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Client-responsive research and evaluation: An alternative model of service, outreach and resource generation for public higher education
Abstract
As public higher education examines itself in light of changing environmental trends, demands and needs of society, the public service aspect of its mission must also be reassessed. This area has traditionally been loosely defined and typically focuses on service by the individual faculty member or student, rather than the responsibility of the institution as a whole. A broadly framed definition of public service describes it as the outreach of the university to society at large, through which the resources of the campus are extended to individuals and groups not part of the academic community. In this manner, the academic institution's special competence is brought to bear on the solution of specific needs and problems. The emphasis for public service is on the transfer of knowledge into usable, meaningful forms for its application to these needs. The purpose of this study is to provide a detailed description of an institutional service and outreach model for public higher education, in which client-responsive research and evaluation techniques are applied to assist in the solution of management problems in both public and private sector organizations. The model is presented as an alternative to traditional views of means for addressing the public service and outreach component of the mission of public higher education. It integrates into that mission the capability to generate necessary additional resources while providing valued public service. By presenting this model, the study seeks to contribute to the larger discussion of the overall role of public higher education in society and the implications of that role on the manner in which all aspects of its mission are perceived and addressed. The description of the model is presented in the form of an embedded case study of a research and evaluation unit within a public service and outreach institution of the University of Massachusetts' President's office. Individual case studies, describing typical applications of the unit's services to various types of clients and problems, are incorporated within the overall study as examples of the manner in which the model is implemented. The summary and conclusions identify key characteristics of the model which are considered central to its ability to provide meaningful public service.
Subject Area
Higher education
Recommended Citation
Heller, Eric S, "Client-responsive research and evaluation: An alternative model of service, outreach and resource generation for public higher education" (1993). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI9316660.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9316660