College and university endowments (N=466) are ranked based on June 1996 market value. Market values for the previous year are also cited. Individual public and private institutions, university systems, and specialty schools are included. (MSE)

Increasingly, colleges and universities are using field offices and representatives to recruit applicants at a distance from the institutions. Representatives often spend significant amounts of time with a single student. The practice is particularly popular among colleges wishing to build name recognition and to elevate a narrow market segment in…

Controversy over limited representation of women on a key committee of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the Division I Management Council, has renewed concerns that big-time football conferences are not committed to diverse membership on such panels. The division's board of directors rejected the first female nominees and suggested…

The creative writing program at Syracuse University (New York) has been controversial since a 1995 incident in which a faculty member was charged with sexual harassment and drunkenness. A female faculty member has also been accused of inappropriate behavior. Faculty are divided over the issues, and some accuse the university of ignoring problems…

In the 13 years since the Federal Trade Commission began encouraging colleges and other educational institutions to cooperate with the emerging wireless-cable industry, partnerships with attendant benefits and problems have grown. For some institutions, the initiatives have brought substantial income and better distance-learning systems; for…

A California State University, Northridge mathematics professor divided a statistics class, teaching one group traditionally in class and another in an online version of the course, using a World Wide Web site, electronic mail, and an electronic chat room. On both midterm and final exams, the latter group performed significantly better. Despite a…

In a rare action, the New York State Regents removed all but one trustee of Adelphi University (New York) for neglect of duty and conflict of interest, and named 18 new trustees. New trustees will probably now force the college president, Peter Diamandopoulos, out of office. Professors, students, and former trustees had encouraged the action.…

Presents dollar amounts of median salaries of 170 college administrative positions (executive, academic, administrative, external affairs, student services) by institution type (doctoral, comprehensive, baccalaureate, two-year). Data are based on a survey of 1,496 colleges and universities. (MSE)

The College and University Personnel Association annual survey found most college administrators received a smaller pay raise in 1996-97 than in the previous two years though most outpaced inflation. Smallest raises were at doctoral institutions and among chief executives; largest were in specialized institutions such as freestanding professional…

Frustrated by the federal government's new approach to desegregation of public colleges, states are taking steps to help more minority students persist and succeed in higher education. Conflicting court rulings over race-conscious desegregation remedies have added to the confusion. The most extensive state proposals are in Maryland, where public…

As colleges cut men's athletics to provide more opportunity for female athletes and comply with federal mandates, male athletes are feeling shock and frustration. Since 1982, over one-third of colleges sponsoring wrestling have dropped their programs and men's gymnastics teams have decreased by half. Still, one study indicates only 10% of…

A new business is using the Internet to sell compositions written by successful applicants to 60 competitive colleges and schools. Personnel of the service claim the essays are not to encourage plagiarism but to help disadvantaged or underprepared students compete. Admissions counselors disagree, and some are prepared to reject applicants…

The 22-year-old Whitaker Foundation, the largest private supporter of biomedical engineering, will close in 2006 to avoid becoming a bureaucracy in search of a reason for being. The foundation, with assets of about $442 million, will increase payouts until 1999, then decrease them as it spends its way out of existence. About 95% of grants go to…

Royalties paid to universities in 1995 increased 12% over the previous year. The increase is attributed in part to federal legislation allowing institutions to patent inventions and discoveries resulting from federally-funded research. Data are based on a survey of 127 universities holding 4,272 licenses generating royalties. Licensing income and…

The University of Bath (England), a small university awarded its charter just 30 years ago, hired an American vice-chancellor to bring it into the top ranks of research institutions. The university, hit hard by British higher education cuts in 1981, has created a niche for itself in the sciences and engineering. An evaluation of research at 191…