The failure of a volunteer to perform is often due to the failure of staff to inform and manage. Ineffective volunteer management can result in the loss of qualified volunteers. Phonathons and personal area campaigns are discussed. (Author/MLW)

College grades are no longer accurate indicators of what students know. Ultimately, students and employers will be shortchanged and the validity of higher education endangered. Factors contributing to grade inflation include emphasis on student self-esteem, new grading schemes, competition for students. Possible solutions include raised admissions…

Examines the history of the Houston Law School (Texas), a part-time night school that operated from 1919-1945 and was part of a brief period of ascendence for proprietary law schools. Discusses its competition with another institution, shifts in standards and enrollments, and other factors leading to its decline. Notes parallels between this…

Discusses the Dallas Independent School District's decision to adopt an integrated technology infrastructure and the importance of vision planning for long term goals. Outlines the vision planning process: first draft; environmental projection; restatement of vision in terms of market projections, anticipated customer needs, suspected competitor…

The relationship between formal planning and the performance of university student teams competing in a comprehensive business simulation is examined. Subjects were 182 teams of business students organized into 32 competitive sets. Statistical testing indicated that planning teams performed significantly better than nonplanning teams. (Author)

Increasingly, the hospitality industry is being brought in to manage college- and university-owned hotels and conference centers. Growing interest in executive education and availability of financing contributed to the building of such facilities, and competitiveness in the hospitality industry has contributed to its involvement on campuses.…

Discusses digital reference services, also known as virtual reference, chat reference, or online reference, based on a round table discussion at the 2002 American Library Association annual conference in Atlanta. Topics include numbers and marketing; sustainability; competition and models; evaluation methods; outsourcing; staffing and training;…

An institution that exists primarily for its own sake--that identifies itself primarily in terms of its resources and reputation--compromises its capacity as an instrument for improving society. Colleges need to transcend their institutional egos and concern themselves with their impact on students and society. (MLW)

The limitations of the knowledge production system in international marketing are considered, and dissertations in international marketing are analyzed. The findings suggest that research in the area is driven by standards of rigor and a distinct "methods basis," which are often inappropriate for the study of important problems in…

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards emerged in 1987 in response to recommendations by the Carnegie Forum's Task Force on Teaching as a Profession in its 1986 report "A Nation Prepared." This article discusses competition problems arising from national voluntary certification for teachers wishing to demonstrate greater…

Reviews the National Science Foundation's (NSF) activities in gathering and disseminating foreign scientific and technical information. Activities described include information processing by domestic and overseas offices; a pilot study to determine effective dissemination methods; online services; a program of survey visits to foreign facilities;…

Public and private colleges and universities are bracing for an unfavorable economic climate in the 1990s, spurred by concerns about federal funding. Institutions are cutting costs, becoming more enterprising, and implementing new pricing policies, using techniques previously used in government and business. (MSE)

Calls for renewed efforts to maintain the U.S. leadership role in the economic world community. Points out the realities of today's world that must be recognized and accepted. Makes recommendations for adjusting U.S. economic philosophy and methods of competing globally. (KO)

Seventeen years ago, the Lagunitas School District (California) decided to honor the wide range of parent values and expectations by setting up alternative curricula. Options presently include an Academics and Enrichment program, a Montessori program, open classrooms, home study, and transfer to another school district. Nontraditional student…

Reports on China's State Education Commission job placement experiment designed to place college graduates. Provides direct quotations from students to indicate student acceptance of or opposition to the program. Suggests that, while competition ensures success for the best students, sex discrimination and use of family connections are still…