Ronald Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) program has inspired heated debate on campuses, and many scientists have pledged not to accept federal money for SDI research, for a variety of political, economic, and scientific reasons. (MSE)

More than a year before the 1988 fiscal year begins, budget analysts have completed the difficult and complex process of interpreting administration policy, created detailed proposals for education spending for that year, and submitted the proposals to the White House Office of Management and Budget for review. (MSE)

Congress seems serious about designing a new federal program to modernize campus research facilities, but the ultimate issue in dividing the funds will be whether the current distribution of federal resources for research best serves the national interest. (MSE)

Congressional investigations into university overhead charges, especially those at Stanford University (California), for federally sponsored research are leading universities to reexamine and change some policies, including charging some housing costs for university officers to government contracts. (DB)

The Supreme Court's finding that the University of Virginia acted unconstitutionally in denying funds to students for a Christian newspaper not directly affiliated with a church raises new questions about legal issues of church-state separation and the allocation of student fees. Some legal experts feel the ruling could spell the demise of campus…

A small, well-regarded Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) program that finances innovations in higher education has resisted a push by Congress to influence which institutions should receive grants. Its new round of awards includes only one of 11 institutions suggested by Congress. (MSE)

State legislatures' 1998 sessions have produced an array of new laws and programs intended to improve access to college: by overhauling higher education systems, particularly two-year colleges; creating or expanding scholarship programs; increasing appropriations substantially so public colleges can hold down tuition; and helping students avoid…

Internet 2, a project intended to provide member universities with new computer network services and faster connections, is criticized for growing too large and too difficult to administer cooperatively. Its organizers are working closely with the Clinton Administration's Next Generation Internet Initiative, but some lawmakers feel the program is…