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Byline: PHILLIP H. SHELLEY As academic administrators and governing bodies have looked for ways to bolster their institutions' finances in times of budget constraints, they have turned for models to [...]

Byline: JOHN GRAVOIS The African Sisters Education Collaborative, a group of Catholic-college administrators and congregational leaders from the United States that is dedicated to the secondary and higher education of [...]

Universities and colleges can benefit significantly by using corporate reengineering practices, such as those applied by management at Monsanto Co. to reinvent the company during the 1980s. Institutions must identify their core mission, emphasize those functions that directly advance it, and decrease the layers of bureaucracy that hinder its achievement. Schools can farm out functions unrelated to the central mission, such as physical plant upkeep and data processing. They should also form cost-cutting alliances with other institutions and radically reform the tenure system to increase productivity.

Deans are becoming increasingly involved in university and college fund raising campaigns. This change in responsibilities means they have less time to pursue their traditional duties of setting academic policy and serving as liaison between administrators and faculty. Most deans, however, realize the critical nature of their new fund raising tasks, even if some would prefer not to engage in them. Deans are especially useful as fund raisers because their position enables them to see funding needs first-hand, establish personal relationships with potential donors and set an example for faculty.

American David VandeLinde, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bath, has helped make the school one of the highest-rated in the UK since he took over its administration in 1992. Bath ranked 6th in the most recent national assessment of research, after ranking 15th previously. Government funding levels are tied to the assessments, so Bath's high score means more money for programs and research. VandeLinde has successfully promoted the school's science, engineering and technology focus, begun necessary building projects and introduced American-style fundraising efforts to solicit private money.

College administrators are comparing their financial expenditure with those of other colleges in an effort to reduce their expenditure. The information on individual college costs are not published because the colleges are very sensitive about their costs and productivity. The National Assn of College and University Business Officers has begun a program of collecting information and making it available to participating institutions to help them evaluate their operations.