Design for a developing consortium

The number of consortia in American higher education expanded rapidly from only ten in 1960 to eighty in 1973. Many do not have an organized method of developing interinstitutional cooperation, structuring their internal management, or preparing to meet future expansion. The design of an organizational process appropriate to consortia in general has been developed in this thesis. The design is based on an analysis of various materials: (1) literature on the consortium movement; (2) data gathered from a nationwide survey conducted by the author; (3) visits with directors of consortia and experts in the consortium field; (4) actual working experience with a consortium; and (5) utilization of management techniques. The principle findings of the author are that consortia can offer a method to deal with some of the problems of higher education. Their recent expansion indicates the acceptance of the consortia movement. The emphasis of consortia has been on accomplishing immediate goals, rather than the development of an internal mechanism. Certain areas such as student services and institutional operations have not been actively pursued, although they offer the possibility of great service to the consortium members. The need for effective organization of consortia is apparent from the findings. The principles of organization design tailored to a consortium are recommended for the expansion of a developing consortium