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To manage effectively the higher education enterprise is a complex matter. Part of the problem of managing complexity is the need for monitoring data in time series such that the on-going enterprise is viewed at comparable times in comparable terms. Part of the answer at the University of San Francisco is the development of time series data on students, curriculum, faculty, and a number of noncurricular items. However, the need for systematic financial review called for time series data on financial categories. But beyond such tuition and fees history and specific financial data, the need for certain meaningful ratios or indices is evident. There is also a need to study the balance sheet data over several years and subject these to important meaningful indicator construction. This paper is committed to the development of appropriate theory for total institutional analysis of the university enterprise. This document provides for cross-institutional comparability through the taxonomy of WICHE/NCHEMS Program Classification Structure (PCS). Hopefully, this effort proves useful to institutional needs in budgeting and planning as well as useful to others with similar needs. (Author)

Environment plays an influential role in behavior. There is, however, often a discrepancy between the intended academic environment (as expressed by the institution in a variety of ways), and that perceived by the students. In order to explore this discrepancy, which may exist between the intended and the perceived institutional press, it is important to have an accurate measure of the environment. Most existing instruments do not use student perceptions to assess the school's environment but rely on other data sources. Accordingly, the Perceived Environment Profile (PEP) was developed for this purpose, based on Pace's College and University Environment Scales (CUES). PEP is a 55-item scale containing statements about high schools which are categorized into five sub-scales: Practicality, Community, Awareness, Propriety, and Scholarship. A pilot study, conducted to ascertain the most discriminating items, yielded 11 items for each sub-scale. Reliability estimates using the Kuder-Richardson Formula 21 yielded an average coefficient of +.86. PEP requires 20-30 minutes to administer and the Flesch regression formula indicates that it is of low level reading difficulty. It is concluded that in this study PEP demonstrated its potential value as a valid instrument to measure characteristics or the environmental press of the secondary school. (PR)

The purposes of this study were to measure secondary school environments in order to: (1) determine if these environments as perceived by students and teachers differed along selected variables; and (2) to determine if teacher perceptions in selected schools differed from student perceptions. School environment was measured by the Perceived Environment Profile. This study was conducted in six secondary schools in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Analysis of variance yielded significant (.05) school to school differences and significant teacher-student perception discrepancies at certain schools. (Author)

The authors contend that special education has arrived at a point of diminishing and sometimes distressing returns because it is based on physicalistic science. (DB)