Small regional colleges are bracing for a battle to protect their profitable continuing-education programs from competition with distance-learning programs at research universities. Concern is particularly for part-time students who may choose distance programs that are less expensive, more convenient, and offer diplomas from better-known…

Salaries of head coaches in college sports are rising, but a large salary gap remains between coaches of men's and women's teams. In a national ranking of institutions by salary averages, men's coaches at the median institution made 43% more than women's coaches. Some institutions provide more salary equity than others. The Justice Department is…

Campus police and other college officials believe the 16,237 alcohol arrests and 7,060 drug arrests on college campuses in 1996 reflect tougher enforcement, not increased usage among students. This is particularly true in states such as Michigan, where state law concerning underage drinking has changed, and in communities where enforcement is…

Increasingly, college and universities are allowing undercover police operations to halt drug trafficking involving students, hoping to break supply chains and convey the message that the institution takes drug policy seriously. Many students find the intrusion disturbing. (MSE)

Data on reported incidents of murder, forcible and nonforcible sexual offenses, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, and motor-vehicle theft and on arrests for liquor-law violations, drug use, and weapons possession are presented for 487 colleges and universities with populations of over 5,000 for both 1995 and 1996. For each institution…

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University conferred three doctorates in engineering on African Americans this year, who along with two more earning degrees this summer will substantially increase the pool of African American engineering Ph.D's. The university's new program is hailed by some, but criticized by others as not…

Increasingly, professional schools are addressing the issue of whether a financially successful program has a responsibility to support other, less financially successful programs, and how university fund raisers can assure donors that their gifts will benefit specific programs and not be siphoned into others. Law and business schools, often…

An American Association of University Professors report finds the highest one-year gains (above inflation) in over a decade in faculty's "real salaries" in 1997-98. While salaries have not returned to 1970s predecline levels, the generally upward trend is continuing. The report also compares faculty salaries with those of others at similar…

Data from an American Association of University Professors survey of 1997-98 faculty salaries at over 1,800 colleges and universities are presented. Average salaries, by academic rank and overall, are presented for each institution and by institution type (salary distribution at doctoral, comprehensive, baccalaureate institutions, two-year…

Electronic publishing creates challenges for traditional publishers and their library customers. Librarians call for an end to high prices for electronic publications and more flexibility in copying and distributing documents. Library consortia are forced to sign million-dollar deals for access to all of a publisher's on-line journals. Publishers…

The American Council on Education's new survey of 2,297 college presidents in diverse institutions found more women and, to a lesser extent, minorities are becoming presidents, but white men predominate. Presidents are serving somewhat longer terms, except in doctoral-granting institutions. New presidents are coming to the job with more…

When the University of Arkansas' president determined that the university's press should be shut down due to financial losses, journalists, letter writers, faculty, and editors at other university presses undertook a successful campaign to save it. The debate highlights the economic difficulties of academic publishing and the role of the…

Incidents of point-shaving and placing and accepting bets are evidence that professional gamblers are influencing college sports and campus life. Because of student athletes' competitive nature, they may be more likely to engage in gambling. The National Collegiate Athletic Association and individual colleges are examining and addressing this…

Spurred by public dissatisfaction with the legal profession and expansion of the bar exam's ethics section, law schools are trying to invigorate the field of legal ethics, giving students more exposure to moral and ethical conflicts they are likely to face as professionals. Some legal experts say law schools should do more to integrate ethical…

Changes being considered would restructure remedial programs and strictly limit the amount offered to a student. Officials of the City University of New York (New York) want to get out of the business of providing extensive remedial education. Students, faculty leaders, and state lawmakers say the university would be abandoning its historic…