First-generation college students, students whose parents have not earned a four-year degree, are not new to higher education, but their increasing presence at private, four-year institutions requires careful attention from administration and faculty. The rising costs of higher education combined with the nation's recent economic decline have made…

In the 2000s, changes in the external environment, including changing student demographics, increased competition, and declining government support, are affecting public higher education administrators. The growth in online enrollment is increasing at a rate higher than the total higher education enrollment, and the majority of university…

Center College of Kentucky's "central myth," or self-understanding, articulated strategically, became the basis for planning and decisions responsible for significant institutional achievement. (MLW)

A case study of an anonymous college that experienced the threat of failure but managed to revitalize its operation is presented. Participant observation, interviews, and document review were used in the study that focused on the period just prior to closing and the period since its reopening. (MLW)

A case study of Sullins College, which in 1975 requested that the state of Virginia investigate the feasibility of incorporating the college into the state's public higher education system, is presented. This small, private, two-year college in southwest Virginia had been struggling for several years to maintain its small enrollment. Historical…

The attempted closing of Wilson College in Pennsylvania, a 110-year-old liberal arts college for women, is recounted. In 1978 the board of trustees voted to close the college and preserve remaining assets for other educational purposes. A movement evolved to save the college, and subsequent litigation resulted in rulings in May 1979 that: (1) two…

A self-study of Findlay College, Ohio, which was prepared for the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools for reaccreditation purposes, is presented. After a preliminary chapter outlining the mission and goals of the college, attention is directed to: instructional programs, community programs and resources, students and student…