Calls for accountability in higher education are prompted in part by questions concerning whether colleges and universities use their resources effectively to promote student learning. Unfortunately, too little is known about whether money matters to desired outcomes of college. Using students' responses to the 2004 administration of the National…

The few studies focusing on the relationships between higher education expenditures and student outcomes have produced contradictory results. This study hypothesized that the lack of consistent relationships is a function of the fact that the effects of expenditures on outcomes are mediated by student engagement. Furthermore, it is expected that…

Measures of institutional quality for 98 research universities were measured by the technique of spatial configuration to determine similarities and differences among the institutions. The use of research measures that directly address the concept of institutional quality or prestige was also examined (composite institutional scores derived from…

The distinctive patterns of personal and career incentives of faculty affiliated with different types of colleges and universities reaffirms the centrality of organizational diversity to informed descriptions of American higher education. A refinement of the Carnegie Commission typology is offered to aid in the systematic study of organizational…

Studies of the relationships between higher education expenditures and student outcomes are relatively rare. The present research examined the relationships between higher education expenditures and students' engagement in educationally purposeful activities. Findings indicate that the relationships between expenditures and student engagement are…

A causal model is proposed and estimated to assess the relative influence of precollege attributes, institutional characteristics, and academic, social, and career-related collegiate experiences on the socioeconomic achievement of 2,118 former college students over a nine-year period. (Author/MLW)

Examined the relationships between institutional culture, decision-making approaches, and organizational effectiveness through a survey of 639 faculty and administrators at 30 public two-year colleges. Colleges with a strong adhocracy culture were able to minimize the impact of difficult enrollment and financial conditions, perhaps by enabling the…

A study applied a model of organizational effectiveness, as measured by 9 dimensions, to 30 2-year colleges with clearly different mission orientations. Results indicate organizational effectiveness varies significantly according to mission type and number, and support use of the model. Implications for research on college effectiveness and for…

A study of social origin and educational measures in occupational status attainment of former college students found that status attainment in professional careers is related more to cognitive attributes of the college attended and educational performance. Nonprofessional career status is related more to affective attributes of the college…

A longitudinal study of over 2,000 graduates from eight college types generally supports the validity of Holland's premise: that model environments reinforce the characteristic predispositions and attitudes of their corresponding personality types. There are implications for the study of inter- and intra-institutional diversity. (MSE)

A nine-year longitudinal study of the relationships of degree attainment, social and academic integration during college years, institutional characteristics, sex, and changes in student self-concept is reported. Implications for enhancing student self-concept are discussed. (MSE)

A study of income levels of college graduates suggests that income is a function of a complex series of events including student attributes at time of college entry, institutional characteristics, performance and experiences in the institutions, the nature of the organizations in which graduates are employed, and job characteristics. (MSE)

A study is reported of the relationship of family education and income, high school grades, academic and social self-confidence, undergraduate institutional selectivity and size, academic and social integration, overall college satisfaction, bachelor's degree attainment, and financial aid on students' persistence to graduate school. (MSE)

A survey of 4,072 college faculty examined institutional and disciplinary differences in faculty opinions of desired outcomes of undergraduate education. Significant differences by both institution type and discipline were found in emphasis on knowledge acquisition versus knowledge application and integration. It is suggested that reform of…

A causal model assesses the relative influence of individual attributes, institutional characteristics, contextual-work environment variables, and multiple measures of job satisfaction on faculty intentions to leave their current institutions. Factors considered include tenure status, age, institutional status, governance style, organizational…