Calculus must be made more relevant and understandable to students if the nation is to maintain a strong scientific and technological enterprise. A national effort should be launched to bring calculus education into the computer age by developing curricula incorporating calculators and other innovative tools. (MLW)

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching report, "The Academic Life," finds that too often teaching is undervalued on college campuses. Teachers and teaching need to be elevated in the hierarchy of the academic profession. (MLW)

Some 175 Black professors have established the National Congress of Black Faculty to deal with issues such as the recruitment and retention of Black faculty and the problems Black faculty members encounter in trying to undertake or publish research. (MLW)

Tight state budgets and regional economic difficulties have prompted a sharp drop in the rate that state appropriations for higher education have increased over the past two years. New England fares well while farm and oil states suffer. (MLW)

The College Outcomes Evaluation Program, a New Jersey assessment plan, is intended to serve as an official blueprint for improving state higher education. It outlines specific goals for gauging quality but gives institutions leeway to carry them out. (MLW)

A series of steps by the Education Department and Congress to crack down on loan defaulters are discussed. Several factors have put defaults in the spotlight, including a study listing default rates at all postsecondary institutions and hard-hitting newspaper editorials. (MLW)

Tables show a sharp drop in state appropriations for higher education. The figures were compiled by the Illinois State University Center for Higher Education. (MLW)

Although college finance officers are worried about the consequences of a drop in the value of their endowments because of Wall Street fluctuations, most have expressed concern about the effects on the general economy. If the nation has sluggish economic growth, the financial impact on higher education could be severe. (MLW)

A day-long prison simulation for a Wheaton College sociology class, held in a county jail that is generally used to house inmates while they are waiting to appear in court, is described. The course, which focuses on prisons, homelessness, and AIDS, aims to increase students' empathy for others. (MLW)

A list of 22 institutions under NCAA sanctions is provided with their violations and penalties described. (MLW)

Epigrapher and philologist Bruce Zuckerman, directs an archive of photographs and other images of ancient biblical and related texts. By using sophisticated technical photography and computer graphics, he makes his photographs of ancient texts reveal more than a camera alone ever could. (MLW)

At the annual meeting of the Association for General and Liberal Studies, scholars suggested that higher education--liberal arts in particular--should address broad social issues, encourage student activism, and stop pretending that teaching is not a political act. 'Empowerment' of students through collaborative classroom experiences was urged.…

The annual meeting of the College Board focused on some of the most controversial issues facing higher education including: productivity, accountability, prepaid tuition plans, Guaranteed Student Loan (GSL) program, and one alternative to the G.S.L.--students could borrow from the government and then pay a higher Social Security tax. (MLW)

Colleges and universities will be held directly responsible for loan repayments by their former students. Most postsecondary institutions with default rates of more than 20% are for-profit trade schools, community colleges, or historically Black colleges. (MLW)

Some influential members of Congress say colleges and universities need to take more seriously the political and financial needs of their advocates on Capitol Hill. College presidents feel that creating a PAC to give money to politicians would tarnish higher education's image and erode their political independence. (MLW)