by an enclosed compression spring not shown other forms of jacks poles and compression mechanisms for example those disclosed in u s pat no 5 924 469 incorporated herein by reference above are equally applicable to the present invention an elongated head 16 attaches to the jack 12 at the coupler 20 a pivot in the coupler 20 permits rotational movement of the head 16 relative to the pole 14 and jack 12 for example in a single degree of freedom of rotation that is for example parallel to the longitudinal axis 17 of the head 16 the coupler 20 allows for the partition mount 10 to be installed in a variety of configurations for example in a configuration where the ceiling and floor are not parallel in various embodiments the coupler 20 may comprise a hinge or preferably a snap fit ball and socket joint that is for example limited in rotational degrees of freedom to allow for pivoting between the elongated head 16 with respect to the pole 14 and jack 12 and to limit lateral rotation the coupler 20 may be located at any position along the longitudinal axis 17 of the head 16 and may be in a fixed longitudinal position or alternatively in a variable longitudinal position that can be set by a user during installation alternatively multiple poles 14 and jacks 12 may be mounted at various positions along a common head 16.