While public demand for education and job training--two consequences of a down economy--are at an all-time high, community colleges, many of which face record enrollments, are forced to do more with less. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 39 states report shortfalls for FY 2010; 36 reported cuts to higher education across…

How are independent schools to be useful to the wider world? Beyond their common commitment to educate their students for meaningful lives in service of the greater good, can they educate a broader constituency and, thus, share their resources and skills more broadly? Their answers to this question will be shaped by their independence. Any…

Service learning and civic engagement are playing an increasingly larger role in higher education. Unity College's Hunger at Home course could serve as a model for service learning in disciplines such as nutrition, sociology, and food and agriculture. The class worked with local partners to get a better understanding of hunger in the area, recent…

Public institutions of higher education are currently faced with revenue shortfalls caused primarily by decreasing levels of state support. In order to close these budget gaps, public institutions are increasingly turning to private fundraising activities. Presently, alumni are the single largest provider of private support to institutions of…

Conferences and colleagues can provide some guidance to those who are searching for new ways to understand their alumni and those who are looking for insights into fundraising, ideas for coping with change, or new approaches to their career in advancement. However, the author suggests that sometimes it's best to turn to that age-old source of…

Whether intercollegiate athletics influence outside perceptions of institutional reputation and educational quality--and whether this translates into improvements in recruiting students and donors--is disputed in the research literature. Researchers have typically attempted to correlate success on the field or court with variables such as…

Westerly, Rhode Island, is a long way from New Orleans. But the physical distance has not stopped David DeAngelis, choral director at Westerly High School, from providing his students with one heck of a lesson: The opportunity to truly connect with others through music. Under DeAngelis' direction, Westerly's various vocal ensembles have held…

I review the development of the Fund for Excellence, which provides financial support for the Society for the Teaching of Psychology teaching awards. James McConnell provided funds in the early years of the awards before the Fund was established in 1987. I review the growth of the Fund and its administration by a Board of Directors, then make…

Most nonprofit leaders understand the importance of building strong organizational capacity, but finding ways to support and strengthen this capacity often poses significant challenges. Nonprofit leaders may hesitate to divert money from direct services when funds are needed to support operations. Some experts in the field also note what they…

For the past couple of decades, customer relationship management has been quietly establishing itself as the way everybody does business. Migrating to the education community only in the past five years or so, it has acquired a more genteel transcription of its acronym: constituent relationship management. However one decodes the letters, CRM is…

Prompted by restricted funding for a lab which supported student software development work on real-world projects, a contribution program was established to facilitate monetary support from the external clients. The paper explores the relationships between instructor, students and client and how a funding component can affect these ties.…

Asian Americans have had significant impacts on and within mainstream US society, and their great efforts and gifts in the name of charitable causes are no exception. This study aims to examine perceptions within American university development offices about Asian American giving to US higher education. The article begins with a literature review…

Revenue generation is a challenge faced by museums in today's economy. The authors encourage educators to take on a larger role in establishing new revenue streams. By applying Jim Collins' "Hedgehog Concept," their unique knowledge of audiences, and their strong ability to work in teams, educators can rethink what they've always done to influence…

As a dental student 35 years ago, Leo E. Rouse and his Howard University classmates learned to fill cavities and cap teeth by crowding around one faculty member and angling for a clear view of the day's demonstration. Today students at Howard's College of Dentistry, where Dr. Rouse is now the dean, get an unobstructed view of dental procedures…

With the United States economy on a rollercoaster ride this year and words like "meltdown," "bailout," and "crisis" commonly used in recent weeks in connection with the financial markets, college and university administrators might find themselves becoming increasingly anxious about their fundraising plans. They…