This Proceedings presents refereed versions of most of the papers presented at the NATO Advanced Research Institute on Homotopy Methods and Global Convergence held in Porto Cervo, Sardinia, June 3-6, 1981. This represents the fourth recent occurrence of an international conference addressing the common theme of fixed point computation. The first such conference, ti tled "Computing Fixed Points with Applications," was held in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, June 26-28, 1974 and was sponsored by the Office of Naval Research and the Office of the Army Research Center. The second conference, "Symposium on Analysis and Computation of Fixed Points," was held at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, May 7-8, 1979, under the sponsorship of the National Science Foundation, the U. S. Army, and the Mathematics Research Center of the University of Wisconsin, Madison. The third conference, titled "Symposium on Fixed Point Algorithms and Complementarity," was held at the University of Southampton, Southampton, UK, July 3-5, 1979 and was sponsored by U. N. E. S. C. O. , European Research Office (London), Department of Mathematics (University of Southampton), I. B. M. U. K. , Ltd. , Lloyds Bank, Ltd. , and the Office of Naval Research (London). The Advanced Research Institute held in Sardinia was devoted to the theory and application of modern homotopy methods. The following topics were stressed: Path-Following Techniques; Bottom-Line Applications; Global vs. Classical Methods; and Sta- v vi PREFACE of-the-Art, Perspectives and Potential.

This collection of essays on the character, administration, and management of research universities concentrates on issues of systematic planning, planning models, teaching approaches, and management associated with the aims and methods of operations research. The book also deals with more general concerns about the management of universities and university resources, and with some of the applications of operations-research and statistical tools that have moved outside university settings.