Introduces the issue, with the following themes: (1) the increased importance of higher education; (2) policies, issues, and attitudes affecting access to higher education in the 1980s; and (3) the questionable effectiveness of junior colleges. (DM)

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)

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)

Data from a national survey of faculty salaries at baccalaureate and comprehensive colleges are presented and analyzed. Average salaries are presented in tabular form for 46 disciplines for professor, associate professor, assistant professor, new assistant professor, instructor, and all ranks combined. (MSE)

Events at Trenton State University (New Jersey) in 1993, marked by controversy and anger over a speech made at a public college, are chronicled and observations about the context of the events are made, focusing on the role of media coverage, administrative leadership, and institutional policies and procedures. (MSE)

In academic 1992-93, states will provide colleges and student-aid programs $300-million less than in 1991-92 and $200-million less than the previous year. Tables detail appropriations by state, rank states with percent changes noted, and list appropriations and changes for major institutions and activities by state. (MSE)

The experience of Coastal Carolina College (South Carolina) suggests that, although the small college often has the same academic reporting demands for intercollegiate athletics as a large institution, the nature of the institution creates different recordkeeping and reporting challenges. Computerization and active institutional research staff…

The trend toward unionization for graduate students employed as teaching assistants by colleges and universities is examined, and the content of union contracts at five major universities is analyzed, looking at provisions for salary, health insurance, salary increases, grievance procedures, and appointment letters. Activism at three other…

A survey of 452 public and private two- and four-year colleges and follow-up interviews at 32 institutions investigated the integration of academic program review into other institutional decision-making processes, particularly those of planning, budgeting, and student outcomes assessment. The extent to which this effort has been successful is…

Discusses the emerging stage in higher education planning following the physical growth orientation of the 1960s/1970s and the more competitive orientation of the 1980s/1990s. This new stage will move beyond strategic planning to structural changes that tailor academic/financial/facilities planning to higher education's four segments: research…

The convergence of United States federal science and economic policy that began in earnest under the Reagan administration formed the First Stage in an emerging post-Cold War drive toward technological innovation. A frenzy of new state-based initiatives now forms the Second Stage, further promoting universities as decisive tools for economic…

Rowan College of New Jersey has adopted an "enterprise model" for strategic planning that is seen as central to attaining the mission of the college during a time involving a substantial decline in state support. Rowan pursued a strategy termed "growth by substitution." This new process was cast in a more entrepreneurial mold…

The University of Maryland System administration has been constructing a relational database that enables comparisons between the more than 500 public four-year colleges and universities in the United States. The data base contains information from nationally available sources, including the National Science Foundation, National Center for…

This report contains 34 tables of revenue and expenditure data for the nation's accredited institutions of higher education for the 9-year period from fiscal year 1986 (FY86) through fiscal year 1994 (FY94). Data are from the Integrated Postsecondary Education System and the Higher Education General Information Survey. Tables cover: revenue and…