Recent closings in the commercial publishing industry and reduction in serious nonfiction publications may open doors for university presses to fill the gap. University presses are already anticipating the changing market, reviewing book lists, and looking at new areas for publication development. Changes in the commercial publishing industry are…

Increasingly, colleges and universities are charging students a separate fee for campus computing facilities and using the income for improvements. Critics feel the costs should be included in tuition, but supporters feel the fees highlight the costs of advancing technology and may reduce misuse. Most fees are pegged to semester or credit hours.…

During the 1997 session, many Texas lawmakers, especially Black and Hispanic Democrats, have introduced legislation to avert a crisis in the state's higher education system arising from the Hopwood v. Texas supreme court decision leading to discontinuance of affirmative action. Two controversial bills that were approved concerned softening of…

In each of the past three years, a dozen or so public and private colleges have elevated themselves to universities, less because of substantial institutional changes than to highlight institutional vision and communicate prestige, in turn improving fund raising. Many have gradually added master's degree programs. Private colleges can change…

Many colleges and universities that guarantee financial aid to all Americans, regardless of need, admit they do not do so for applicants from abroad. Policy variations confuse many foreign applicants and frustrate some educators. Some institutions try to direct available aid to foreign students from less-developed countries. Harvard University…

The National Women's Law Center alleges that 25 colleges and universities are violating federal anti-discrimination law (Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972) by giving female athletes a disproportionately small amount of sports-related financial aid. In 1995-96, 27 institutions achieved "substantial proportionality" in financial aid. Two…

A national survey of college faculty employment and attitudes reveals patterns in minority group employment, rank, tenure status, doctoral degrees, workload, sources of stress, professional goals, and perceptions of discrimination. Minority groups include American Indian, Asian, Black, and Latino. Data are also reported for both men and women.…

Elite private colleges and universities are providing more distance-learning continuing education opportunities but are focusing on specialized degree programs, professional school offerings, and courses that can be exported internationally to companies and institutions. They are also cultivating alumni as a market for courses that can be offered…

College students are complaining that Congress has made it too difficult to demonstrate financial independence to qualify for federal financial aid. Legislation in 1992 tightened the policy on financial independence to prevent affluent students from cheating the system. Colleges are reluctant to step in for fear of state-conducted audits of…

College administrators say, although sorority hazing is more likely to involve emotional/psychological abuse than physical violence, it is a growing problem. On some campuses, because traditionally black sororities pledge members at different times of year than traditionally white ones, their rush periods are not necessarily monitored as closely.…

Internet 2, a project intended to provide member universities with new computer network services and faster connections, is criticized for growing too large and too difficult to administer cooperatively. Its organizers are working closely with the Clinton Administration's Next Generation Internet Initiative, but some lawmakers feel the program is…

Johns Hopkins University (Maryland) is challenging the rights of a biotechnology company to infringe on the university's patents on an invention; the company is challenging the patents' validity. The case is seen as representative of issues concerning technology transfer in which universities, government funding, and private industry interact. The…

Programs guaranteeing college-bound high school students admission to medical school based on anticipated high college grades are now offered by 33 medical schools; some of the programs are 20-30 years old. Originally intended to make medical careers more attractive, the policy is now used more commonly to recruit high-achieving undergraduate…

Almost three years after the California State University System settled a sex-discrimination lawsuit by acceding to the strictest gender-equity standards in college sports, only 2 of the 19 institutions sponsoring athletic programs have met the agreement's terms. Some feel the agreement, based on proportionality of participation and funding for…

An annual national survey by the American Association of University Professors found an average faculty raise of only 3% in 1996-97, falling behind the inflation rate for the first time in four years. Data are displayed by academic rank, institution type (private, public, church-related), annual increases since 1986-87, in relation to cost of…