Goonen and Blechman provide an analysis useful as a desk reference or as a text for practicing and prospective administrators and university counsel. They examine the legal points, ethical questions, and practical steps an administrator or university counsel should be aware of in dealing with some of the most frequently encountered issues in the administration of a college, university, or other postsecondary institution.
Each chapter targets a selected area of academic affairs, and the format includes four sections—legal parameters, ethical considerations, practical suggestions, and an illustrative case. Hiring issues, compensation and employment issues, promotion and tenure, terminations, non-renewals, and reductions in force, academic freedom, student disputes on academic matters, and transcript and degree issues are all analyzed. Goonen and Blechman provide a general guide that can be readily utilized and understood by those without specific prior training in the law or in higher education administration. The discussions and information the guide contains will be valuable to current and prospective practitioners as they seek to balance the legal, ethical, and practical issues that surface in every decision in the increasingly complex higher education arena.
