Describes the case of a woman biology teacher who was denied tenure at Case Western Reserve University. Critics see her as a researcher who couldn't get along with students and who is blaming her problems on others. Supporters of the gender discrimination suit she is expected to file say that the Biology Department has a pattern of discrimination…

Contrasts the reactions of Swarthmore College and Pennsylvania State University as the endowments at both institutions topped the billion dollar mark in 2000. Swarthmore uses its endowment to assure that financial need is never considered in admissions decisions, but does not touch the principal. At Pennsylvania State, tuition is more affordable,…

Describes the reasons three institutions have for avoiding the creation of significant online education programs. The University of Texas, Austin, only participates in the state's distance education system to a limited degree because it is already so large. Boston College maintains a commitment to the residential college life, and the University…

Discusses the controversy that erupted when the University of North Dakota planned to drop its "Fighting Sioux" nickname and mascot, a benefactor announced his intention of withdrawing a $100 million gift and halting construction of an ice hockey arena. Describes the implications of the university's decision to retain the name for its athletic…

Describes the breach-of-contract lawsuit brought by former faculty members at Mount Vernon College, Washington, DC, as a result of the takeover of the small college for women by George Washington University, which resulted in the closing of Mount Vernon and the dismissal of its faculty. (SLD)

Describes the recent trend toward collegiate mergers. Six mergers of higher education institutions were announced between November 200 and March 2001, with another three in negotiations. Mergers represent the last effort by an institution to salvage some of its identity before having to close completely, and many small schools are seeing the…

Describes the efforts some states are making to regulate online colleges that lack accreditation. The problem is complicated by the fact that if a state takes a tough approach, the institutions can easily change mailing addresses to obtain degree-granting licenses in other states. Describes some of these colleges and some of the accrediting…

Most of the top women's basketball teams in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association have all- or partly male practice squads. Describes the advantages to the women and the male practice players. (SLD)

Discusses implications for colleges and universities of the coming retirement of the cohort of faculty brought in to teach the baby boomers. Notes both positive and negative financial impacts, effects of the greater amounts of wealth held by senior faculty on their decisions, and an increasing diffusion in retirement ages. (DB)

The functions of the institutional review board (IRB) at Duke University (North Carolina) are reviewed in the context of the recent four-day shutdown by federal regulators of all clinical trials at the institution. Observation of the process revealed a paperwork-driven process in which many projects, some of them highly specialized, must be…

Examines the growth of Hampton University (Virginia) during the 22 years that William R. Harvey has been president of this historically black institution. Cites views of Harvey as a visionary leader, tough taskmaster, and astute financial manager. Notes the growth of the institution's endowment, rising academic standards, and also some political…

Discusses the impact of major private gifts to institutions of higher education on the ongoing effort to solicit donors of lesser means. Notes changing definitions of "principal gifts," the dangers of a backlash from other donors, the role of faculty in soliciting smaller gifts, a trend toward giving by more alumni, and the greater expense of…

Reports on the crusade of David F. Noble, a history professor at York University (Ontario), against distance education, which he sees as the latest episode in the saga of the corporatization of American higher education. Notes Noble's views on the relationship between politics and technology, intellectual property issues of courseware, and the…

Reports on an increasing trend of venture capitalists using the expertise of enterprising undergraduate students to start new technology-based businesses. Notes that institutions of higher education are encouraging entrepreneurial students and cooperative ventures with businesses in the hopes of acquiring equity or other forms of profit. (DB)

Discusses the increasing numbers of graduate theology students, both part-time and full-time, who have little knowledge of the Bible, theological concepts, and church history. Suggests this is due to the decline of liberal arts education, the marginalization of religious instruction, and a radical change in the type of students who may be new…