| The purpose of this study was to identify critical influences that will affect the organizational structure of land-grant colleges and universities and forecast which of these critical influences are most likely to occur and their perceived impact on the organizational structure. These influences and their likelihood of occurrence were compared to the findings reported by Davis in his 1980 study of a similar nature. This comparison provided the identification of long-term trends impacting the administration of land-grant colleges and universities.;This study utilized the Delphi technique as the research methodology to gather the forecast data. A panel of 18 experts in land-grant institution administration was assembled and two rounds of surveys were used in the iterative, feedback process to achieve consensus among the respondents.;Major research findings for the study indicated: (1) Financial influences related to diminishing funding from state governments, the increasing reliance on private funding, and the dramatically increasing costs of providing higher education were consistently rated highest for both likelihood of occurrence and impact on organizational structure. (2) Demographic influences regarding the significant increase in non-traditional students, especially women, minorities, and older, mid-career students, are likely to occur and will have significant impact on land-grant organizational structures. (3) Technological influences such as the increasing importance of computing and telecommunications technologies are also likely to occur with significant impact on land-grant institution organizational structures. (4) The stakeholders of land-grant institutions will continue to demand more and more accountability in terms of effective and efficient use of resources, as well as excellence in outcome measures.;Based on the findings of the study, recommendations include: (1) Graduate programs in educational administration should be enhanced, particularly in the areas of financial management and technology utilization. (2) Institutions should develop continuing education programs for deans, department chairs, and other administrators who are responsible for resource allocation. (3) Institutions should be organized to meet the demands of the increasing number of non-traditional students by allowing for flexibility and convenience in all student affairs functions. (4) Administrators should carefully monitor demographic data in order to identify important trends. |
