The author interviews Muriel A. Howard, president of the State University of New York College at Buffalo, who is set to become the first black leader of any of the "big six" higher-education associations in Washington. She was named last week as the new president of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. Ms. Howard,…

Being subject to the political whims of the campaigns (such as the Republican candidate's declaration two days earlier that he wanted to postpone the debate to deal with an escalating economic crisis) is just one risk for campuses that raise millions of dollars and endure an array of logistical complexities to play host to presidential or…

President Bush is leaving the White House with a mixed record on higher education. His administration catapulted conversations about holding colleges more accountable for their performance into the national spotlight, and it pressed for some increases in federal spending on student aid and research. At the same time, Mr. Bush faced criticism from…

Among the many groups of Barack Obama's supporters who considered him one of their own, and helped propel him into the presidency, were large numbers of the nation's college professors, administrators, and students. The president-elect won overwhelming support from academe throughout the campaign. The Obama campaign aggressively courted student…

This article presents compelling reasons why President George W. Bush decided to double federal funds for agencies supporting physical-science research. The biggest beneficiaries of Mr. Bush's plan for 2008 would be the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy's Office of Science. Those agencies, together with the National…