In an effort to diversify their investments, colleges are pouring money into hotels, shopping centers, research parks, and apartment buildings. Institutional involvement in real estate takes a variety of forms, some considered risky, and has resulted in both profit and public-relations problems. (MSE)

In response to student protest, some colleges have hired minority-affairs administrators to improve campus race relations, but many express concern about administrators' commitment to that goal. Some academics feel minority-affairs programs are counterproductive. (MSE)

Increasingly, college students are choosing to devote their spring breaks to volunteering in community services for the disadvantaged, through alternative spring-break programs administered or coordinated by colleges. Some intend to continue volunteer work after returning to campus. (MSE)

A federal appeals court has upheld a ruling denying an attempt to force the American Physical Society to disclose the name of reviewer for its scholarly journal, in order to maintain the integrity of the review process. It was the first such case considered by a federal court. (MSE)

As doctoral candidates take longer to earn their degrees, with 70 percent dropping out, and as the dissertation becomes farther removed from the way research is done in some fields, alternatives to the dissertation are being sought. One possibility is that doctorates may be awarded based on published journal articles. (MSE)

The Supreme Court will not hear an appeal by a software publisher suing the University of California at Los Angeles for copying its computer programs, upholding state rights in copyright law. However, federal legislation paving the way for such suits in the future is being drafted. (MSE)

While business students are not convinced that graduate school can teach ethical behavior, many are dissatisfied with the little attention it now receives and want more structured treatment of it. Others think the interest is a fad. Business schools have responded in a variety of ways. (MSE)

While world hunger appears to be a simple problem, research shows it to have a variety of interrelated causes. Some feel political and economic factors are not being considered seriously enough. While some organizations have adopted an active interest in ending hunger, the scale of the problem inhibits others. (MSE)

A national association of composition teachers is drafting a statement on professional standards and recommendations for writing instructors. The statement addresses teacher autonomy and curricular input, teacher qualifications, class size, temporary part-time vs. full-time employment, compensation, and teaching assistant qualifications. (MSE)

A recent federal welfare reform law requires each state to provide basic education and job training programs, in which colleges have a major role. Areas of disagreement between state and institutions include program length, the role of proprietary schools, and funding adequacy. (MSE)

The need to shift the education-reform movement in many Southern states away from one-time legislative victories and toward long-term, comprehensive plans to meet specific goals is discussed. A meeting of the Southern Regional Educational Board is reported. (MLW)

Serving as a special master of a federal court, Paul R. Verkuil, the president of the College of William and Mary, developed a plan to integrate Louisiana's colleges. A governance structure, ending racial characteristics of historically Black colleges, and a quota for Black membership on the governing board are proposed. (MLW)

Allegations that colleges discriminate against Asian Americans in undergraduate admissions are discussed in light of record numbers of Asian Americans being admitted to the nation's elite colleges and universities this fall. (MLW)

Enrollment figures by level, enrollment status, and type and control of institution are presented, comparing public institutions with private institutions, and full-time students with part-time students. (MLW)

A ruling in a dispute over whether the State University of New York System was justified in barring from its Cortland campus a group selling kitchen products is discussed. The case involved the legality of a regulation that bars most commercial activity from SUNY campuses. (MLW)