This series of 32 brief reports reviews a number of issues related to the role and representation of blacks in American higher education. Issues related to enrollment, student life, graduate study, faculty, and administration are highlighted as the status of blacks in the nation's colleges and universities is explored. (SLD)

Presents a statistical record of the progress of African Americans in institutions of higher education in the United States, focusing on: a higher education equality index, racial inequality, African Americans in medical school, trends in black enrollment, black faculty and administrators, and black Ph.D.s. (SLD)

Census data are used to calculate educational attainment for black residents in each state and the educational payoff of a college diploma for blacks in each state. Earnings at various levels of educational attainment are compared for blacks and whites on a state-by-state basis. (SLD)

Many colleges, Harvard among them, offer preferential admission to the children of alumni. The legacy preferential system perpetuates elitism and the status quo and places blacks and other minorities, whose parents were less likely to have gone to college, at a real disadvantage. (SLD)

Attacks on multiculturalism in higher education as threatening free speech and genuine diversity of opinion have no basis in fact, but they may be expected to continue as the political Right realizes that the American academy is the last defender of the poor and the weak. (SLD)

Compares the academic achievements of black students at three of the nation's highest-ranked colleges and universities: Amherst College, Carnegie Mellon University, and the University of Virginia. Preliminary and tentative results suggest that blacks may be closing the academic performance gap between blacks and whites. (SLD)

That there is a significant degree of observable average difference in the intelligence quotients of blacks and whites is an established fact. The explanations for this offered by Herrnstein and Murray ("The Bell Curve," 1994) ignore the equally well-established facts of discrimination and disadvantage over centuries. (SLD)

New Trier High School in Winnetka (Illinois) and DuSable High School in Chicago illustrate the gross inequities in the state's public education system. Wealthy New Trier is able to spend twice as much per student in an environment that is already advantaged in every respect, from teacher salaries to courses offered. (SLD)

This chronology details major steps in the history of African Americans in higher education. The time line begins with the 1763 birth of the first African American to study at Princeton and marks the establishment of historically black colleges and universities as highlights. Notable African American educators are listed. (SLD)

Data obtained from the Department of Labor under the Freedom of Information Act describe the faculty and staff employment records by race of most of the nation's most prestigious universities. Of full-time faculty nationwide, 4.7 percent are black. About 41 percent of service employees at these schools are black. (SLD)

Data from the 1993-94 ACT Assessment and a follow-up were examined to see how many black and white students eventually enrolled in what had been their first-choice colleges. Results for 12,448 blacks and 125,298 whites indicate that initial choices by blacks are more liable to change. (SLD)

Presents some guidelines and strategies that college professors who feel that they have been victims of discrimination should consider before they decide to pursue litigation. Exhausting internal appeals, gathering evidence carefully, and looking critically at one's goals are advocated. (SLD)

While a coach's practical goals necessitate having a winning team, this need is not inconsistent with other goals motivating players intrinsically, helping athletes deal with competition-related stress, and building an appreciation of individual worth and of team cooperation. (JD)

Numerous ideas for teaching badminton to large groups are presented. The focus is on drills and techniques for off the court instructional stations. Instead of having students waiting their turn to play, more students can participate actively as they rotate from one station to another. (JN)

Athletic awards have taken on a twisted and perverted meaning. They have been become prizes for winning rather than recognition for a job well done. The values of self-discipline, respect for rules, teamwork, and courage should be considered achievements. (JN)