"With wit and insight, John Lombardi offers us the single best description of how universities work. This book is destined to be an essential handbook for anyone working or hoping to work in a university. It gives readers an insider's view of the American academy. How Universities Work introduces readers to the structure, logic, dynamics, and operational styles of America's public and private institutions of higher education. The author identifies all the bits and pieces that compose a university in contemporary America: defines them; describes them; and does it all with remarkable economy so that you come away from this slim volume knowing more than you had any reason to anticipate. While focused on research universities, much of the discussion applies to many other types of post-secondary institutions as the premier public and private research universities serve as models for other colleges and universities. Ideal for students, this book will form a solid foundation for introductory courses in Higher Education, but it may also find a welcome home on the bedside table of faculty and administrators"--

Uncovers the labor exploitation occurring in universities across the country As much as we think we know about the modern university, very little has been said about what it's like to work there. Instead of the high-wage, high-profit world of knowledge work, most campus employees—including the vast majority of faculty—really work in the low-wage, low-profit sphere of the service economy. Tenure-track positions are at an all-time low, with adjuncts and graduate students teaching the majority of courses. This super-exploited corps of disposable workers commonly earn fewer than $16,000 annually, without benefits, teaching as many as eight classes per year. Even undergraduates are being exploited as a low-cost, disposable workforce. Marc Bousquet, a major figure in the academic labor movement, exposes the seamy underbelly of higher education—a world where faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates work long hours for fast-food wages. Assessing the costs of higher education's corporatization on faculty and students at every level, How the University Works is urgent reading for anyone interested in the fate of the university.

How do university finances really work? From flagship public research universities to small, private liberal arts colleges, there are few aspects of these institutions associated with more confusion, myths or lack of understanding than how they fund themselves and function in the business of higher education. Using simple, approachable explanations supported by clear illustrations, this book takes the reader on an engaging and enlightening tour of how the money flows. How does the university really pay for itself? Why do tuition and fees rise so fast? Why do universities lose money on research? Do most donations go to athletics? Grounded in hard data, original analyses, and the practical experience of a seasoned administrator, this book provides refreshingly clear answers and comprehensive insights for anyone on or off campus who is interested in the business of the university: how it earns its money, how it spends it, and how it all works.

Ultimately, this logical, accessible book provides a working knowledge of how university budgets are produced and implemented, one that enables faculty members and administrators to become more effective in their roles within the university.

"This book is an introduction to universities for business people who are board members or who take leadership positions in higher education. Lack of understanding the core mission of colleges and universities limits the effectiveness of business people in higher education, and this book provides the information they need to be more successful. It covers topics such as the similarities and differences between businesses and universities, the variety among educational institutions, the role of government especially in higher education, the different types of faculty and how they got to be faculty, and how they are motivated and rewarded. ...[It] describes the nature of governance in academic organizations, and how it is shared among boards, administration and faculty, ... it also describes the types of research conducted by faculty, and how research performance is assessed, as well as how classroom education has changed since most board members attended college"--

Building on Reengineering the University, Massy's earlier book, Resource Management for Colleges and Universities will provide readers with the wherewithal, and the motivation, to fundamentally transform their institutions.

A budgeting handbook for academic administrators and faculty is presented. Economic and political influences on budgeting are considered, along with sources of funds for public and private colleges, and the chronology of the budget process. Multiyear summaries of the budget process in different types of colleges are included. Some major policy issues facing public colleges and state officials are identified, and the use of analytical tools and financial reporting to alter budget outcomes is addressed. A hypothetical college is used to introduce fund accounting, and six budgeting approaches are summarized. Additional topics include: how participants can influence the budget process, the relationship of the capital budget to the annual operating budget, sources of flexibility in the budget process, budget planning for reallocation and retrenchment, policy issues for endowment management, cost analysis procedures, the instructional workload matrix, enrollment forecasting, the nature of indirect costs associated with sponsored programs, and a range of mathematical models used in budgeting. Appendices include strategies for increasing revenue and decreasing expenditures, and documents of the American Association of University Professors and the National Association of College and University Business Officers. (SW)