Lately there has been a great deal of discussion about the importance of measuring a college's "return on investment." Is the point of a college education quantifiable results or personal and intellectual growth? In pursuit of answers, "The Chronicle" asked a selection of higher-education leaders. Phyllis M. Wise, Chancellor of…

The national push to graduate more students excludes no demographic group, and those with lagging completion rates become particular targets of attention. Now some community colleges are zeroing in on another underserved population: ex-offenders. Roughly 1.6 million people are in state and federal prisons across the country, and each year, about…

Feminist researchers in psychology and education have been theorizing about the kind of sexuality girls ought to have. They are not afraid to investigate morality and what makes a good life. While they explore the meaning and cultural context of girls' sexual development, the good sexual life they describe may be an elusive ideal that, in the end,…

The Davidson Academy of Nevada may have one of the most-intelligent student bodies in America, with each student required to be in the 99th percentile on IQ or achievement tests. But these kids need room to run and jump and have someone to talk to as much as any middle schooler. The 44 students now at the academy are at the precarious stage of…

Discusses the special situations of college professors who are the offspring of academics, including forging an independent identity when a parent is eminent in the same field, advantages of the family connection, and nepotism. Most such academic offspring report that the advantages of the family connection outweigh the disadvantages. (DB)

Reports on the "Chairman's Challenge," a fund raiser at Lewis and Clark College (Oregon) in which students were challenged to surpass the multimillionaire donor's (Robert B. Pamlin Jr.) physical fitness records to earn donations to the school of up to $25,000 each. Pamlin uses his gifts to reward institutions and individual students that…

Jane Tompkins, a Duke University (North Carolina) English professor, is working to transform the conventional approach to college teaching from combative to communal, focusing on students' personal development as well as their intellect and deemphasizing faculty career development. Critics feel her approach is extreme and unreasonable; supporters…

A program at Brandeis University uses literature to help professionals confront career dilemmas and work-related moral issues. Program participants say literature provides a "non-threatening" way to discuss difficult subjects. Doctors, legislators, corporate executives, public-school teachers, etc. have participated. (MLW)