No sector of higher education will be immune from serious economic pressures in the future, and the tension between humane policies and hard-nosed financial decisions will increase. General economic trends, factors specifically affecting higher education, prospects for various sectors of higher education, and planning for the 1980s are discussed.…

Since 1980 a growing share of student aid costs has passed from government to institutions. The shift is directly tied to changes in the eligibility guidelines governing federal aid programs, and is severely affecting families' efforts to plan for college costs and institutions' ability to make important infrastructure expenditures. (MSE)

Better budgeting, better forecasting, and new revenue sources will not eliminate the strains on postsecondary education today. Forces driving this situation include the trend toward part-time and lower-division learners, low graduation rates of low-income students, and failure to meet student needs. Development of "adult-friendly" colleges and…

Colleges and universities need to redesign their curricula to revitalize the American labor force. In determining higher education's role in meeting the labor force needs of the next decade, three prime issues are discussed: funding, organizing, and relevance. (MLW)

The Department of Education's fiscal year (FY) 1992 budget for higher education essentially freezes the FY 1991 funding level, with requested increases in student financial aid and categorical support offset exactly by proposed reductions. Most categorical programs will continue at their current funding level. (MSE)

The Secretary of Labor suggests that, to create the well-educated, well-trained, highly-skilled, and competitive workforce needed in the new global economy, higher education must actively engage in partnerships with other educational sectors, employers, and workers. Examples of school to work and partnership initiatives are offered. (MSE)

For economic reasons, the traditional model of higher education in the United States will have to yield to a more heterogeneous, fluid, and competency-based model. Higher education and industry must work together in a coordinated, comprehensive way to prepare students to be effective participants in the economy. (MSE)

An increasing interdependence between scientific and technological advances and a shortening of the lag between developments in science and their translation into the marketplace can be observed. Higher education must find ways to ensure compatibility between the public's capacity to change and economic growth. (MLW)

A model for reallocating resources for intercollegiate athletics through need-based student financial aid is offered. Aid would be limited to tuition and fees, supporting amateurism and balancing education and athletics in student motivation. This would address a significant concern in program financing and change the culture of college sports.…

In an interview, Amitai Etzioni discusses the difficult economic and social decisions facing higher education today, expresses his opinions about government role in education, content of college curricula as they are used to meet social needs, preparation within colleges for the immediate future, faculty tenure, and balancing budgets. (MSE)

Financially, the 1990s will probably not be as good for higher education as the 1980s were. All those who set policies affecting higher education--federal government, states, and institutions--must change their policies and attitudes about spending in response to the slowdown in revenue growth. (MSE)

The part higher education has played and will continue to play in shaping the nation's economic structure and the development of its human capital are discussed. The radical acceleration of economic, demographic, and technological change suggest shifts in the future role of American institutions. (MLW)

America's economic difficulties, and therefore higher education's fiscal problems, will not respond quickly to change. Institutions must look for additional revenue sources, including tuition, philanthropy, and increased enrollment. Colleges need to acknowledge the reality of the situation, define missions carefully, make hard choices, address…

Changes in higher education resulting from the official emergence of the European Community in 1992 are discussed, including those that will be more or less mandatory, those that will be facilitated and/or encouraged, and those for which 1992 will represent an exceptional opportunity. (Author/MSE)

In light of the upcoming March 1995 United Nations World Summit for Social Development, this article discusses the role that the American higher education community has played in the past and can play in the future in promoting social, political, economic, and educational opportunity and equality throughout the world. (MDM)