The Tennessee Technology Center system has become something of a darling among college-completion advocates. Comprising 27 locations across the state, the system boasts graduation and job-placement rates that many colleges only dream of: 75 percent and 83 percent, respectively. Such achievements are even more noteworthy given the population the…

As the economy spirals downward, community colleges face what one president calls "a tsunami of students" that many institutions don't have space to accommodate, especially at peak times and in high-demand programs. Colleges are scrambling to respond--by scheduling courses whenever they have empty classrooms, including early mornings and…

Reports many colleges and universities are extending the hours during which they provide technical support for distance education, offering late-night, weekend, or around- the-clock services, and notes use of private companies to provide such services to multiple institutions. Problems include large fluctuations in number of calls and e-mail…

A small group of professors who are much-sought-after lecturers inside and outside academe follow a rigorous and varied circuit of national, regional, and campus-based meetings, conferences, lecture series, and symposia. Many speak free, but some substantially augment their incomes by charging fees. (MSE)

Summaries of rule changes approved at the convention of the National Collegiate Athletic Association are presented covering: academic requirements, governance, membership and classification, financial aid, television, amateurism, championships, playing and practice seasons, eligibility, and recruiting. (MLW)

Colorado College is reconsidering its block scheduling, in which students take eight immersion courses consecutively within the academic year, rather than taking several courses concurrently. Advantages of block scheduling include more intensive instruction and increased student focus on subject matter. Some students and faculty are concerned that…

Proposals to be considered by the National Collegiate Athletics Association membership at its January 1985 convention are summarized. They cover academic requirements, governance, membership and classification, financial aid, personnel limitations, amateurism, championships, playing and practice seasons, eligibility, recruiting, and other issues.…

The National Collegiate Athletic Association's proposed cost-cutting measures would affect almost all intercollegiate sports through reduction of practice and playing seasons, reduction in the number of scholarships, shortening of recruiting periods, or limits on the size of coaching staffs. However, few changes are proposed for football. (MSE)

The presidents' commission of the National Collegiate Athletic Association proposed fewer and smaller changes than expected in rules for intercollegiate athletics, especially in the revenue-producing sports in the highest division, but the panel plans a series of studies of the more difficult problems facing college sports. (MSE)

Proposed National Collegiate Athletic Association rule changes address issues of academic standards, financial aid, program administration, association administration, championships and extra events, athlete eligibility, association membership and institutional classification, playing seasons, and aspects of program deregulation. (MSE)

Two factors are fueling college faculty interest in at-home sabbaticals: the rise of the two-career family, and technological advances that allow faculty to communicate with colleagues from home. Critics feel that to take full advantage of sabbatical leave, faculty should leave the home area. One institution has created a seven-week sabbatical for…

Since the 1960s, many colleges and universities have shortened their school years. Driven by debate about the quality of undergraduate education and about whether students are getting their money's worth in college, some institutions are reexamining their academic calendars. Practical considerations, including student attendance patterns, make…

Increasingly, students enrolled in regular college classes are taking online courses for convenience. Offering students these options raises administrative issues, including how to balance faculty teaching loads and pay for both forms of instruction. Critics say students choosing online courses are not getting the education they pay for, and…

The National Collegiate Athletic Association's regulation changes concerning student financial aid, program administration, recruiting, association membership, eligibility, association governance, coach employment policy, playing and practice seasons, and amateurism are summarized. (MSE)

Proposed regulation changes concerning academics, financial aid, recruiting, membership, eligibility, governance, personnel, seasons, and amateurism in intercollegiate athletics, to be voted on by institutional representatives, are summarized. (MSE)