Summary
This issue of Research Dialogue explores the ways in which trends in college enrollments and student characteristics may affect future staffing needs in higher education. It also suggests that the forces affecting the forecasting of staffing needs go well beyond basic demographics and include important educational, economic, social, and political factors, and—most importantly—technological developments. This report was prepared especially for Research Dialogue by Carol Frances, a pioneer in the application of systems dynamics to higher-education strategic planning and policy development.Carol Frances is a Visiting Scholar at Claremont Graduate University and a Senior Associate of the Kaludis Consulting Group in Washington, D.C.