Nontraditional health administration programs in the current environment of higher education

Survival and renewal in a period of declining enrollment and resources are central problems facing American colleges and universities in the 1980s. This climate in higher education provides both opportunities and dilemmas for program directors of nontraditional educational programs in health administration. It was suggested that in the resource-poor environment of higher education, managers need to become more efficient and "do things better." However, since the press toward efficiency and centralized decision making frequently results in a sense of powerlessness on the part of organizational members, nonmonetary incentives and attention to organizational process should be utilized to encourage innovation and empower organizational members. Further, it is suggested that to remain relevant to a rapidly changing industry, qualitative curriculum changes should be made to address the imbalance in the treatment of growth and decline within the existing organization science courses and research. Finally, both internal and external political forces should be used to stabilize and to underscore the legitimacy of the programs. If carefully orchestrated, these recommended strategies should help ensure the survival of nontraditional programs in health administration.