Assessment of learning has been embedded in higher education for decades. As educators have recognized that academic advising is an important component of learning, the assessment of academic advising has become a necessity and is critical to its success in the future.

This chapter presents an overview of theories of distance education and discusses their implications for future policy making and practice in institutions of higher education.

Key issues for the future of assessment in colleges and universities are discussed including: assessment may be a response to external demands, however, its locus and main effects are within the institution; assessment's ultimate purpose is improvement; assessment practices emphasize utilization of information; participation by stakeholders is…

This article examines the future financial outlook for higher education and suggests that trends toward systems in which students pay a rising share of the costs of higher education will lead to an increase in indebtedness and will reinforce the notion that education is a consumer commodity rather than an investment in the future. (DB)

Examines the interaction of the American college with American youth in the affluent society of the 1970s and 1980s. This society is characterized by high material productivity, high per capita income, a high proportion of youth in the population, and a high unemployment of youth. (Author/PG)

Stresses that the goal setting function can take place at a variety of levels and involve any number of different curricular, instructional or administrative frameworks. Suggests a set of agenda items for colleges which seek to engage in a future-oriented process of setting goals. (Author/PG)

Strategic planning is seen as a process that articulates institutional mission, weighs external opportunities and threats, gauges internal strengths and weaknesses, and determines appropriate action. Benefits and pitfalls in planning are discussed. (MLW)

Discussion of effective college admissions recruitment considers new methodology, including electronic media, student information systems, statistical technologies, and increased use of geodemographic tools. Stresses the importance, however, of traditional principles, such as personalization and timing of nonprofit marketing. (DB)

The evolving structure of the national economy and its reflection of the changing demography of our society will affect future demand for higher education. However, the situation is complex and the key may be the preservation of variety and quality in higher education. (MSE)

For traditional educational institutions, the incentives for technological innovation and its efficiencies are very weak, and the incentives to protect the core arrangement are teaching and prevailing organizational structures are very strong. Computers are creating a need for telecommunications services on campus. (MLW)

Graduate education faces the task of adapting to changes in the greater society so that its traditional influence may not only be maintained but broadened. Continued delay in reaching a strong national commitment to graduate education will reduce the preeminence of this nation. (Author/MLW)

The power and authority of the graduate school can affect the quality of graduate programs in schools of education and the freedom to innovate them. Schools of education are creating programs in nontraditional areas, establishing relationships with other departments, and recruiting and supporting students outside school-related areas. (Author/MLW)

How institutions get through the next decade will determine the quality of higher education into the next millenium. A bibliography is provided including readings on management, academic organization and administration, goals and purposes, higher education's environment, and impact of postsecondary education. (Author/MLW)

Discussion of effects of long term demographic changes on colleges and universities suggests that conflicting philosophies toward access, and more costly remediation efforts will require the university of the future to reform its mission as well as its labor-intensive approach. (DB)

The key to institutional leadership is a cohesive, knowledgeable, and dedicated staff. Presidents should allow the faculty to run the classrooms, the dean to run the year, and the vice-presidents to worry about the next year; the president's job is to be concerned about and provide for the future. (Author/MSE)