ABSTRACT
T he principal conclusions of this research underscore the dependency of colleges on resources that extend far beyond their tangible and quantifiable assets. Institutional planning efforts and strategies for change tend to be skewed towards the rational, the logical, and the linear. However, Robert Birnbaum (2000), in his critique of “management fads” in higher education observes: “I consider myself to be a rational person, and yet a major argument of this book is that rational approaches to academic management often have not been very effective” (p. 27). Such approaches are, in fact, sadly lopsided. Even if the logic of the plans is unassailable, their implementation still may founder on the indiscernible shoals of human fear, resentment, or obstinacy.
