Abstract:

This paper examines the complex and delicate integration process of accreditation, program review, strategic planning, and budgeting in order to improve the institutional effectiveness and accountability of higher education institutions. Various authors highlight the need to integrate the effectiveness process into the daily work of colleges and universities (Barak & Mets, 1995; Barak & Sweeney, 1995; Hoey, 1995; Mets, 1995, 1997; Wroblewski, 1995; Birnbaum, 2000; Cistone & Bashford, 2002; Jackson, Davis, Jackson, 2010; Bers 2011; Ewel, 2011; Head & Johnson, 2011; Manning, 2011).

We focus on how accreditation and program review are implemented and linked to decision-making and resource allocation processes at Brown University, underlining achieved results and future challenges.

To that end, we adopt the conceptual perspective of the best Italian tradition of Economia Aziendale (Business Administration), with particular reference to the institutional theory (Commons, 1934; Coase, 1937; Zappa, 1957, Masini, 1979) and the systemic theory (Von Bertalanffy, 1951; Boulding, 1956; Bertini, 1990). We ground our analysis on the International literature on governance and management, focusing on higher education institutions. The historical and structural perspectives (Clark - Youn, 1988) are useful to understand the main effects of distinctive features and organizational levels on the development of governance and management systems.

Keywords:

Accreditation, Program Review, Strategic Planning, Budgeting, Institutional Effectiveness, Higher Education, Brown University.