Reports that the Education Department has cancelled Access America, a pilot program which allowed students to control their financial aid accounts over the World Wide Web. Finds that many colleges objected to lack of federal consultation with colleges. However, supporters say the pilot has shown the value of using the Web for this purpose. (DB)

Describes university courses and programs in protecting computer networks and World Wide Web sites from vandals, cyberterrorists, and malicious hackers. Notes such courses are provided by East Stroudsburg University (Pennsylvania), Purdue University (Indiana), George Mason University (Virginia), and Texas A&M University. Also notes the federal…

Analysis of the current status of Georgetown University (District of Columbia) finds a money-losing medical center and a limited endowment, but the institution retains its elite status and highly competitive admissions. Notes the respected medical and law schools, recent fund-raising success, its Catholic identity, management problems, and…

Amherst, Brown, and Williams, elite liberal arts colleges, are discussing the possibility of venturing into distance education with Global Education Network, or at least expanding the use of online components in their existing courses. Projections show colleges could earn up to $250,000 per course, but some faculty and administrators see distance…

Reports findings of a 1999 survey of 261,217 college freshmen at 462 two-year and four-year institutions concerning lifestyle and stress. Finds increasing numbers of students, especially women, report feeling overwhelmed and under stress. Also reports declines in drinking and smoking, more students planning to work full-time, more students…

Data tables from a 1999 survey of college freshmen provide extensive data concerning demography (e.g., parental occupation, family income), reasons for college choice, college major plans for men and women, financial status, frequent activities, high school grades, opinions and goals, (DB)

Reports that greater numbers of scholarly societies, though American in name, are increasingly international in membership and outlook. Suggests that this trend has been driven by the expanding global outlook of scholars, the collapse of communism, and growth of the Internet. Efforts to encourage local professional societies, fears of American…

Since Stanley Fish became dean a year ago of the University of Illinois (Chicago) College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, his activist style has stimulated the institution, lured prominent scholars to positions there, but also produced criticism that he is ignoring faculty in individual departments and has made some missteps, such as supporting a…

Examines the trend away from independent college bookstores and toward outsourcing bookstores to large corporations, thereby sacrificing independence for cost efficiencies. Discusses effects of the profit motive, fear of competition, fear of declining services by private companies, criticisms of high prices, and concerns about book selection.…

Reports that many new technology companies are recruiting top academics to join their boards in an effort to gain credibility and capture the higher education market. Finds controversy between those who wish to influence the direction of those businesses in order to better serve college constituencies and those who see possibilities for conflicts…

Discusses a protest by students at the University of Illinois (Urbana) College of Veterinary Medicine over the killing of animals that led to temporary curtailing of lethal animal experiments. Examines the conflict between animal rights groups and some faculty who are openly skeptical about the effectiveness of alternatives to the hands-on…

Report highlights Foothill College (California), a community college in Silicon Valley (the costliest housing market in the United States), as an example of the increasing number of colleges having difficulty recruiting faculty because housing is so expensive in their local areas. (DB)

Examines conflict in Texas over whether to increase appropriations for the state's two premier research universities, the University of Texas (Austin) and Texas A&M University, to match comparable institutions in other states, or whether to increase funding to raise the stature of Texas Tech University and the University of Houston. Compares state…

Reports evidence that George W. Bush's financial and political success has been linked to the two richest university endowments in the United States--Harvard University and the University of Texas System, specifically the University of Texas Investment Management Company. Notes that officials of both universities' management companies denied any…

Reports that anecdotal evidence and studies by individual institutions suggest that course completion and program retention rates are generally lower in distance education courses than in their face-to-face counterparts. Suggests some of the causes may be that distance students are often older, have more obligations, or that lack of face-to-face…