This discussion of implementation of the Enterprise Awareness in Teacher Education program in Great Britain reflects on the psychodynamic processes which can surface in persons, systems, and organizations coping with change events. It looks at how introducing the values of the external world can create disturbances and distortions in the culture…

A study with 2,453 college students investigated the construct validity of the student commitment to institution as a factor in academic persistence. Results suggest factors such as institutional quality, practical educational utility, student-institution fit, and loyalty to institution were more predictive of persistence than similarity of…

College compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 requires that sensitivity to the needs of all students be a high priority for student activities programming. This includes attention to office accessibility, balanced representation on program boards, sensitivity training, accessibility of activities, and publicity designed to…

Discusses what has been learned about students in college learning communities, and their progress and problems in the programs. Addresses topics including student attitudes and characteristics, retention, achievement, intellectual development, what students value about the communities, developmental changes occurring during the program, and life…

At a time when higher education appears to be diverging from a sense of shared purpose, learning communities offer a way to maintain the balance between striving for oneself and contributing to the common good. They promote cooperation, help students forge interdisciplinary connections, empower students, revitalize the institutional environment,…

Uses analogy of a farm silo to explain how departments within a college operate as separate entities. Suggests that, when departments are self-contained and unconcerned with work of others, students face long lines and duplications of services and get different answers from different offices. Describes how the combined efforts of admissions and…

A study of 76 college students with learning disabilities (LD) participating in a liberal arts college LD program found that students with more inclusive, less structured supported programs within the secondary school settings were more successful in graduating from college. Although neither performance nor full-scale IQ interacted with these…

Initiatives taken at University of Michigan to address complex nature of diversity and multiculturalism in higher education are described, including a 1988 administrative strategic plan to link academic excellence and social diversity among faculty and students, a plan to improve women's representation among faculty, a longitudinal study of impact…

Highlights key issues for consideration in institutional research on college climate, including those that affect women, racial and ethnic minorities, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered students; and disabled students. These climate issues are also pertinent to majority students in diverse environments and are quickly becoming a regular…

A survey of 10 national systems of higher education found that less than 10 percent of professors were women, and the proportion of female professors was negatively related to institutional prestige. This academic "glass ceiling" was related to women's shorter careers, tenure issues during hard times, and women's lower level of academic…

Explores current and classical ethical issues faced by community college faculty members in their roles as teachers. Discusses the current literature, formal guidelines, and gaps in research. Suggests five topics for future studies, such as how faculty members address conflicts between professional codes of ethics and institutional policies.…

Conducted small group discussions with college students to identify what helped or hindered achievement of learning outcomes. Identified four student factors (self management, motivation and needs, understanding, and support), which operate within a context (course organization, resources, and facilities; assessment; and learning activities and…

Builds on the assumption that colleges and universities are organizations and subsequently that the organizational perspective provides important insights for improving retention on campuses. A review of existing organizational studies of undergraduate persistence serves as the basis for ten empirically-based recommendations for practice that are…

Examines five shibboleths (common ideas) about the relationship between campus culture and student persistence. Describes a six-step approach for using the peer group and classroom as key elements in cultivating a success-oriented institutional culture. (Author/EV)

This article reviews literature on changing environment and culture of European universities. First it considers: the pressures of globalisation and knowledge society on universities, the implication of emerging European higher education area, the demands confronting universities, the permeation of the public sector by market ideology and the…