Decision-Making and Information Systems in Colleges an Exploratory Study

In order to develop new methods for improving decision-making and information systems it is necessary to understand how these systems currently operate. The study reported here was designed to illustrate some aspects of current administrative systems. Based on a sample of ten small to medium sized colleges, responses to the following types of questions are reported: How are particular decisions typically made? Who is involved in making various decisions? What information is available for decision-making and operations? What kinds of analyses are usually used? Part of the data presented focuses on describing particular decision processes, e.g., academic program review, faculty performance evaluation, and budgeting. Another part concentrates on assessing the use of various types of information and analytical data. Based on the survey data, a description of college decision-making and information systems is provided. Some tentative conclusions are also drawn in the form of hypotheses for further research.