Administering Successful Programs for: Adults Promoting Excellence in Adult, Community, and Continuing Education

This book was very beneficial to the graduate class that I participated in during the summer semester.

Galbraith, M.W., Sisco, B.R., & Guglielmino, L.M. Administering Successful Programs for Adults: Promoting Excellence in Adult, Community and Continuing Education. Krieger Publishing Company, Malabar, FL, 1997. Pp. vii + 187. When the opportunity to review a book written by three acknowledged professionals, in not only adult educational instruction, but also in research and publication, the expectation of quality would seem foreseeable. In this case, the expectation was a reality. From the "Preface" to the final chapter, the student is presented with a clear, concise, and literary explanation, of a relevant and timely topic, the administration of programs. To often, authors of scholarly texts, find it necessary to use professional language, understandable only by experts in the discipline or subject matter. This is not the case with this publication. The text was written and published with current, or "would be", administrators in mind. The primary goal of the authors is to convey a basic understanding of the administrative process. The authors of Administering Successful Programs for Adults, include in their "Preface", an excellent synopsis of the book. The text has nine chapters. Chapter 1 is concerned with and titled the "Administrator". This chapter "...examines the settings and contexts in which the administrative role is carried out", and includes "...a self-assessment inventory that allows", students to discover pertinent knowledge about themselves (p.viii). Chapter 2, "Approaches to Administration", is just that. The authors examine, "The classical, human relations, organization behavior, contingency, and systems perspectives..." and "...their appropriateness for adult, community, and continuing education" (p.viii). In Chapter 3, "Determining Program Content", they address "...the administrator's role and involvement in the process of determining program content", with an emphasis on the macro approach. "Budgeting and Financing" are the topics of Chapter 4. Different types of budgets are discussed, along with "...useful tips on how to develop a successful budget..." and "...and how to augment funding..." (p.viii). Chapter 5, "Selecting and Developing Staff", explains that this "...is an essential function of administrators in adult, community, and continuing education agencies and organizations" (p.viii). A plan is presented which includes ideas on role identification, selection, and development, of staff. "Marketing and Public Relations", "Chapter 6, is dedicated to the understanding of marketing and the essential elements of a marketing plan and promotional strategies" (p.ix). Chapter 7, "Evaluating Programs", "...is devoted to the process of evaluating programs for adult", and includes suggestions on "...the design and application of an evaluation plan" (p.ix). "Legal and Ethical Considerations", is the subject of Chapter 8. These include, "...affirmative action and equal employment opportunity guidelines..." as we