Awards to colleges that have improved academic advising are made by the American College Testing Program and the National Academic Advising Association. Descriptions are provided on seven programs that received outstanding institutional advising program awards, as well as 10 programs that received certificates of merit. The exemplary programs…

A 1980 needs assessment survey of women students at the University of California, Davis, was undertaken. The 327 women respondents (41 percent response rate) were undergraduate, graduate, and professional school students. In addition to collecting information about female respondents, including marital status, number of children, career plans, and…

Proceedings of three regional conferences on the quality of American higher education are presented. Sponsored by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement, these conferences consisted of round-table discussions concerning recommendations from the national report "Involvement in Learning," as well as strategies needed to…

Information on programs that address special needs of students from disadvantaged backgrounds who attend private colleges and universities in New York State is provided in separate English and Spanish reports. The Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) provides supportive services and financial aid. Information is provided on: eligibility for…

At Colorado Mountain College (CMC), academic advising is based upon a comparison of students' basic skills with the skill requirements of individual courses. Students who enter CMC to obtain a degree must take placement tests in writing, reading, math, and study skills before they can enroll in classes. The placement test battery includes a…

Counseling support for adult students entering a distance teaching program at Deakin University, Australia, and evaluation of this service are described. Admission is granted to adult students without formal educational qualifications, and a counseling program provides information on the demands of university study and possible role conflicts that…

A study was made of the way part-time students are served by the four graduate schools of social work in Texas: University of Texas in Austin (UT), University of Texas at Arlington (UTA), University of Houston, and the Worden School of Social Service of Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU). Each school offers at least one type of part-time…

The synergy among quality education, student development, and retention as goals for an educational institution provided the impetus for a group of colleges and universities to form a 12-institution consortium. The preeminent requirement for success along all three paths was collaboration between the academic and student affairs domains. (MLW)

This report reflects ACT's commitment to assist colleges and universities to better understand the impact of campus practices on college student retention and degree completion. Survey findings indicate that: (1) Only 51.7% of campuses have identified an individual responsible for coordinating retention strategies; (2) Only 47.2% of campuses have…

In 1993, Kankakee Community College (KCC) (Illinois) initiated a project to reduce the problems associated with transfer from the community college to out-of-state universities by developing a strong structure of articulation agreements, recruiting opportunities, and transfer advising. The project attempted to serve under-represented students and…

A study using individual interviews with 24 university students with psychiatric disabilities identified five areas of concern: problems with focusing attention and organization, low self-esteem, problems with trust, stigma, and high stress levels. Findings point to need for comprehensive services, including peer support group, one-to-one…

Ways in which undergraduate education is changing in terms of student diversity, financing, and time required for graduation are discussed, and ways these changes affect academic advising are considered. It is suggested that colleges provide faculty advisors with specific training and make advising an official and evaluated aspect of faculty…

A study found college honors (n=231) and nonhonors (n=709) first-year students were similar in extracurricular interests, educational objectives, and some study habits; they reported differences in most other areas. Findings have implications for advising both groups, such as placement of emphasis on format of academic courses, orientation to…

After studying national literature and local needs, Kutztown University (Pennsylvania) created the Student Support Services Freshman Year Program to help at-risk freshmen acclimate to the campus environment and succeed in college. The program consists of five components: academic advising/counseling; a freshman colloquium; a student-mentor…

This study examined three groups of postsecondary students using the "Learning Disabilities Diagnostic Inventory" (LDDI). Reasoning scale to determine if there were significant differences in their self-reported reasoning behaviors. The results indicated that none of the students self-reported a "Likely" intrinsic processing deficit. However, some…