Guidelines for "fair use" of CD-ROM copyrighted materials in multimedia instruction, created through a consortium of college and university media centers, set limits on the amount of a copyrighted work used in a multimedia project, and restrict the number of copies of disks or videos students and teachers can make, allowing use of such works in…

Sudden growth in the number of doctoral programs in black studies is helping to legitimize the discipline in academe, and diversity of curricula is providing students with many more choices of emphasis. Programs have a wide range of focus, from the broadest, the black American experience, to the African diaspora and comparative black studies.…

Total state appropriations for higher education reached their highest level ever in fiscal 1996-97, demonstrating strength in public support for higher education and a continuing modest recovery from earlier recession. Black institutions have fared less well than others, overall. Only two states saw two-year declines. Fifteen states accounted for…

Data on each state's fiscal 1996-97 appropriations to postsecondary education are presented, giving dollar amounts and two-year changes for individual institutions and other categories, such as aid to private colleges and allocations for vocational education, community colleges, technical colleges, and student financial aid. States are also ranked…

Five Boston (Massachusetts) institutions (Emmanuel College, Simmons College, Wheelock College, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Sciences, and Wentworth Institute of Technology) have formed a partnership to coordinate planning for and share academics, buildings, and student services. Officials see the arrangement as a way to save…

The new student union at George Mason University (Virginia) integrates traditional functions (food services, meeting rooms, offices, study areas, bookstore) with recreational activities (movie theater, dance studios) and academic uses (library, department offices, classrooms). Administrators hope the facility will bring faculty, staff, and…

The common practice of keeping negative information about a faculty member quiet if he agrees to resign quietly is criticized by some who find it unethical or illegal. They feel employers should disclose full employment records. Others warn that colleges may invade the privacy of a professor or defame him by passing on unsubstantiated charges to a…

The digitization of over a million journal pages dating back to 1886, and access via the World Wide Web, intended originally to free shelf space, is seen by some scholars as changing the nature of scholarship. It will also significantly improve access from smaller institutions with limited collections. (MSE)

The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University has created a profitable program for commercializing student and faculty research, investing with three venture-capital companies that agreed to pay extra attention to the university's technological innovations and developing an office park to promote local economic development and generate…

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (New Hampshire) includes among its counseling services "rites of passage" ceremonies in retreats for men and women students. The events encourage both introspection and some emotional exchange, and are designed to teach lessons of maturity while providing adult support. The program has raised interest at other…

In Cohen vs. Brown University, a federal appeals court upheld a ruling favoring maintenance of college women's sports programs. The decision makes it clear that institutions should equalize athletic opportunities for men and women, but fails to resolve the debate over whether anti-discrimination statutes require numerical parity between men and…

Despite record enrollment of foreign students in American colleges and universities, the rate of increase in enrollments has slowed, causing concern among international education specialists. In addition, while growth in American students studying abroad continues, the number is still considered small by some. More government interest in these…

Data on foreign students in United States higher education institutions in 1994-95 include information about region and country of students' origin, distribution by state, top fields of study, and institution type attended. The 20 institutions of each type (research, doctoral, master's, undergraduate, community college), with highest foreign…

A record number (84,000) of United States students studied abroad for credit in 1994-95, a 10% increase over the previous year. Most were white and female. The trend is attributed to efforts to promote international education and better government and institutional policies. Over half those studying abroad attend programs of one semester or less;…

Data on United States students studying abroad in 1994-95 include information on geographic distribution by host region and country, noting enrollment change over the previous year, program characteristics, and student characteristics. The home institutions with the highest numbers of students studying abroad are listed by type (research,…