Examines the merger of Williamsport Area Community College (WACC) and the University of Pennsylvania, necessitated by the city of Williamsport's decision to discontinue its sponsorship of WACC. Considers the principles underlying the merger, legal questions, reactions from within WACC and the surrounding community, and the benefits of the merger.…

"Sunshine laws," which stipulate when records and meetings of state agencies must be made public, have prompted legal battles as newspapers and public-interest groups demand access to the records of public colleges. Intensifying debates in Arizona and South Carolina are described. (MLW)

Five women university students' representations of their learning were analyzed and related to their on-going adaptations to course demands. Representations involved their goals, working plans and perceptions of difficulties. Qualitative data from students' accounts were tabulated schematically in relation to Duncker's concepts of productive…

Major issues in medical school faculty promotion are examined, drawing on experience at Johns Hopkins University (Maryland). It is stressed that the promotions process is not simple or mechanistic and is aided by institutional memory and by the committee's knowledge of contributions made by leaders elsewhere. (Author/MSE)

Describes a study examining service delivery practices for students with learning disabilities at both two- and four-year postsecondary institutions. Reveals only minor differences in demographics and service delivery practices despite the differences in mission and types of students found at the different types of postsecondary institutions. The…

Summarizes findings from the National Study of Student Learning of outcomes among first-year students at 18 4-year and 5 2-year colleges. Focuses on findings related to the relative cognitive effects of two- and four-year colleges on end-of-second-year writing skills and scientific reasoning, indicating that there was a virtual parity of impact.…

Discusses public policy controversies unique to West Virginia's only historically black land-grant institution, West Virginia State College, and describes the mission and history of the school in detail. Efforts to regain its historically black status in spite of the present majority-white student enrollment are outlined. (SLD)

The system of student assessment in Russian universities is described and contrasted with that of universities in Britain. Focus is on entrance examinations, use of problem solving and case studies for continuous assessment, individual research projects, and graduate employment patterns as they relate to student performance. (MSE)

It is argued that the relationship of South Africa's liberal universities and the state from 1948-90 was characterized not only by conflict, but also by considerable cooperation, by which all races benefited. The complexity of the relationship and some of the issues, such as apartheid, academic freedom, and censorship are examined. (MSE)

With federal aid, the University of Georgia at Athens has developed a program that increases senior faculty involvement in undergraduate instruction. In a year-long seminar, senior faculty members work with junior faculty, teaching assistants, and campus faculty development staff to improve introductory-level instruction. (Author/MSE)

A general education reform initiative, emphasizing an interdisciplinary approach, is being developed at the State University of New York-Geneseo by a team of faculty and administrators as the result of a national conference. Emphasis is placed on the process by which the initiative evolved, team membership, the role of the conference, and timing.…

Training centers located at Colorado State University, Eastern Washington University, Montana State University, and Michigan Technological University assist tribal governments in transportation planning and development by publishing newsletters, supplying technology transfer materials, providing an information service, and arranging or conducting…

This article examines state court decisions and legislative enactments concerning the applications of public records laws to university presidential searches. It reviews the arguments in support of, and in opposition to, open presidential-search records. Although many administrators favor openness, opponents of open searches argue that they…

A federal court decision in which the University of Texas was supported in preferential admissions treatment of minority law school applicants is criticized as perpetuating racial discrimination by a state institution. The suit was brought by four white applicants who would likely have been admitted if they were of a preferred racial group but…

The way in which the University of Botswana went about building the consensus necessary to develop a new administrative and management structure is described. The process began with a commission review to address increasing demand, and progressed to recommendations, governing council response, a task force for reorganization, and implementation.…