At a time when language programs around the United States are in crisis--the University of Rhode Island's Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures is realigning its curriculum to emphasize proficiency and intercultural competence within a strong liberal arts context. The result of the department's recent initiatives? More than…

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga recently updated their general education curriculum with an eye toward the essential learning outcomes identified by the Association of American Colleges and Universities through its Liberal Education and America's Promise (LEAP) initiative. Like many other campuses across the country, money is tight,…

Each summer, faculty and academic deans from institutions across the country make their way to the Wye River campus of the Aspen Institute on the Eastern Shore of Maryland for a weeklong seminar. Described as professional development, it often turns out to be much more. The Wye Seminars have at their core a collection of classic texts--from Plato…

In November 2011, the author--Ivan Fuller, a professor of theatre and associate dean of the School of Fine and Performing Arts at Rider University--attended a joint symposium of the American Conference of Academic Deans and Phi Beta Kappa that was designed to wrestle with the question of why the humanities matter. At one session, participants…

Despite research showing the broad impact that the study of foreign languages has on the cognitive development of young people, and despite the importance of language expertise for America's economic and geopolitical interests in the twenty-first century, the teaching of world languages has been marginalized within the American educational system…

A three-year program at Bethel College (Minnesota) has introduced faculty to various models of college student development, including the reflective judgment model of intellectual development, and their instructional applications. Knowledge of student development, now common to faculty and staff, has had a profound impact on teaching, learning,…

Scientists have long recognized the value of having statistical data to measure the scope and vitality of education, research, and workforce development in their fields. Such data support evidence-based policy discussions in professional and governmental forums. Since 1982, the National Science Board has been required by law to publish…

Future Directions for a Learning Society is a program being conducted by the College Board with funds from the Exxon Corporation to study, plan, demonstrate, and develop new services in the area of adult, lifelong, recurrent, and continuing education. The initiatives and strategic actions of the program are outlined. (JMF)

The Brooklyn College (New York) program of campus leadership development was designed to tap the leadership potential of faculty but is adaptable for students and staff. It consists of five phases (emergence/identification; cultivation; classification; authorization; support) and focuses on developing three types of authority (substantive;…

The leadership development plan of Hood College (Maryland) is designed to increase opportunities for involvement in college decision making and improve communication within and between faculty, students, and staff. It focuses on meeting the individual development needs of each campus constituency and on the sharing of power. (MSE)

Problems and considerations in developing interdisciplinary programs in higher education are examined, and the evolution of several new programs linking humanities and teacher education is discussed. Programs at Georgia Southern University, Salem College (North Carolina), and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee are highlighted. (MSE)

Describes the Association of American Colleges and Universities' Faculty and Curriculum Development Seminar, held in Japan and designed to open faculty minds to global issues. The year-long seminar involves three-person teams from eight institutions, competitively selected through proposals. Its three phases include preparatory reading and…

Describes a new approach to undergraduate study of the humanities at the University of Denver, how it was developed, how it is working, and what strategies it suggests for curricular change. (Editor/PG)

A comprehensive list of programs regularly offering training, and experience to those interested in playing leadership roles in colleges and universities is provided. ACE Fellows Program, ACE National Identification Program, Continuing Higher Education Leadership Project, Educational Leadership Program, Education Policy Fellowship Program, etc.,…

The use of a peer tutoring writing program to promote intellectual growth and critical judgment at Brooklyn College is described. The plan makes expository writing the focus of peer influence. Its satisfactory effect on both tutors and tutees and its method of operation are discussed. (LBH)