Business schools across the country are specializing in electronic commerce, in which teams of students create online businesses available on the Internet only to participating institutions. The courses offer students an opportunity to see how an online retailing business is conducted, including creating and maintaining Web sites, advertising…

Molly Corbett Broad, president of the University of North Carolina system and an economist by training, was brought in by the state treasurer to help convince the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association-College Retirement Equities Fund (TIAA-CREF) to open a branch in North Carolina. The experience illustrates the kind of leadership Broad has…

Marquette University and the University of Wisconsin have invested funds and energy into their local Milwaukee communities through community development and local partnerships. Despite criticism and costs, the projects have raised institutional profiles and improved reputations. (MSE)

A 31-year-old student of Western Governors University (WGU) plans to earn a bachelor's degree (without attending a class), by using the Internet or otherwise by teaching himself. Aside from distance-learning opportunities, WGU offers the option of standardized tests and independent projects to fulfill degree requirements. The student in question…

The Community College of Denver (Colorado) is the most ethnically diverse higher education institution in Colorado; 60% of its students take remedial instruction. Physically disabled students make up 9% of the student population. Degree-seeking students taking remedial courses are more likely to graduate or transfer to a four-year institution than…

The Kresge Foundation has undertaken an $18-million project to assist four-year, historically black colleges build successful fund-raising operations. The grants pay for consultants to analyze advancement offices and map improvements for them. The program will also match black-college advancement officers with mentors who are successful fund…

Companies specializing in college recruitment are building databases to predict the persistence and success rates of college applicants and to help design recruiting and admission strategies. The field began two decades ago, when admissions deans with good reputations began consulting. Many of these companies provide other services, such as…

It is estimated that this academic year, for the first time, the majority of first-year doctoral students in physics are foreign, with one-fifth of foreign students in physics from China alone. At Pennsylvania State University, all six physics doctoral students are foreign, and much effort is spent to help the students function in an American…

An outspoken college fundraiser feels colleges and universities should spend development efforts on large gifts, through planned giving, and less time and money courting other sources, including annual funds. He argues that most colleges mistakenly try to emulate large, well-established institutions with large alumni pools. Focusing on young,…

The proportion of Princeton University (New Jersey) freshmen who identify themselves as Jewish is half what it was in 1973, and the proportion of Jewish Princeton students overall is less than half that of Harvard University (Massachusetts) or Yale University (Connecticut). Some fault recruitment strategy changes; others believe fewer Jewish…

A recent study shows that half of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I-A football players are black, compared with 18% of coaches. Few blacks are head coaches. Coaches and administrators offer two suggestions for increasing numbers of black coaches: encouraging presidents and athletics directors to extend search lists, and…

An Asian magazine that has ranked 79 Asian universities since 1997 finds some institutions refusing to participate in the survey. Many fault the study's methodology, arguing that institutional qualities are not easily quantified, especially in such a geographically large and diverse region. This year's expanded questionnaire is not seen as…

The interdisciplinary approach of many new master's programs departs from conventional departmental divisions and opens professional opportunities for career-minded students. Some feel the trendy, tuition-driven programs enhance enrollments and produce revenue for the institution; critics question whether they offer value for money spent. However,…

No one is sure why some electronic journals are having difficulty getting papers and subscriptions from scholars, but several theories have been voiced. Scholars are concerned that electronic publishing will fail, or that electronically published articles will not contribute to tenure and promotion. However, some journals are having considerable…

Once a financially healthy part of American universities, many academic health centers are struggling to survive. Many are merging with for-profit chains or declaring bankruptcy. The advance of managed care and insurance companies focusing on reducing costs appears to be affecting teaching hospitals more than community hospitals. (MSE)