Analyzes implications of a $2-million judgment awarded to a female football player by a federal jury who found that Duke University (North Carolina) engaged in illegal discrimination by keeping her off its football team. Considers the tradition of football as a decidedly male activity, Title IX requirements, and the large degree of variance in…

Reports that critics are asking questions about conflicts of interest in GATE (Global Alliance for Transnational Education), an international education watchdog organization. Claims of independent international accreditation may be compromised by the intertwining of the sole owner's corporate interests with GATE's organizational structure.…

Asserts that state colleges, squeezed between research universities and community colleges, are falling even further behind due to pressure from legislators and growing competition from distance education and for-profit institutions. Discusses various issues in their decline and attempted makeovers, including faculty, "mission creep," declining…

Discusses results of the National Survey of Student Engagement, a $3.3 million project sponsored by the Pew Charitable Trusts which gauged the extent to which colleges encourage actual learning. More than 63,000 undergraduates filled out the questionnaire in spring 2000. Findings indicated that small and liberal arts colleges fared well in the…

Describes findings from the annual "Open Doors" report, which contains statistics collected by the Institute of International Education on American students abroad and on foreign students and scholars in the United States. The report shows heightened competition among American, Australian, and British institutions, as well as more students…

Describes faculty's efforts to unionize at Sage Colleges in Troy, New York, including legal hurdles (the Supreme Court's decision in National Labor Relations Board v. Yeshiva University), reasons cited by faculty for the union effort, and administrative reaction. (EV)

Analyzes President Clinton's actions on higher education during his eight years in office. Notes progress on issues such as funding for middle-class students, biomedical research, and technology. Points out possible missed opportunities, including issues surrounding affirmative action. Concludes that Clinton helped make higher education a…

Discusses findings from a survey of state expenditures on higher education conducted by the Center for the Study of Education Policy at Illinois State University. Overall, spending rose by 7 percent, the third year of such an increase. When considering inflation, however, there are indications that expenditures are beginning to plateau or even…

Describes the varied duties of a faculty member of New York University's online, for-profit subsidiary, NYUonline. Hired for her business acumen more than for her degree, the adjunct associate professor's job description differs from that of traditional academics and involves marketing as well as teaching. Notes concerns by traditional academics…

Discusses plans by various universities to provide or not provide the newly approved abortion pill RU486. Samples opinions from administrators, doctors, and pro-choice and pro-life advocates. (EV)

Describes the Committee on the Advancement of Women Chemists (COACH), a support group for senior female chemists that works to improve the professional lot of female scientists at all ranks. COACH is unusual in focusing on the senior level, rather than the entry level, in their efforts to improve the status of women in science. (SLD)

Describes the new atmosphere at Hillsdale College, Michigan, a conservative institution distinguished by its refusal to accept federal funds, in the wake of a scandal involving the previous president George C. Roche, III. Discusses the role of the new president and the attitudes of the faculty following the change of administration. (SLD)

Discusses the move toward coeducation being made by some women's colleges. Economic pressures and decreasing enrollment motivate some schools to become coeducational; others have a new view of their missions in an era in which women have increasing numbers of role models outside the college environment. (SLD)

Describes the salaries paid to many presidents of private colleges. At least 74 presidents were paid more than $300,000 in salary and benefits in 1998-1999, and 21 chief executives earned $400,000 or more. The figures are derived from a federal tax return that requires nonprofit institutions to disclose, with other financial information, how they…

U.S. universities collected more than $641 million from royalties on their inventions in the 1999 fiscal year, and they filed for 7,612 patents. Findings from a survey by the Association of University Technology Managers show licensing revenues, patent activity, and income from technology developments of U.S. higher education institutions. (SLD)