One of the most vexing problems today involves transforming colleges and universities so that they yield equitable educational outcomes for historically underrepresented students. The traditional approach to achieving equitable educational outcomes has been to focus on increasing the racial diversity of campuses by admitting a higher percentage of…

A student's choice of a field of study is a personal decision that combines individual tastes, inclinations, preferences, and prospects related to the working life with a number of financial and academic constraints. Therefore, the analysis of the effects of degree field on job satisfaction should also address the unobserved heterogeneity among…

Some major circumstances that require the development of new curriculum models are briefly discussed, and a statement of what a curriculum model must include to be viable is presented. (Article originally published in 1965.) (AF)

A survey aimed at defining goals to guide decision making about program priorities and resource allocations is described. A study of Arizona's community colleges indicates that the new approach can be very useful. (Author/MLW)

Higher educational institutions can produce quality work only to the degree that they simultaneously encourage the development of self-direction and shared purpose among their members. Eight characteristics of a "liberating structure" are developed and a case analysis of a business school course is presented. (Author/LBH)

The framework necessary for achieving a strategic planning posture in higher education is outlined. The most important benefit of strategic planning for higher education decision makers is that it forces them to undertake a more market-oriented and systematic approach to long- range planning. (Author/MLW)

A survey of professional field faculty in programs at 346 colleges and universities enabled identification of field-specific environments for preparing entry-level students. The environments are independent of institutional type and size but parallel the occupational prestige of the profession and the gender ratio of graduates. (Author/MLW)

A generic conceptual framework is presented to guide study of preservice collegiate professional preparation programs. Research based on the scheme can help to improve program self-study and external reviews, clarify educational goals, and foster collaboration across fields of professional study. (Author/MLW)

The influence of previous college involvement, organizational characteristics, early career experiences, and current self-concept on the intention of college dropouts to resume their college education is examined. (Author/MLW)

Students academic development, as reported by students themselves, was unattributable to precollege characteristics, and significantly tied to participation in classroom activities. (Author/MLW)

This article offers a model of college student integration that emphasizes how students shape their college experiences by pursuing specific life tasks over others. A study of 311 first-year college students found that school persisters tended to focus more on academics during their first semester and social and personal needs during their second…

Evaluation of nontraditional educational programs and individual achievement is discussed in terms of three components: process-environment, objectives, and evaluation. The combinations of these components in traditional and nontraditional orientations are each presented and examined as possible models for measurement of educational outcomes. (JMF)