William Damon, a professor of education at Stanford University, has long advocated "character education" as a key component of school reform. The author of several books on the subject, his latest is "The Path to Purpose: Helping Our Children Find Their Calling in Life". In this article, the author presents an interview with Damon. He discusses…

When a freshman at San Diego State University (SDSU) died of a cocaine overdose last May, the campus police chief decided to pursue a full-scale investigation. In December, he summoned undercover agents from the federal Drug Enforcement Administration to pose as students and roam the campus in search of illegal drugs. According to college…

Claiborne Pell lived in a waterfront house in Newport, Rhode Island. The Princeton-educated senator came from such old money that his people once owned much of New York's Westchester County and the Bronx. Having grown up in a roach-ridden house, it didn't seem to the author that she and Pell inhabited the same universe. Even so, when she learned…

For decades, professors and administrators espoused notions like "knowledge for knowledge's sake" and "the transformative power of the liberal arts," paying little heed as the American populace shifted from widespread respect for the academy to considerable skepticism of it. Today's students occupy the leading edge of that…

This article presents an excerpt from the interview of Karen Hughes, under secretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs. Hughes discusses the Bush administration's effort to attract foreign students to the United States and to send American students overseas. She also talks about what American colleges and universities can do to help.

The new economic-stimulus law includes more than $29-billion in provisions directed at making college more affordable in the next two years. That includes $13.9-billion budgeted over 10 years for education-tax-credit changes in 2009 and 2010, $15-billion in additional Pell Grant support, and $200-million for the Federal Work-Study program. But…

George D. Kuh has directed the National Survey of Student Engagement since it began. Over the past eight years, the survey has collected a vast amount of data on how students learn and grow. It has promoted successful practices like learning communities, in which students take courses that focus on a theme, and culminating projects like theses and…

This article presents findings of a study on black students attending selective colleges and universities in the United States. Results of a study by sociologists at Princeton University and the University of Pennsylvania indicate that more than a quarter of the black students enrolled at selective American colleges and universities are immigrants…

Gary Pavela, director of student judicial programs at the University Maryland at College Park, is an expert on how colleges can assist troubled students. In a forthcoming installment of his weekly newsletter on campus law and policy, the "Synfax Weekly Report," Mr. Pavela discusses Monday's shootings at Virginia Tech. Among other…

The U.S. ambassador to India, in an interview with "The Chronicle" last week, criticized the opposition of some Indian government officials and politicians to legislation that would allow U.S. and other foreign universities to establish campuses or programs in the country. He spoke favorably, however, about India's willingness to take on…

Barack Obama agreed to answer a series of questions submitted via e-mail to his campaign. This article presents excerpts of "The Chronicle"'s exchange with the senator and candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, in which he discussed his policy suggestions for student aid and college access; the appropriate role of the federal…

Community colleges pride themselves on their open-door policies. For decades, access and enrollment, especially of traditionally underserved students, were their key markers of success. In recent years, lawmakers, accreditors, and the institutions themselves have begun demanding more. It is no longer enough for community colleges to get students…

Wake Forest University will no longer require applicants to submit standardized test scores, the university announced last week. The move makes Wake Forest, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, one of the most prominent institutions with a "test optional" admissions policy. The university's decision reveals the increasing complexity of the…

College students aiming for medical school often fall victim to 'pre-med syndrome'; they become narrow, grade-conscious overachievers, who are less sociable and more interested in money and prestige than are most other students. Suggestions for alleviating the severity of the problem are provided. (MLW)

Ronald Reagan's first Secretary of Education, Terrel H. Bell, was interviewed on the nation's education policy and he reminisced about his four years in office. His observations on the changes in Reagan's support of higher education, Secretary Bennett, work-study programs, etc. are discussed. (MLW)