In 1982, the author wrote an essay for the second issue of "The Writing Instructor," "Approaches to Comprehensive Writing: Integrating Writing into the College Curriculum," reviewing the early stages of the modern Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC)/Writing in the Disciplines (WID) movement. In this article, the author revisits…

Four factors--the perceived needs of the faculty, the perceived needs of the market, the competition among institutions, and the competition within institutions--represent the major forces behind the development of new academic programs. Two case studies in Missouri and New England are described. (MLW)

To determine the development, nature, and probable patterns of growth of criminal justice programs in Pennsylvania community colleges, the directors of the state's 11 criminal justice programs were interviewed. They were asked open-ended, leading questions related to program development, enrollment, curriculum, faculty, financing, and projections…

If students are to learn as much as they can, they should themselves choose what they wish to study. College faculties who set up course requirements, for whatever ostensible reason, are usurping a function which belongs to the student. Explicit guidance, in the form of advice from a faculty member, is better than the implicit guidance of course…

This five-section paper describes how the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) system, the largest system of higher education in the state, determines what degree programs will be created, based on needs for workers in various occupations in the state. The paper begins by discussing why connecting demographic trends, learner segments,…