The purpose of this study was to examine the organization, program format and duration of college reading improvement instructional programs (CRIPs) in selected four-year American colleges and universities from 1950-1974, and to gather information which is vital to effective curricula and planning for higher education in the area of reading improvement. The data was obtained from responses to a questionnaire sent to 155 colleges with reading improvement programs and from visits to eight of the programs. Some of the conclusions drawn from the study were that college reading improvement programs are viable parts of the reading continuum and are essential entities for any university or college; program directors are not particularly influenced by each other in the types of materials and machines used; many of the reading improvement techniques of the 1950s and 1960s were tutorial while the 1970s showed a shift to more laboratory work; and numerous programs in reading improvement on the college level were discontinued due to lack of funds, limitations of government grants, problems of directorship caused by retirement and deaths, and the short duration of some summer workshops. (Author/RB)