Coursera has been operating for only a few months, but the company has already persuaded some of the world's best-known universities to offer free courses through its online platform. Colleges that usually move at a glacial pace are rushing into deals with the upstart company. But what exactly have they signed up for? And if the courses are free,…

Describes how $850 million from private technology companies and the state have begun pouring into nanoscience at SUNY-Albany. (EV)

Discusses criticism asserting that when business schools and professors "cozy up" to corporations for money and real-word experience, students learn that ethics do not count. (EV)

Describes how many companies are cutting back on once-generous software donations to cash-strapped colleges, and are seeking quid pro quos when they do give. (EV)

Describes how a corporate deal made by the University of California at Berkeley with Novartis Corporation is not changing the school's research agenda, as critics feared it would. (EV)

Many corporations are considering limits on how much they spend to match their employees' gifts to colleges. In response to abuses, corporations and colleges have tightened the administration of matching-gift programs, which in turn has contributed to the increased costs of running them. (MLW)

Discusses issues of university-corporate ties raised by Centennial Campus, the research park being developed by the North Carolina State University, which involves close ties between the university and about 60 companies. Considers financing issues, ongoing cooperative initiatives, and views of both supporters and critics. (DB)

At many colleges, contributions are up in nearly all categories including: alumni gifts, corporate and foundation grants, and planned giving. While the market crash delivered a strong jolt to donor confidence, the 1986 Tax Reform Act has had more impact on giving. (MLW)

A follow-up study by officials of the Council for Aid to Education uncovered a major error in the Internal Revenue Service's 1987 corporate-contributions data. The new figures, representing contributions from 1986 to 1989, reflect a continued but less dramatic growth in corporate philanthropy. (MLW)

The International Business Machines Corporation offered unlimited travel budgets and sabbatical stipends to six college faculty called "Consulting Scholars." People issues dominate their presentations. (MLW)

The Council for Aid to Education, citing 1989 data compiled by the Internal Revenue Service, reported that the nation's companies had given $6.16-billion to charitable causes in 1987 of which $2.6-billion went to education. Companies are continuing to direct an increasing share (10.5 percent up from 6 percent in 1987) of money to precollegiate…

As government support for universities in Canada has declined, the role of corporations has expanded, resulting in increased dependence on private funds. Many professors, as well as a new book by Neil Tudiver, decry the increasing pressures to mold academic efforts toward commercial interests. However, a recent government report urges adding…

Tables showing voluntary sources of financial support for public and private institutions are presented. Purposes of support, sources of support, forms of giving, alumni giving, gifts of property, and corporations' matching gifts are listed. (MLW)

"Chronicle of Higher Education" presents an abundant source of news and information for college and university faculty members and administrators. This December 3, 2004 issue of "Chronicle for Higher Education" includes the following articles: (1) "For Student-Loan Borrowers, Good Credit Where It's Due" (Gross,…

"Chronicle of Higher Education" presents an abundant source of news and information for college and university faculty members and administrators. This August 6, 2004 issue of "Chronicle for Higher Education" includes the following articles: (1) "Graduate Education Is a Seamless Web of Learning and Work, Not Class…