GOALS OF THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR THE ANALYSIS OF VIOLENT CRIME AS PERCEIVED AND PREFERRED BY ADMINISTRATORS, FACULTY-STAFF, AND STUDENT-USERS

This study was conducted to survey constituencies of the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC) for their opinions of the perceived and preferred importance of NCAVC goals; to determine the statistical significance of the differences for selected goal areas by the role of the respondents; and to interpret the findings for their implications for NCAVC planning. The five selected goal areas were Research/Development, Consultation Services, Computer Engineering Services, Public Service, and Social Criticism/Activism. Data were elicited through the National Center Goals Inventory, an instrument developed by the researcher and modeled after the Institutional Goals Inventory with permission of Educational Testing Service. It consisted of seventy-eight items spread throughout fifteen goals areas. The study population was twenty-five FBI administrators, twenty-five NCAVC faculty and staff, and twenty-five FBI National Academy police students. Means and discrepancies were rank ordered. Tests for statistical significance were performed for the selected goal areas. The results indicated support of goal areas. Data Collection/Analysis, Consultation Services, and Research/Development were particularly important on both "Is" and "Should Be" ratings. Social Criticism/Activism was least important on both ratings, followed by Freedom/Intellectual Environment and Center Personnel Development. NCAVC Purpose and Administration goal areas had high importance for "Should Be" ratings. Significant differences were found between administrators and student-users on Consultation Services for the "Is" ratings, between student-users and administrators on Public Service, and between student-users versus administrators and faculty-staff on social Criticism/Activism for the "Should Be" ratings. Conclusions were that NCAVC constituencies agreed all goal areas are important and put most emphasis on goals impacting investigation of violent crime. NCAVC planners should take rating extremes, discrepancies, and areas of consensus into account. Goals should be reviewed to make them operational and adaptable to change. Future researchers should examine the feasibility of formulating goal inventories for service institutions and businesses.