Prioritizing Academic Programs and Services: Reallocating

Product Review

Published in Association with the USA Group Foundation

"This book is a 'must-read' for higher education leaders or those who aspire to become higher education leaders. Only Bob Dickeson, with his many years of higher education experience, could have incorporated so much information in such a concise and informative manner."
--James E. Walker, president, Middle Tennessee State University"Will reassure those who are in the process of institutional review."
--Continuing Higher Education Review

Written in clear, straightforward language, Prioritizing Academic Programs and Services outlines a step-by-step method for effectively reallocating resources. Robert C. Dickeson, a former university president, guides academic leaders through the process of ranking programs according to such critical factors as enrollment size and relevance to institutional mission. The book also includes successful strategies for suspAnding programs that hover on the margins of productivity and affordability.

This flexible, essential resource will help administrators on any college or university campus determine which programs and services are the most efficient, effective, and central to institutional mission. Robert Dickeson draws from thirty-five years of experience as higher education administrator and consultant to offer useful techniques for overcoming barriers to prioritization, implementing program decisions, and achieving strategic balance and fiscal responsibility. This book's concise format is ideal for group use, including members of governing boards and public officials concerned about reform in higher education.

Customer Reviews

Average Customer Review

(2 customer reviews)

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful

Maximizing Resources with Program Prioritization, July 11, 2001

Edith Bryan (Athens, Georgia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Prioritizing Academic Programs and Services: Reallocating Resources to Achieve Strategic Balance (Jossey-Bass Higher and Adult Education) (Hardcover)

Dickeson's book is a comprehensive manual for academic administrators at all levels who need to maximize resources because of cutbacks. Since the most likely source for needed resources is reallocation of existing resources, he suggests a means to prioritize programs so administrators can make well-informed decisions. Dickeson's ideas have a firm basis in practical applicaitons. He has served as a university president and is currently president of a consulting firm that has guided hundreds of colleges and universities through program prioritization. This book contains checklists at all stages of the planning process plus samples of actual priortizing plans and is a very useful resource not only at the institutional level but for any program undergoing review.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful

Timely, May 9, 2010

Frederick S. Lane "Fred" (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Prioritizing Academic Programs and Services: Reallocating Resources to Achieve Strategic Balance, Revised and Updated (Jossey Bass Higher and Adult Education) (Hardcover)

In a time when budgets are being cut across American higher education, this new edition makes many useful suggestions about priority setting. Well worth a read.