The alcohol-related death of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) freshman has focused attention on problems in the institution's housing policies and fraternity system, including unclear policy about housing and long-ignored complaints about hazing and dangerous drinking in the Greek system. (MSE)

The Asynchronous Learning Network, an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation program aimed at providing access to higher education through technology, has made grants for distance-education projects totaling nearly $27 million in the last five years. The program supports large and small projects around the country and sponsors an online scholarly journal and…

Democrats who wanted more state support for colleges and scholarships were surprise victors in the November 1998 gubernatorial elections in Alabama, Iowa, South Carolina, and California. However, in the same election the political movement against affirmative action was strengthened in a Washington State referendum. Results of state referenda…

The new governors of five states (Alabama, California, Iowa, Massachusetts, South Carolina), all of whom are expected to influence state higher education policy, are profiled. Information includes election result summaries, proposed initiatives and policy directions concerning college and university financing and student aid, and challenges faced…

Colleges and universities are establishing policies to ensure that clothing carrying their names are not being manufactured with "sweatshop" labor. The colleges' policies attempt to set acceptable standards for manufacturers producing the lucrative licensed lines. However, institutions are finding that it is difficult to enforce those ideals in…

A former high school counselor and college basketball referee who has visited many colleges has transformed this experience into a career as consultant to high school guidance counselors. He often favors out-of-the-way liberal arts colleges, and is known for being student-oriented in his commentaries. College recruitment and admissions officers…

The administration of the University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa) is committed to increasing the number of black faculty and providing support to reduce their isolation. This year, for the first time, blacks make up 51% of the student population. The new president, a white man, appears to have won strong, broad-based support within the…

Two years after California's ban on racial and gender preferences became law, supporters and opponents of affirmative action are debating the impact on college faculty diversity. Some institutions have maintained slow but steady growth in minority faculty; diversity at others has declined. Some say that not all effects of the change, including…

A surprising upturn in fall 1998 college enrollments is attributed largely to increases in the number of high school graduates but also to some state policies concerning admission to state institutions. While campus officials are pleased at the trend, many are struggling to find housing for the students. (MSE)

Many historically black colleges and universities want to take advantage of a strong economy and generous donors. Typically, even relatively wealthy institutions do not have the financial capabilities and access to wealthy benefactors that predominantly white institutions have accumulated and can use more money, either as a cushion against hard…

Graduation rates of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I scholarship athletes have shown the first across-the-board decline since the Association began publishing rates in 1990. Much attention this year has focused on male basketball players; only 41% of those who entered college in 1991 graduated within six years. Many leave…

Graduation rates for scholarship athletes and all students at 307 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I institutions are tabulated. Data are for students who enrolled in 1990-91 and 1991-92 and graduated within six years, and are broken out for white men, black men, white women, and black women. (MSE)

Although the first doctoral program in women's studies was established in 1969, it wasn't until the 1990s that mainstream institutions began creating such programs. Since then, a number of universities have developed both programs and separate departments. Some scholars worry that choosing such a nontraditional field will limit students' career…

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, a new nonprofit organization hoping to oversee key management functions of the Internet, earned the blessing of academic network groups but was scorned by critics during its first public meeting. The U.S. government is eager to turn Internet operations over to an international organization,…

Throughout the South, and to a lesser extent throughout the country, state budgets for higher education are the healthiest since 1990. In 1998 to 1999, state budgets for higher education are 6.7% more than the previous year. Community colleges, distance learning, and student aid will enjoy large gains. Three states (Alaska, Hawaii, South Carolina)…