Technology-intensive changes in higher education have convinced some administrators and accreditors that new models for college and university accreditation are needed. The first-ever accreditation of a "virtual" institution, Jones International University, is seen by some as evidence that accrediting agencies have moved away from reliable…

Nearly three years after the beginning of the Internet2 project, designed to enhance research by building a superfast version of the Internet, few professors are finding it revolutionary. Most participating institutions have not upgraded local networks to take full advantage of the two interconnected high-speed networks used by the project.…

College and university governing boards, spurred by pressure for accountability, feel increasingly compelled to formally evaluate presidents. Use of consultants, reduced faculty involvement, and political issues at public institutions are also factors in this trend. (MSE)

Required summer reading for incoming college freshmen commonly has themes of self-discovery, travel, and learning about other cultures that help students prepare for college life and challenge their belief systems. Some colleges follow up the readings with special discussion programs. (MSE)

Several organizations have created leadership-development programs for college faculty and administrators preparing for a range of administrative posts, including provost, dean, director of financial aid, and president. Some programs operate on a national level, some for specific institution types and constituencies. Participants benefit from the…

For $800 Muscovites buy blank diplomas from established universities, bearing official stamps, with desired major and date of graduation; another $50 buys blank transcripts. Professors often require students to take courses outside the core curriculum in order to pass exams for which they demand cash payments or goods. Admission is often based…

Individuals with doctorates are increasingly turning to community colleges for full-time faculty positions in a sluggish academic job market. Some colleges hope the trend will boost overall faculty credentials, but not all community colleges are eager to recruit them, fearing Ph.D.s are not trained for the rigors of community college teaching…

United States institutions awarded 42,705 doctorates in 1997, the highest one-year total ever, and a 32% increase over a decade ago. Some fields, primarily the sciences and engineering, experienced declines. Data are presented on the demographic characteristics and employment/postdoctoral education plans of doctorate recipients, institutions…

According to an annual survey, 132 U.S. research universities earned over $446 million in royalties from inventions in fiscal 1997, and received 2,239 patents. The University of California was the top earner. Data provided on the top-earning institutions includes dollar amount of adjusted gross royalties received, number of licenses generating…

In recent months, police on a number of college and university campuses have investigated hate crimes that made headlines, only to discover that the crimes had been made up. While some feel the hoaxes are by individual students during difficult times in their lives, others feel leftists may be faking the crimes to influence the campus movement…

Eighteen months after a women's advocacy group leveled sex-discrimination charges against 25 prominent college athletics departments, the Department of Education has cleared eight of the institutions, and 10 others have agreed to give more scholarship money to women athletes. However, some are unhappy about the investigation process, claiming…

Internet-based master's programs in business administration (M.B.A.s) serve a market that could bring significant revenues to business schools, providing new access to mid- to upper-level managers who want degrees to advance their careers but who cannot take time from work, or to young executives whose bosses offer to pay for the degree but not…

The Department of Education's Inspector General has identified and prosecuted 17 cases where borrowers received large amounts in student loans by claiming falsely to be pursuing studies at foreign institutions. Officials see serious statutory, regulatory, and program deficiencies that may expose programs to more fraud and abuse. Critics feel the…

While college faculty complain about student cheating and plagiarism, many do little or nothing about it. Few lodge formal complaints against individual students, finding the campus judicial process laborious, and punishments often unrelated to the offense. At institutions with honor codes, the issues can be different, with reporting of…

A number of states are requiring public two-year colleges to raise academic standards so graduates can compete in four-year institutions, even linking student performance to funding. Some say the change will result in better-prepared graduates; others say struggling students will be discouraged and drop out. (MSE)