs. Archival data was collected from major Federal reports, supplemented by personal interviews with educational experts and institutional officials. Several important factors emerged from this study. Foremost, the data suggest that HBCUs which received the greatest amount of Federal funding and support in the science areas were more likely to receive the greatest amount of funding in non-science academic areas. The findings also suggest that Federal Government support in the non-science academic science engineering programs served as factors which enhance the potential and competitiveness of HBCUs. Regarding the successfulness and effectiveness of the Federal Government and private sector commitment to HBCUs, there have been extensive efforts to support active participation of HBCUs in science and non-science programs.

The purpose of this study is to examine a small number of minority retention programs in the North, South and Mid-West in order to determine why African-American students at predominantly-white institutions of higher education continue to face greater social and academic adjustment problems than their white counterparts. The literature supports the researcher's contention that the needs of many African-American students enrolled in various colleges and universities across the country, are not well met. While some institutions have established retention programs (some more successful that others), many more have not. Institutions of higher education, this study concludes, should be required to not only examine the needs of African-American students, but also to implement programs to address the needs. This comparative analysis, uses a historical framework to examine a few of the retention program that are successfully addressing a significant number of the educational needs of African-American students at peer institutions. Programs examined are: The Committee for the Collegiate Education Of Blacks and Other Minority Students (CCEBMS) University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts; The Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) University of California, Santa Barbara, Center for Academic Program (CAP) University of Connecticut, Storrs Connecticut, The African-American Student Partnership Program (AASP) and the Minority Student Access Network program (MSAN) University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado and the Academic Support and Assistant Program (ASAP) and the Promoting Academically Successful Students (PASS) University of South Carolina, Columbia South Carolina.