Problems in area studies programs are linked to three deficiencies: weakness of all interdisciplinary programs, failure of the U.S. government to supply leadership and resources, and American inability to link essentially academic programs to those that have public policy goals. National and international support are encouraged. (MSE)

Findings of research indicate four institutional conditions that may facilitate adoption of innovations such as a women's studies program: (1) faculty strongly supporting innovation; (2) large size and structural diversity; (3) need for trend-setter schools to maintain their positions; and (4) diverse clientele and broad educational mandate. (MSE)

Issues of the value and direction of liberal education are viewed from three perspectives: content, intent, and consequences of liberal arts. Educators are encouraged to characterize their own positions and those of their colleagues as a way of understanding their own and others' priorities. (MSE)

A variety of issues are considered in a discussion of faculty-librarian relationships: traditional training and characteristics of college librarians, faculty involvement in policymaking and library practice, the library needs of scholars, stereotypes and individual personality differences, and faculty status for librarians. (MSE)

A study integrated the major propositions of 2 theories of college persistence (Tinto's and Bean's) and used the resulting framework to survey a population of 466 first-year college students at 1 university. Findings supported most of the hypothesized links between the models and revealed a complex role for environmental factors in retention.…

Using longitudinal college student (n=2,497) and parent data and interviews of a subsample (n=60), a study examined factors associated with parental savings for students' postsecondary education. Results suggest that socioeconomic status, student educational aspirations, and the extent to which parents think they will need outside financial help…

Responses of 250 college faculty to questions about "good" teaching were analyzed by gender, rank, and discipline. Overall, few gender differences were found. Those that emerged include greater female faculty interest in student self-esteem, class interaction/participation, and seeking outside assistance in improving teaching. Male faculty valued…

Feminist Phase Theory was used to analyze the literature on female community college students. Results suggest that thinking about women has been largely compensatory and bifocal (comparing men and women), focusing little on the value of women's experiences. Thinking about women was found to have changed little in 20 years. (Author/MSE)

A study compared the life experiences of 390 men and 138 women graduating from Harvard University and Radcliffe College in one mid-1960s class, comparing students attending elite preparatory schools, nonelite private schools, and public schools. Public school graduates accumulated more "cultural capital" whereas elite prep school graduate…

One of the principal drafters of Stanford University's regulation concerning verbal harassment on campus proposes an interpretation of the conflict between civil rights and civil liberties in this situation. Contrasts in the two approaches to injury and the public/private distinction are highlighted. The text of Stanford's regulation is appended.…

A carefully structured process for campus administrative decision making concerning hate speech is proposed and suggestions for implementation are offered. In addition, criteria for evaluating hate speech processes are outlined, and First Amendment principles circumscribing the institution's discretion to regulate hate speech are discussed.…

An examination of data from several studies investigated white (n=1,825), African-American (n=328), and Chicano (n=340) college student perceptions of campus racial climate and institutional commitment to cultural diversity. Student demographic variables were considered. Results indicated common and distinct views concerning the environment types…

The ways in which legal change affect institutions of higher education are examined, focusing on three specific legal issues: the residency status of a foreign student; faculty rights to inventions and discoveries; and racial harassment on campus. An implementation process model is recommended to measure the effects of policy implementation. (MSE)

The widely accepted theory that college participation is a "rite of passage," where academic and social integration is required for student persistence, is criticized as misinterpreting anthropological notions of ritual and holding consequences harmful for racial and ethnic minorities. An approach focusing on emancipation and empowerment is…

Arguments are presented which suggest that, although higher education cannot be offered entirely separately from research, institutions of higher education do not need to conduct research to justify their title. However, faculty need time and resources to keep up with their fields. If higher education is serious about promoting quality, it must…