Presents an activity, compiled from a variety of sources, which asks students to examine the allegorical content of L. Frank Baum's "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." Requires students to use the inquiry method to relate symbols from the story to elements in the political and economic environment of the Populist movement. Bibliography…

Because of increased recreational use of alpine environments in the western United States, this lesson plan integrates the themes of location, place, and human-environment interaction in order to teach avalanche hazard awareness. Presents classroom activities and research topics to enhance student awareness of snow avalanche hazards. Provides…

Strategies include cutting costs to make college more attractive, building financial aid by raising tuition, seeking more government assistance, raising the perceived value of higher education, and raising the actual value of higher education. (MSE)

Reasons for declining engineering enrollments, particularly among black, Hispanic, and women students, are not fully understood but may be attributable to low student motivation, poor college preparation, reduction in job opportunities due to corporate downsizing, and decreases in available financial aid. Implications of this trend for overall…

A 1993 conference of college faculty senate members is discussed, focusing on common difficulties in governance during a period of retrenchment and due to the faculty culture. Some recent research into the relationship of finances to academic freedom and tenure is examined. Strategies for enhancing faculty senate effectiveness are suggested. (MSE)

A study of two colleges examined how the president's communicative behavior affects organizational life, viewed from a social constructivist perspective. It is concluded that the president can inadvertently create hard times even in good financial circumstances and abate them during serious financial decline. (Author/MSE)

A woman law school faculty member at Brigham Young University (Utah) discusses the teaching of feminist legal theory to conservative, traditional, and religious students. The discussion looks at the conservative university community, characteristics of enrolled students, objectives of the course, and the class format and teaching approach. (MSE)

Small increases in research and development funding and the state of the economy pose serious challenges to research universities. It is unlikely that the financial pressures will moderate. Research universities will be challenged to downsize by restructuring resources without compromising their quality. (Author/MSE)

A study investigated factors that facilitate innovation in intensive English programs at 43 universities, based on administrators' perceptions. Results indicate program aspects felt to influence innovation, successfully implemented innovations, and perceived qualities of innovative policies and practices. A complex set of variables emerged. (MSE)

Implementation and results of government-mandated "results-oriented planning" in Norwegian universities are analyzed using two approaches: the first looks at the effects of the initiative, and the second views the management reforms as cosmetic. It is found that while academic staff are involved in the new planning system, little effect…

Based on a year-long cultural study, undertaken for the 1994 merger of Bethany Theological Seminary (Illinois) and Earlham School of Religion (Indiana), this essay describes distinctive aspects of the two institutional cultures, identifies potential cultural conflicts, and discusses the implications and benefits of using cultural research to guide…

Conceptualization and implementation of a program to train university teaching assistants at McGill University (Quebec) are described. The systematic approach to program development included needs assessment, planning and implementation, and evaluation. The relationship between various levels of the institution and the way in which they have…

A pricing model is offered, based on retention of current students, that colleges can use to determine appropriate tuition. A computer-based model that quantifies the relationship between tuition elasticity and projected net return to the college was developed and applied to determine an appropriate tuition rate for a small, private liberal arts…

A longitudinal study investigated differences in the experiences of women at women's colleges (n=160) and women at coeducational colleges (n=764) as they related to a variety of outcome variables. Results confirm the important role of institutional climate, student involvement, and the particular priorities and goals often found at women's…

Discusses the five fundamental themes of geography. Describes the relationship between them and traditional geographic concepts. Merges themes and concepts to include location (position on Earth's surface), place (physical and human characteristics), relationships within places (human and environment), movement (humans interacting with the earth),…