What Do Administrators Know About Their Institutions

As part of a larger five-year analysis of the behavioral impact of modern management procedures on private liberal arts colleges, data were collectedfrom administrators at twenty-two institutions of various enrollment size, admissions selectivity, and religious affiliation. The study demonstrates how accurately administrators recalled basic informational items such as total and first-time enrollments, measures of academic ability, faculty size, and the percentage of students obtaining baccalaureate degrees in four years. Data tabulations suggest that most administrators are reasonably accurate in their estimates of basic institutional facts, with the exception of student dropout rates, but case studies reveal that administrators in some institutions are seriously misinformed.