Described is the first quarter of a three quarter graduate course for the general engineering student on the molecular theory of thermodynamics and transport phenomena at the University of Minnesota. Three sections from the course, considered to exemplify its spirit and substance, are presented. (BT)

The need for corporate support of private higher education is addressed. Topics discussed are: financial plight of the private university, academic freedom, antibusiness bias of students, constraints on contributions, universities as intellectual resources, and universities as labor-intensive enterprises. (MLW)

Using critical incidents, faculty ratings of graduate student performance in departments of chemistry, English, and psychology were collected. Separate factor analyses in each field produced eight fairly consistent factors with respect to item loadings across fields. Faculty ratings of each incident with respect to its importance for success were…

DeFunis v. Odegaard involved an unsuccessful challenge by a white law school applicant to a program for the "preferential" admission of members of certain minority groups. This article suggests that such programs are not only constitutionally permissible but mandated when there has been a failure to promote racial integration. (LBH)

A research study analyzed variables contributing to current ratings of graduate institutions. Findings show these variables in order of importance: extensive library holdings, economic resources, and faculty-student ratio. Private and southern institutions achieve less recognition in proportion to resources than do others. (AV)

During the 1972-73 academic year, the National Institute of Medicine (IOM) undertook a study of the cost of education of those health professionals supported through federal capitation grants. The methodology of the study is described and the patterns of costs of pharmacy education are compared with those in another profession. (LBH)

University of Georgia pharmacy students were studied to determine whether (1) SAT factor scores related to a measure of pharmacy student performance as well as PCAT factor scores, and (2) a combination of PCAT factors, SAT factors, and other available applicant information improved the validity of the singular use of SAT or PCAT. (LBH)

A recent Educational Testing Service (ETS) study drawing on several databases found historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) do a better job than traditionally white institutions (TWIs) in steering African Americans into engineering and the hard sciences and preparing them for graduate study. The study also revealed patterns in student…

Reviews the psychosocial factors associated with doctoral dissertation completion or delay. Examines the effects of two factors, procrastination and perfectionism, in greater detail and reports on a study of 142 education doctoral students and 97 graduates. Notes that educators should consider the role of these psychosocial factors as they help…

The position paper of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, submitted to the Title IX/Title XI Reauthorization Task Force of the higher education community in anticipation of the legislation's reauthorization process in 1997, addresses the federal role in graduate education and explains the importance of…

Describes how to design an interactive course for the Internet, using as an example the development of a graduate course entitled Accessing Information through Technology. Course design includes development of a needs assessment, goal analysis, student assessment, instructional strategy, and course evaluation. (SM)

Explores selected family and individual factors among Mexican American women and two comparison groups of African American and non-Hispanic White women for achieving a graduate degree (master's, Ph.D.). Analysis includes the finding that early child bearing (before or during college) was the strongest predictor of Mexican American women not…

There is a need for cross-disciplinary or cross-institutional research on student learning outcomes in graduate and professional education. Challenges in this endeavor include determining the purposes of assessment and who conducts it, identifying and defining outcomes, and managing the use of results. (MSE)

A theory of program quality based on a new definition of quality is offered. Constructed on the basis of interviews with nearly 800 stakeholders in master's-level education, the engagement theory" advances a conceptual framework and a set of criteria, with indicators, for assessing graduate and professional program quality. (Author/MSE)

Discusses the influence of professors of higher education on the community college movement and its leaders. Suggests that professors influence students through classroom discussion, course development, advising and mentoring, scholarship, and service. Argues that to meet future needs, priority must be placed on students over research. (13…