Page 359 - Crisis in Higher Education

Appendix A • 329

c. Start with high-enrollment courses, where it is possible to enjoy
economies of scale.
d. Offer complete programs so that online students can graduate
without setting foot on campus.
e. Create educational programs that are secure so the person who
received the grade is the person actually doing the work.
f. Share online offerings with other universities to spread the fixed
costs of course development.
g. Have no activity fees for students enrolling in online learning.

A.6 CHAPTER 11: REFORMING ADMINISTRATION
AND MANAGEMENT

1. Universities must reconfigure the strategic plan and the strategic
planning process. This means:
a. Recognizing there are multiple customers and goals—students
want good jobs and less debt; governments and potential employ-
ers want lower costs and better quality graduates.
b. Increasing faculty involvement in managing universities and the
strategic planning process.
2. Universities should change their culture in regard to customers,
books and learning materials, organizational structure, relation-
ships between administration and faculty, and state funding.
3. To make change, students, parents, other family members, and friends
must support state government as it convinces boards and presidents,
who must, in turn influence top and middle management at universities.
4. As culture changes, management practices must change.
a. Decentralize decision making, so colleges have more freedom to
pursue innovative and entrepreneurial activities.
b. Hire more faculty members for administrative posts and create
a faculty resource committee (FRC) to participate in strategic
planning and university-level budgeting.
5. Executive leadership must achieve higher productivity by identify-
ing work that is unnecessary, setting targets for reducing administra-
tion that can be met over several years, and providing management
tools and training as well as information technology that improves
productivity.