The present paper is a literature and experience summary about contradictions existing in higher education, nowadays. Thus, it is important to understand the underlying reasons and historical background to find ability to move towards higher education system for sustainability. Seven main contradiction groups have been distinguished and an…

Forged in different academic and national traditions, the university is arriving at a common entrepreneurial format that incorporates and transcends its traditional missions. The academic entrepreneurial transition arises from the confluence of the internal development of higher education institutions and external influences on academic structures…

During her presidency (1988-2001), Claire Gaudiani reconnected Connecticut College with New London, the college's home city, whose citizens through grassroots fund raising and donations of land established the college in 1911. Through an emphasis on service-learning, community outreach, and an education not for oneself as well as economic…

Recovery of significant achievements by exemplary individuals and institutions in public education and librarianship informs our present understanding and motivates future efforts. This narrative history recounts some of the struggles and successes of a great city library when the very conception of a free, public library was still being defined.…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to look into how universities identify themselves and the audiences they choose to serve, taking into account three specific universities in Atlanta, Georgia. Design/methodology/approach: The paper gives brief overviews of the literature on differentiation and sustainability and the study, followed by…

A definition of "generic goal" is introduced, and the major generic goals of the principal participants in the higher education process are discussed. Sources of goal differences observed among participants are explored and a number of observations are offered as to when goals will coincide and when they will conflict. (Author/MLW)

This document addresses how the widespread diversity of American higher education has become a distinctive and defining characteristic of the system as a whole. The goal of this document is to create an understanding of diversity in higher education by addressing the classification of higher education, the foundation and development of the…

Argues for a redefining of the concept of "academic major" for students and administrators. Stresses that students should be challenged to developing skills to invest in their educational outcomes rather than fulfill requirements of the major. Argues for administrators to abandon the concept of "major," replacing it with "fields of study." (DMM)

Presidential effectiveness is considered in the context of decision-making that shaped the mission of certain midwestern colleges as they moved toward adopting the American research university mission. The issue is strategic success: the extent to which presidents at a time of opportunity or adversity made decisions that led the college to…

Discusses ways in which the logic of mandated systems of mass testing, as a means of ensuring the accountability of public schools, results in the loss of local responsibility for student learning, as well as an inevitable orientation of local schools to comply with system directives over personal, professional, and community values. (Contains 55…

Several national projects supported by professional associations are redefining faculty roles and focusing the energies of faculty on teaching, on community service, and on their institutions' missions. Resulting faculty reward systems should recognize institutional mission, departmental priorities, the strength of individuals, and the uniqueness…

Four articles about education for library and information studies in the United States discuss philosophies, goals, and objectives of graduate programs; the history and status of undergraduate degree and certification programs; the differentiation between master's, postmaster's, and doctoral programs; and the impact of professional associations on…

Drawing from a review of the literature and on-site observations, this paper sets forth a comprehensive framework for organizational renewal within the community college. Part 1 focuses on the adaptation of organizational life cycle theory to community colleges. Building upon a broadened definition of human development and the related hierarchy of…

The California Master Plan for Higher Education charges the state's community colleges with providing general education for transfer, vocational training, and basic skills instruction to state residents. In response to concerns over low transfer rates, particularly for students from historically underrepresented groups, the Academic Senate for the…

A qualitative study was undertaken to examine similarities and differences in the leadership styles of two successful private liberal arts college presidents and two successful public two-year college presidents. During site visits, a series of semi-structured, open-ended interviews were conducted with the president, senior staff and faculty,…