Giving patterns in the six years following a stock market drop in 1960 showed that giving actually went up during those years. However, in the case of very wealthy donors, they reduced large gifts to colleges. ( MLW)

Sharply reduced tax benefits of some gifts of appreciated property, especially works of art, have college officials worried that their collections at campus museums and galleries will suffer. John Whitney Payson's decision to sell Van Gogh's "Irises," on loan to Westbrook College, is described. (MLW)

Top business schools in the 1980's have sent more students to Wall Street's investment and brokerage houses than in past years when the schools were considered training grounds for corporate managers. With Wall Street's gyrations, business students are thinking about jobs in marketing and sales. (MLW)

Kathleen Gwynn and Associates, an admissions advising firm for young analysts finishing two-year residencies at top investment banks and financial-consulting firms, provides one-on-one counseling to M.B.A. applicants. Some business school admissions officers are wary of the potential influence of such counseling services. (MLW)

Business continues to be the most popular major of undergraduates while at the same time, many corporate recruiters are looking for graduates with liberal-arts backgrounds. The increasingly global economy has brought new responsibilities for employees, and graduates need better communication and foreign language skills. (MLW)

Higher education in the People's Republic of China is discussed based on a tour of 15 universities that included formal interviews and informal discussions with Chinese-government officials, university administrators, faculty members, other educators, students, and journalists. (MLW)

College students aiming for medical school often fall victim to 'pre-med syndrome'; they become narrow, grade-conscious overachievers, who are less sociable and more interested in money and prestige than are most other students. Suggestions for alleviating the severity of the problem are provided. (MLW)

Colleges must make radical changes in their structure, values, hiring practices, and the way they treat students if they want to attract more minority students and professors. Faculty members are given little incentive to work with minority students. (MLW)

The autumn conference of the Vermont Council on the Humanities focused on discussions about Allan Bloom's book, "The Closing of the American Mind," and his call for Americans to return to fundamental questions of the nature of man and society. The Council also runs book discussion groups in local libraries. (MLW)

Under a new policy at the University of California, Los Angeles, spouses of the system president and chancellors can apply for the title "associate of the chancellor" and receive benefits such as business cards, library cards, travel expenses for university business, insurance coverage, etc. (MLW)

North Carolina State's humanities-extension program operates through the university's cooperative-extension service. The program was begun when there was a realization that future interest in the humanities might drop, and the university wanted to find outreach outlets for the school's faculty members. (MLW)

Bergen Community College, Middlesex County College, and Union County College are setting up (1) counseling programs to help welfare recipients determine their job interests and skills, (2) job-training courses, and (3) day-care centers for participants children. (MLW)

College enrollment will be relatively stable over the next four years according to new projections by the U.S. Department of Education. (MLW)

A 24-city program called "Career Beginnings" designed to encourage students who might be on the verge of dropping out to finish high school and attend college is described. The program brings together colleges, high schools, and businesses in an effort to improve the prospects of disadvantaged high-school students. (MLW)

Issues related to minorities and higher education were reported at a federally sponsored conference. Research described is related to: black students and black colleges; community colleges and minority students; faculty hiring and affirmative action; campus presidents and minority enrollments; and Supreme Court decisions and affirmative action.…