Sixty-four conference papers concentrate on a long range view of the future of higher education in America. A diversity of participants -- administrators, faculty, students, trustees, political leaders, lay citizens, minority groups, and women are represented. The presentations are grouped under (1) the View from the State of California; (2) the…

Two hundred twenty-seven organizational units drawn from a variety of industries were cluster-analyzed on the basis of their similarities across 18 behavioral and structural dimensions of effectiveness. Using a multivariate subgrouping procedure, eight homogeneous clusters of units were found, varying in size from 8-65 units, and each…

This second volume of "Proving and Improving" collects essays from the First-Year Assessment Listserv, which is hosted by the Policy Center on the First Year of College and the National Resource Center. Like the first volume, this one brings together the nation's leading experts and practitioners of assessment in the first college year.…

The report summarizes a study of the six-year graduation rates of first-time college-degree-seeking undergraduates at Nova Southeastern University (NSU) (Florida). The purpose of the study was to (1) develop research methods that would be in compliance with the Student Right-to-Know Act (SRK), and to further investigate the composition of…

The impact of student financial aid policies, programs, and procedures on private college enrollment patterns is discussed. Because state subsidies to public institutions create a two-tiered pricing structure in higher education, independent institutions depend on those programs and policies that encourage college choice rather than access.…

A survey of 799 freshmen at a residential, public research university found perceived school quality had a significant effect on intent to persist for minorities but not for non-minorities, and academic achievement had a significant effect for non-minorities but not for minorities. However, similarities between the groups were more common than…

Argues that shifts in government policies can produce unintended consequences for needy students and the institutions they attend, and illustrates how campus units can cooperate to examine the impact of these changes through creation of longitudinal databases and data warehousing techniques. Describes the approach used and results of a study at…

Analysis of data from 5 years shows that students enrolled in the Dalton Junior College (Georgia) first-year seminar, although similar to a comparison group in age, sex, standardized entrance test scores, degree objectives, and group grade point average, attempted more course hours, showed a higher retention rate, completed more hours, and had a…

A study at the University of Ulster (Northern Ireland) explored student (n=1,456) and faculty (n=357) views on whether course content develops skills that are transferable to work. While faculty and students ascribed equal importance to key generic skills, they differed in the extent to which they believed necessary skills are being developed…

Since 1958, the National Research Council has gathered information on doctoral recipients. This information, available annually in data tape form to supplying institutions, offers an opportunity to improve understanding of progress toward the doctorate and the way it relates to discipline, finances, gender, and age. (Author/MSE)

Resources for higher education over the last 40 years are reviewed, with special emphasis on the abundance of the 1980s and crisis of the 1990s. Trends in government support are examined, and ways in which individual institutions can measure the adequacy of their resources to pursue their policy goals are discussed. (Author/MSE)

Recent international trends that may affect postsecondary education in the United States in the twenty-first century include governmental change and dislocation, rapid enrollment expansion, and processes of geographic integration. Implications for colleges and universities include greater student mobility, more distance learning, and opportunities…

One university's approach to institutional research to improve student retention is described. The urban, public institution has a large population of nontraditional students. A task force identified barriers to student success, using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Techniques for involvement of all constituencies and turning research…

The draft code of ethics prepared by the Committee on Standards and Ethics of the Association for Institutional Research is reviewed by section, with commentary on the precepts involved and the code's provisions for individual training and competence, responsibility, confidentiality, relationships within institution and community, and conduct…

Analyzes the literature of two groups of urban historians. Contends the focus has changed from pre-1960 when the quantitative group, rooted in Marxist theory, studied nonelites in working places. Observes many historians use a variety of approaches to their analysis of cities' social and cultural problems. (NL)