Distinctive colleges and universities, as opposed to the great majority which fit into a more or less standardized mold, possess a unifying theme or vision which is expressed in all their activities. They often respond to newly emerging societal or community needs unmet by existing colleges and universities; they challenge conventional ideas about…

This brief report summarizes a longer document with the same title. Distinctive colleges and universities possess a unifying theme or vision that is expressed in all their activities. They also usually respond to newly emerging societal or community needs unmet by existing schools of higher education. Distinctiveness, however, can limit the…

This digest, drawn from the summer 2002 issue of the New Directions for Community Colleges journal, summarizes research findings on the similarities and differences among college faculty groups and concludes with a discussion of how this information can be used to increase the relevance and effectiveness of faculty development issues. Huber (2002)…

Dissatisfaction with the quality of education in large elementary and secondary schools has been one of the factors leading to rediscovery of the small school in America. The question is whether small schools are truly better places for educating elementary and secondary students. Although often viewed as being essentially rural in nature, small…

This volume describes characteristics of proprietary schools, or for-profit schools that focus primarily on career and technical education, and explores similarities, differences, and points of linkage between proprietary schools and community colleges. The following articles are included: (1) "Community Colleges and Proprietary Schools: Conflict…