The total number of dollars awarded to 120 nonprofit organizations, most universities, in contracts for research, development, testing, and evaluation for military projects and civilian water-resource projects are tabulated. Organizations listed are those that received over $1 million. (MSE)

A three-judge panel of the U. S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled unanimously that civil rights groups could not sue the federal government to force it to take steps against states or colleges that may be breaking the law. (MLW)

Reports presented at the Sixth International Conference on Aids are summarized including efforts to develop a vaccine, expansion of the epidemic into new areas, the high rate of infection among Romanian children, the crisis in Africa, and evidence of relapsing behaviors among homosexual men in the United States. (MLW)

One of the reasons women's history no longer seems as cohesive is that scholars no longer focus only on the importance of gender in shaping women's lives, but also on race and class. Scholars also use competing methodologies, and many are abandoning theories that once helped define the field. (MLW)

Faculty members at liberal arts colleges best known for their teaching are stepping up their research agendas. The change may threaten the culture of liberal arts colleges, known for good teaching and close student-faculty ties. Promotion to full professor depends on completion of a major research project. (MLW)

A few colleges have turned down grants from the National Endowment for the Arts because recipients must sign a controversial pledge that they will not use the funds for work that may be considered obscene. Many scholars do not believe that accepting money will infringe academic freedom. (MLW)

The Federal Communications Commission is considering a plan that would allow cable-television to use parts of the broadcast spectrum that has been reserved for educational programing. Cable companies say it is wasteful to reserve limited broadcasting for educational programing if not enough colleges use the frequencies allotted. (MLW)

The message that campuses must use the data they are gathering about students to improve teaching and learning was presented at a conference on Assessment in Higher Education. More campuses are developing their own assessment tools rather than relying solely on standardized tests. Classroom assessment allows faculty to evaluate their own teaching.…

National surveys show that the new pool of doctoral degree recipients includes a larger share of women, slightly more minority group members, substantially fewer Blacks, and more non-U.S. citizens than a decade ago. Fewer Americans but more foreigners are getting science and engineering doctorates. (MSE)

A federal report predicts the end of mandatory retirement for professors will not clog the system with unproductive scholars and will only affect a few research universities. It also concludes that, if federal agencies help colleges prepare, Congress should not continue to exempt tenured professors from the law beyond 1993. (MSE)

The Ivy League colleges, formally charged with violating federal antitrust laws, agreed to stop setting joint financial-aid policies and sharing information about aid packages. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology denies violating any laws. A group of 23 prestigious institutions, the Overlap Group, have collaborated annually on financial aid.…

A decision in the case involving the "Silver Spring Monkeys" and National Institutes of Health research left open the possibility of suing the federal agency in state courts, possibly making it easier for animal-rights groups to block some animal research. However, the ruling addresses only a narrow jurisdictional question. (MSE)

Thirty-seven universities received half the money donated by foundations to higher education in 1989-90, and 40 institutions received half the corporate dollars donated, revealing the power of research universities to attract private monies. Some feel the concentration is neither rational nor fair. Tables present dollar and percentage figures for…

Both sides claimed victory when a deeply divided Supreme Court ruled in a case that had been expected to determine how college faculty's union fees should be allocated among national unions and local affiliates for activities related to or not related to collective bargaining. (MSE)

A recent Educational Testing Service study, "Performance at the Top: From Elementary through Graduate School," used a variety of test data to track high-ability (top 25 percent) students. College officials see the findings as troubling, speculating that high-achievers lose interest in introductory courses and need smaller classes. (MSE)