A pilot study of retention at a large, residential, Ph.D.-granting institution employed causal modeling (LISREL) to examine the effects of institutional variables (academic and social climate) on student retention within the causal structure specified by the Tinto model. Scales constructed from Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) and…

The American Council on Education's (ACE) continuing project to monitor and report on changing practices in higher education, is reported in this fifth issue of "Campus Trends." The survey was conducted by ACE's Higher Education Panel, with questionnaires completed by senior administrators at 367 colleges and universities. Special…

University climate differences were examined across paired samples of 32 male self-identified heterosexual and 32 male self-identified homosexual college students attending the University of Virginia. Data were collected during the winter and spring of the 1983-84 school year. Selected students completed a questionnaire packet addressing several…

The corporate structures that inform and sustain high schools and colleges are different from each other. The high school structure is required by law to provide students with surrogate parents who ensure that legal requirements are enforced. Colleges, however, assume students are adults and provide a much more open and volatile academic…

A study was conducted to gather responses to the question "what is it like to be a black student on a traditionally or predominantly white campus in 1986?" Responses were gathered by 22 black student leaders from 13 predominantly white campuses in North Carolina, using random samples of black first-year students at their institutions.…

The Community College Goals Inventory (CCGI) was used to gather comparative data from faculty, administrators, staff, lay advisory members, and college board members at Virginia Western Community College (VWCC). CCGI's 90 goal statements, which are grouped into 20 goal categories and a miscellaneous category, and an additional 18 local statements…

Black student attitudes about Louisiana State University (LSU) and their participation in extracurricular activities were studied and compared to those of white students. Questionnaires were mailed to the approximately 1,400 black students attending LSU and an equal number of white students, and responses were obtained from 129 black and 114 white…

A profile of white faculty members at Fayetteville State University (FSU) was developed and compared with data on white teachers at Morehouse College, Atlanta, Georgia, a historically/predominantly black institution of similar size. The objective was to ascertain if the difference in cultural settings between the two colleges (small town vs.…

Perspectives on higher education and its leadership are offered by the president emeritus of the University of California. Six impressions concerning higher education are considered, based on about 800 interviews conducted by a presidential leadership commission sponsored by the Association of Governing Boards. In addition to the perception that…

Three technical reports and abstracts of colloquium papers are presented as part of a research project concerning the specification and testing of alternative models of intraorganizational career mobility among nonteaching professionals in universities. This project phase involved: the development of a model of evolving jobs as an alternative to…

Alcohol use on campus and strategies colleges are using to educate students about alcohol are considered in two articles. In "When Alternatives Aren't," Ruth Bradford Burnham and Stephen J. Nelson explore the role alcoholic beverages play in young people's social lives and some of the implications for planning social events. They offer a balanced…

In developing a student satisfaction questionnaire relating to the philosophy of "open door" colleges and characteristics of adult learners, a literature review was conducted on student retention, satisfaction, and motivation, questionnaire construction, and adult learner characteristics. Questionnaire objectives were developed and…

A causal model of faculty research productivity was developed through a survey of the literature. Models of organizational behavior, organizational effectiveness, and motivation were synthesized into a causal model of productivity. Two general types of variables were assumed to affect individual research productivity: institutional variables and…

This paper provides a conceptual framework for identifying high-stress, negative community college work environments and offers suggestions for managers who are willing to make the changes necessary to turn a stress-laden environment into a positive, more productive one. The paper begins with a discussion of workplace stress and the conditions,…

This guide examines the problem of providing orientation for foreign students attending U.S. universities. Ideas and suggestions for the design and conduct of orientation programs are provided. Inherent constraints that may impair program success are enumerated, including erratic student arrival times, lack of motivation to participate in…