The use of race-sensitive criteria in admissions continues to be controversial, and critics have leveled three basic charges against it. For one, opponents say the practice constitutes reverse discrimination, lowering the chance of admission for better-qualified white students. They also contend that it creates a mismatch between the skills of…

The University of Delaware spent years refining its residence-life education program. One week of public criticism unraveled it. Late last month, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, a free-speech group, accused the university of promoting specific views on race, sexuality, and morality in a series of discussions held in dormitories.…

Increasingly, college undergraduates are custom designing their courses of study and creating majors that allow them to combine often eclectic interests with career goals. In many cases, students' creations have had a lasting impact through development of new academic programs. Institutional arrangements for planning, advising, and monitoring…

Educators are studying Northeast Missouri State University's "value-added" assessment programs, designed to measure how students are progressing in gaining specific intellectual skills. Its main feature is a series of tests that all students must take on entering the university and at the end of the sophomore year. (MLW)

Fear of technology is seen as a growing problem in education as the use of computers expands. The anxiety associated with using computers in various common forms can cause physical symptoms, discomfort, and inefficiency. Individual counseling and group workshops can be effective treatment. (MSE)

Temple University's model drug education and abuse prevention program for students and staff includes education and counseling throughout the year as well as random drug testing. The program is costly but successful, and has the support of athletes, administration, and the coaching staff. (MSE)

Landmark College is exclusively for precollege and college students with dyslexia and related learning disabilities, and the students respond to the program with academic success, relief, and increased self-confidence. (MSE)

Some protesters contend that a Defense Department policy barring homosexuals from becoming commissioned military officers contradicts campus regulations against discrimination. The controversy concerns ROTC cadets, whose scholarships may be in jeopardy if the corps were banned from their campus. Cadets also find the summer training builds…

At the University of Arizona, institutionally-developed software is used in electronic classrooms in some mathematics courses. Students like the software, and faculty find it helps their teaching by making skill development easier and giving students a new appreciation for the subjects. The programs are distributed free to other campuses and…

Under pressure to improve undergraduate instruction and prepare a new generation of faculty, colleges and universities are strengthening their training programs for teaching assistants, extending them far beyond traditional one-day orientations. Increasingly, participation is required. The most effective efforts appear to be centralized programs…

Describes a new undergraduate minor at Emory University (Georgia) that focuses on the causes and consequences of violence through interdisciplinary courses, campus programs, and community service. Undergraduates study the causes and consequences of violence from the viewpoints of more than a dozen disciplines. (DB)

A recent study finds that most who earn a master's degree consider it a terminal degree and never sought a doctorate, contradicting conventional wisdom that the master's degree is a consolation prize for those who don't earn a doctorate. A system that differentiates master's and predoctoral programs is recommended. (MSE)

A plan to increase institutional revenues through intercollegiate athletics is strongly backed by a committee of campus and community leaders but opposed by many students and faculty as misguided. (MSE)

The interdisciplinary approach of many new master's programs departs from conventional departmental divisions and opens professional opportunities for career-minded students. Some feel the trendy, tuition-driven programs enhance enrollments and produce revenue for the institution; critics question whether they offer value for money spent. However,…

Across the country, students are flocking to graduate business schools that teach them how to start and run a business. About 400 schools now offer courses in entrepreneurship, and about 125 have organized entrepreneurship programs. Faculty being recruited for the programs have practical experience, but tend not to have doctorates. Many students…