This conference presentation describes how Virginia Wesleyan College's (VWC) arbitration process, in conjunction with the ideas contained in Ernest Boyer's special report, "Campus Life: In Search of Community", enhances the concept of community at VWC. The paper opens with a brief profile of VWC, a 1,400 student liberal arts school…

In spring 1990, the classified staff of the Sierra College Staff Development Committee requested and obtained funding to sponsor four all-day retreats for all classified staff. Participants were assigned to one of the retreats based on their own preferences and an attempt to ensure a cross section of staff at each retreat. As a result of the…

Implementation of a "master contract" between the Minnesota Community College Faculty Association and the state board has altered relationships between faculty and administrators, promoting animosity and distrust. This article discusses the conflict between union tactics and the traditional character of the academic community. (NHM)

What is the intersection between women's studies and academic freedom? How does the work that is done by women's studies educators, the development of both new courses and programs, and the transformation of the traditional curriculum to make it more inclusive of the concerns of women and other minorities, impact on academic freedom--the basis of…

Organizational change in college academic administration and structure is discussed, with attention to both the programs of study and the organizational units. The ideas of Miles and Snow on organizational adaptation are examined, along with the literature on organizational analysis in higher education over the past 20 years. Three main ideas of…

The dimensions of effectiveness pertinent to postsecondary institutions are discussed, along with approaches for assessing effectiveness. A paradigm of effectiveness is presented, based on six concerns: whose perspective is taken; assessment criteria, the referent for judging effectiveness, level and unit of analysis, time frame, and types and…

College dropout rate as a function of poor fit between institution and students has been studied extensively, but how this phenomenon operates for disadvantaged students is not adequately understood. This study examines the effects of a project that attempts to use peer relationships--tutoring and mentoring--to improve academic performance and…

This document describes the Heritage Developmental Community (HDC), a program implemented by Brigham Young University's Housing Department and Counseling and Development Center to facilitate and accelerate student development and to create an ecosystem within a university residential setting wherein all parts relate and interact to reach…

An account of a year in the life of a college president is provided in fictional terms. The daily life of a college president is described, emphasizing interactions with college administrative and instructional staff in solving college problems, responding to the demands of the office, and becoming more assertive in dealings with others. (KM)

Conference papers calling for newer constructs in organizational theory to explicate problems in understanding educational organizations were content analyzed to explore paradigmatic assumptions and to demonstrate a fit between assumptions. Papers supporting the use of qualitative methodologies were also analyzed. The papers were from the 1983…

This document reviews research on the factors affecting the retention of adult students, discusses the relevance of some attrition models for adults, and presents strategies for helping adults adapt to the university and for adapting the university to adults. Reviewing factors affecting retention, the digest says that student characteristics,…

Findings from research studies that use the Defining Issues Test (DIT), a test of moral judgment development, are described. These findings are relevant to three major questions in higher education research: (1) the question of student outcomes (i.e., what does college experience do for and to people?); (2) the question of the relevance and…

The concept of student-institution fit is described and linked to a conceptual framework that emphasizes the interactive relationship between student and campus environment. Attention is also directed to how enrollment managers can utilize a systematic approach to optimize levels of fit between student and campus with a goal to recruiting and…

At most institutions, freshmen are assigned to one of six residence hall types: freshmen-men; freshmen-women; freshmen-coed; freshmen-upperclass-men; freshmen-upperclass-women; and freshmen-upperclass-coed. In an attempt to clarify which of these residence hall arrangements most benefits freshmen, 2,200 freshmen (40 percent) attending 12 colleges…

Attitudes of 277 faculty members about their work were surveyed in 1983. Herzberg and colleagues' theory that work satisfaction stems from the work itself and dissatisfaction from the work environment was also explored. Attention was directed to attitudes toward work, job stress, overall job satisfaction, and chief job satisfactions and…