American-style summer programs in China, catering to Chinese-born students, have taken American universities by surprise. They are yet one more player in the complex and often opaque Chinese education industry, an industry in which American colleges are finding themselves increasingly entwined. These programs have become a booming enterprise,…

Renmin University of China's summer school, now in its fourth year, is one of the most ambitious efforts so far to meet China's goal of bringing half a million foreign students to its shores by 2020. To reach the bold target, the Ministry of Education is pouring money into colleges to establish programs friendly to Americans and other…

Nearly half of all faculty members taught summer school last year, according to a "Chronicle" survey. Figures were for faculty members of all ranks and those without academic ranks. The disciplines with the most faculty members teaching were business/economics and physical education. (MLW)

Discusses how summer session programs increasingly make sense for students seeking early graduation, as well as for colleges with growing enrollments,. (EV)

A table outlining faculty members' summer-school earnings presents data by discipline group and type of institution, by discipline group and rank, and by type of institution and rank. (MLW)

Many colleges have summer academic programs for high school students; some design special courses, while others admit the students to regular college courses. Some target gifted students. While participation in the programs, which are easy to get into, does not assure later entry to the institution, many parents have that expectation. The programs…

Increasingly, states are establishing policies designed to decrease the time public-college students take to attain their undergraduate degrees, stimulated by private college claims of four-year degrees that actually take only four years. State financial aid for summer school attendance is a major part of the strategy. The approach appears to be…